BRISLINGTON 2

BRIDPORT 2

BRIDPORT battled back to secure a hard-fought 2-2 draw as they travelled to Brislington in the Toolstation Western Premier Division.

The hosts looked dominant in the opening exchanges and took the lead with a drilled effort into the top corner of Jason Hutchin’s net.

It was a relatively even match all in all, and Bridport found a way back into the game with an excellently taken effort from Mark Salter, who chested the ball down before firing a volley home from 15 yards.

The game then turned as Matthew Condliffe was given a straight red card after being alleged to have fouled the Brislington forward, which saw the hosts capitalise as they scored again to take the lead.

But credit to Bridport, who are without a game this weekend, who had a number of opportunities, and eventually found a leveller with a late Salter penalty to cap off a pleasing display for assistant-manager Paddy Behan.

He said: “It was a decent game and I think we deserved a point.

“Brislington aren’t a bad side, but they’re a solid Western League side with lots of experience, and we played the last half an hour with a really young side, so it shows what qualities we have got and what the players can do. They’ll benefit from games like this and it shows how much they’ve matured that they can match a side who would have fancied themselves against us at home to get three points.”

Bees: Hutchins, Regan, Condliffe, Hayter, Buckler, Martin, Symes, Butcher, Andrews, Peach, Salter. Subs: Hebditch, Hill, Holland, Hull