Match Report
Yate Town 1 Bemerton 1
Baidoo 76 Monk 86
Southern League Division One South
Saturday 29th March 2025
Yate Town’s lead at the top of the table is now down to just one point following this draw with play-off hopefuls Bemerton with title rivals, Evesham United winning 1-0 at Tavistock.
Yate Town manager, Darren Mullings, was forced into changing the side that drew at Bideford last Saturday, moving James Byrne into midfield, for the suspended Joe Guest, with Lewis Hall slotting into the left back position. King Baidoo started in place of Nick McCootie.
The Bluebells started the game well and despite dominating much of the first half few chances were created by either side. A Lucas Tomlinson free kick was just off target and following a poor clearance by the visitors King Baidoo brought a good save from Ben Clark but when Clark dropped the ball after 25 minutes the goalkeeper was fortunate when Jamie Adams cross went straight back to him whilst a goalmouth scramble came to nothing with the Bemerton defence in no mood to concede.
James Taylor finds space in the Bemerton penalty area before being closed down.
Olly Balmer’s free kick went just over the bar, for Bemerton, after Bradley Waters had been fouled on the edge of the box, seven minutes before the interval.
Marlon Jackson challenges Bemerton goalkeeper, Ben Clark.
The second half started in similar fashion with Yate Town pressing but Bemerton only had to deal with a 20-yard effort from Tomlinson that went straight at Ben Clark and a Lloyd James free kick that was blocked by the defensive wall. The deadlock was eventually broken when following a corner from Lloyd James the ball was returned into the penalty area by Ross Stearn and King Baidoo forced the ball home from close range.
King Baidoo puts the Bluebells 1-0 up.
However, Bemerton drew level four minutes from time, with their first real effort on target. A free kick from the left saw the ball flicked on and Frankie Monk was able to score at the far post from close range. Yate then had a goal chalked off for a foul on Clark and King Baidoo was off target when well-placed right at the end.
Will Larvin and Marlon Jackson challenge for the ball in the second half.
March has seen the Bluebells draw four of their seven games and with Evesham winning six out of their last seven games the title race is hotting up with 5 games to go and much to keep fans excited.
Yate Town now travel down to Cornwall on consecutive Saturdays to play relegation threatened Helston Athletic next Saturday, then third placed Mousehole the following Saturday before Cinderford are the visitors to the South West Interiors Stadium on Good Friday (3pm). Yate Town manager, Daren Mullings, will be hoping that his side can find the form that took them clear at the top of the table earlier in the season.
Yate Town: Finch, Taylor, Hall, Larvin (Stearn 75), Dempsey, James, Tomlinson, Adam, Jackson (McCootie 65), Byrne, Baidoo
Unused subs: Christopher, Lenihan, Wyatt
Bookings: Hall (38), Byrne (86), James (90+3)
Bemerton Herath Harlequins: Clark, Rayfield, Ward, Munday, Higgins, Douglas, Monk, Yang, Waters (Clancy 60), Panesar-Dower (Burden 73), Balmer (Jenkins 44)
Unused subs: Smith, Pelham
Bookings: Douglas (17), Jenkins (45+2), Rayfield (53)
Referee: Dale Wotton
Attendance: 625
Photographs by Aaron Norman and Harvey Maggs
Yate Town Man of the Match: King Baidoo