Thornbury Baptist Church..... 2

Woodlands United................... 1

Goals from James Hancox and Ben Paddy saw Thornbury earn a valuable three points in the last game before the Christmas break. It was a first competitive league fixture with Woodlands FC’s reserve side, Woodlands United and whilst the visitors have been struggling in the league this season, they showed a determination to try and match Thornbury’s patient passing game, despite the cold driving wind and rain.

Thornbury started the sharper and led within 5 minutes. Sam Williams found Ben Paddy down the left flank and he cut inside his man, into the box, and fed a neat pass into Jimmy Cooke whose shot on the turn was only parried to the Skipper James Hancox, who followed up to smash the ball into the empty net.

At the other end Woodlands were denied an equaliser when the striker was flagged offside latching onto a header from a free kick.

It would have been harsh on Thornbury who were well on top and they had the deserved second on the half hour mark when an Aidan Maddox pass split the defence and Ben Paddy rounded the goalkeeper before finishing coolly with his right foot.

Maddox himself then had a great chance to make it three for the hosts but he fired over from 15 yards just before having to leave the field with a hamstring injury, the second Thornbury substitute in the first half after Sam Williams departed early-on with a knee injury.

The second half was a scrappy affair with the pitch cutting up badly in the conditions and neither side able to make the decisive play in the final third. That was until a neat Woodlands move down the right and a pass across the box found the left winger arriving to finish nicely inside Davis Newcombe’s far post with his right foot.

Chances were otherwise harder to come by. Jimmy Cooke hit a 25-yard free kick against the base of the post on 75 minutes and Ben Ingram fired just wide of the far post after a smart layoff by Hancox.

Importantly the Thornbury defence held firm with Rich Ocone and Sam Nichols in commanding form and Thornbury were delighted to get back to winning ways.