Yate Town U18 Blue 3 Bristol Central 1
Brown (45+1, Everson 58, L.Matthews 70 ),
Bristol U18 Football Combination League Division 3
Sunday 26th January 2025
Yate Town U18 Blue climbed to third place in the table with a 3-1 win over Bristol Central on Sunday afternoon, to keep the pressure on Westbury Park Mangotsfield United above them.
The young Bluebells made a bright start, and should have taken the lead within 10 minutes. Archie Stanton, returning at right-back after a lengthy injury absence, freed Harvey Cotter in the inside right channel, and he skipped past a challenge before firing a low cross across the face of the goal, but Freddie Everson couldn’t find a finish and the ball evaded Nasro Baghori coming in at the back post too.
Soon afterwards, Kris Olah’s through-ball put Pete Roberts in behind on the right of the box, but the in-form winger was forced a bit wider than he’d have liked and his fierce drive flew just over the angle of post and crossbar.
Yate were beginning to really impose themselves on the game, with Kris Olah dictating the tempo from his deep lying midfield role, although Bristol Central looked dangerous on the break, with skipper Leyton Bath having to stay alert to snuff out one dangerous attack, while Finlay Jouxson was also looking solid alongside him in the heart of the back four. But dominating though they were, the home side weren’t creating any clear-cut chances.
With half an hour played, Yate took advantage of the rolling subs allowed in this competition, and introduced winger Jayden Brown and striker Cyprian Klawitter, and the move almost paid off immediately. Brown beat two challenges on the left and pulled the ball back for Klawitter 12 yards out, but he couldn’t quite get his shot away, while Klawitter was again put through by Olah in the 35th minute but saw his chipped effort drop just wide.
Just as it looked as the teams would go in even at half-time, the young Bluebells took a deserved lead. Klawitter chased down Roberts’ through ball and pressured the keeper, whose clearance fell to Jayden Brown 25 yards out, and his lobbed finish nestled into the back of the net to give him his fifth goal of the season and secure a lead for his team at the break.
Yate came out for the second-half just as they ended the first, and in the opening moments Klawitter flashed a drive across the face of goal. There was a minor scare moments later when a visiting player spotted goalkeeper Kalel Caswell off his line, but his attempted lob drifted wide, while Olah, increasingly influential in midfield, saw a long-range drive fly just over.
Just before the hour mark, though, it was 2-0. Roberts’ tenacity on the left forced a corner, and Stanton’s delivery into the box was headed home from close range by Freddie Everson, who had made a great late run and lost his marker. Everson now has four goals in five games since signing for the club in November.
In defence, Sam North and Bath, flanked by Stanton and Logan Briggs, were repelling everything that Bristol Central had to offer, and Stanton also stung the palms of the visiting goalkeeper with a strike from distance. Yate were continuing to dominate, but were indebted to goalkeeper Caswell who made a great save low down to his right to preserve the two goal advantage.
And with 70 minutes played, Yate grabbed a third to extinguish any thoughts of a comeback that the visitors might still have been harbouring. Cotter picked up the ball just inside the Bristol Central half, and his diagonal ball found Luis Matthews, and the winger finished calmly into the bottom corner to notch his first competitive goal for the club.
Just moments later, though, the visitors did pull a goal back, lifting the ball over Caswell from distance. Matthews almost added a second of his own with fifteen to play, and the closing period turned into a scrappy affair. Caswell had to be at his very best to tip a curled effort away from goal with four minutes to go, but despite hitting the bar from a corner, Bristol Central couldn’t find another goal, and Ollie Barton and Archie Morrison battled for everything in midfield to help their side see out the game.
It was an excellent performance, especially for the first hour, from Yate Town U18 Blue, who are back in action next Sunday when they visit local rivals St Nicholas.
Starting XI: Kalel Caswell; Archie Stanton, Finlay Jouxson, Leyton Bath, Logan Briggs; Harvey Cotter, Kris Olah, Archie Morrison; Pete Roberts, Freddie Everson, Nasro Baghori.
Substitutes: Cyprian Klawitter, Ollie Barton, Sam North, Luis Matthews, Jayden Brown.
Man of the Match: Kris Olah.