Venue:
Referee:
WL Div 1 Saturday 8th August - K.O. 3: 00 PM
Attendance: 73
Portishead   1 - 2   Almondsbury
Clarke (80'),  Half Time
Portishead (4-4-2)
 Ian Ganfield
 Tom Clements
 Lee Brice
 Ollie Hatfield
 Craig Knight
 Matt Roberts
 Mark Mapstone
 Cleve Holder
 Dave Pettitt
 James Hughes
 James Clarke

 Dan Jones
 Sam Charman
Substitutions
None.
Discipline
No Bookings
Manager
 Dave Willis
Match Summary
After a very good pre-season training programme Posset were looking forward to starting their Western league campaign and newly amalgamated Almondsbury U.W.E were their visitors to start the new season.

With players returning to the club as well as important squad members returning from lengthy injuries Posset's squad looks far better equipped to cope with the rigours of a season in the Toolstation league. The visitors came with a new found reputation based on their link up with the University of the West of England and they didn't disappoint, right from the start they got at Posset's rearguard and found themselves one goal to the good after only 6 minutes when poor Posset marking from a long freekick gifted the Almondsbury striker a goal line poke in to take the lead.

This kick started Posset into action and soon after a great run from Mapstone released Dave Pettitt who rounded the keeper only to see his goal bound shot hacked off the line which presented Mapstone with a clearing however his volley was also bundled away to safety.

Almondsbury kept up their neat interplay and after 25 minutes should have doubled their lead when their striker outpaced Possets defence but squirted his shot wide of Ganfield's upright, the game was end to end now and a fine cross from Mapstone just evaded the head of James Hughes when he looked destined to put the home side level.

After half an hour a Mapstone corner found the head of the diminutive Hughes on the 6 yard line but the Almondsbury custodian made a brilliant fingertip stop and from the resulting clearance Almondsbury doubled their advantage over the hosts when their skipper rifled home a fine volley from 12 yards out.

Posset got the second half under way knowing they needed an early goal to try to gain some momentum in the match however that never materialised with both sides cancelling each other out for much of the second half until 8 minutes from time when a searching Mapstone cross found the head of skipper Cleve Holder he headed across goal and Jamie Clarke found the Almondsbury net from a tight angle to set up a tense final few minutes.

Twice Clarke came close to equalising but his efforts were thwarted brilliantly by the Almondsbury stopper, the visitors almost made it 3 in the dying seconds when the stout little substitute somehow wriggled free of the home sides defence only for keeper Ganfield to make a spectacular save to deny him.
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