For practically the first time all season Southbank a full squad to pick from and manager Derrick Holton had some tuff decisions to make.  With the much improved recent performances the players who have turned the season round were given their chance against a powerful Dee Road side who where hot on the tails of league leaders Tilehurst United.

With an abundance of options throughout the side Sam Madden answered an SOS call from the reserves and dropped down to help them gain a valuable 3 points.  This allowed Danny Fitzpatrick and Simon Price to form the NINTH starting centre back pairing of the season.  Meanwhile Andy Hands was pushed forward alongside Lee Didcock upfront to fit Bryce into the 4 man midfield.  Unlucky to miss out where Andy Hyslop and Richard Smalley who joined the returning Ricky Gale and Allan Kemp on the bench as Southbank had more than 3 subs for the first time in recent memory.

The game started as expected.  Dee Road got the ball down and played some good football whilst trying to intimidate both Southbank and the referee with some late challenges and lots of verbal.  Southbank stood their ground though and slowly came in to the game thanks to a lot of hard work and some good football.

Whilst Southbank where enjoying their best spell of the first half Dee Road snatched an opener when a Dee Road forward managed to get in behind the Southbank back four and scored past Spokes in the Southbank goal. 

The lead didn’t last long before Bryce Bellman, who worked tirelessly before going off injured, broke down the left.  His well placed cross picked out a run to the new post by Didcock who calmly finished into the bottom corner.  The score remained 1-1 until half time with little goal mouth action at either end.  The highlight being a Seaman’esque finger tip save by Spokes from a close range header.

The second half saw Dee Road up the tempo and put the Southbank defence under increased pressure.  However Spokes was rarely called into action as Price and Fitzpatrick where outstanding at the back and soaped up attack after attack.

Southbank still had their moments and a through ball to Didcock from the ever impressive ‘dancing’ Andy Hands saw the Dee Road defender resort to bringing Didi down just inside the box for a Southbank penalty.  Despite the delaying tactics of the Dee Road players Gail Tilsley stepped up the scuff the ball past a star struck goalkeeper for his first goal in Southbank colours.

This signaled a spell of intense pressure on the Southbank goal but the whole team battled hard and defended well as a unit and Dee Road were limited to hopeful shots from long range and desperate shouts for penalties.

Indeed it was Southbank that came closest to adding to the score when Allan Kemp, on for the injured Bellman, broke free down the left but his deft chip sailed over the bar.

All that remained was for Ricky Gale to flatten a Dee Road midfielder, who you could say didn’t like it, and nearly spark a riot before the referee – who had handled the game well – blew time on another impressive Southbank victory.  If we’d played with this commitment, desire and belief throughout the season it could easily have been us vying for the title and not Dee Road – maybe next year lads!

Team: Spokes, Thurgood, Booth, Price, Fitzpatrick, Broomfield, Towner, Brown (Gale), Bellman (Kemp), Hands, Didcock