Radstock Town 2 Cheddar 1
Radstock secured three important points as both sides looked to secure places in this season’s play-offs.
Despite the blustery conditions the teams did try to play football and it was the visitors who created a couple of early half-chances that ended with Reed sending a header well wide and then mishit an effort allowing the defence to easily clear.
The home sides first meaningful effort on goal came mid-way through the half when Rico Sobers found himself in some space on the edge of the box but he shot straight at Jackson in the Cheddar goal.
The deadlock was broken on forty minutes when James Rustell got past the fullback before pulling the ball back in to the path of Morgan Skipp who cut into the box and smashed a left foot thunderbolt past Jackson’s despairing dive.
Radstock could have doubled their advantage two minutes later when Sen drilled a low cross into the penalty area for Sobers to get on the end of, but he blazed the ball over the bar.
The second half opened with the home side having the wind at their backs and launching a number of raids down both flanks that were causing the visitors a considerable number of problems, but they saw the threat off and could have equalised from a quick break themselves, but Bennet hit his shot into the side netting on the hour mark.
Minutes later Morgan Skipp found himself one v one with the goalkeeper following a flick on from Sobers but he couldn’t find a way through.
Ali Sen then skipped past a couple of defenders before unleashing a left foot shot, but it went just over the bar.
Morgan Skipp scored his second four minutes from time when he took advantage of a Cheddar defenders’ indecision twenty-five yards from goal before racing into the box and driving the ball past the advancing Jackson.
That should have been that but unfortunately a rash challenge on Reed by Josh Howe two minutes after the goal earned him a yellow card and an opportunity for Cheddar to get back in the game with a penalty.
Although Scrivens dived the right way Bennetts spot kick just found the bottom corner of the net and left the home side with a nervy few minutes to survive.
The referee found far too many extra minutes for the liking of the home crowd but there were no real scares for them, and their committed performance saw then claim the win that sees them remain in fourth place in the table.
Dave Wilkinson