BUCKLAND Athletic fought back after conceding “Two really easy goals” in the opening five minutes but still emerged empty-handed from their latest Western League outing, writes Jamie Rooke.
“Frustration is the word that springs to mind” for Dan Hart in the aftermath of their fifth league defeat of the season, admitting he was “a little gobsmacked” as to the rapid nature in which Oldland Abbotonians took a two-goal lead at Homers Heath.
The hosts began to grow into the game after about 15 minutes but their play was still dominated by an overly-frantic energy, going into the break with the score still at 2-0.
Mid-table Oldland went through a change of management at the beginning of December with Kris Miller and Aaron Cornwall now at the helm and the pair are already making a clear impact on the Gloucester-based side.
Number nine Christian DaCosta was a constant threat for the Buckland backline to deal with and so the hamstring injury that forced him off towards the end of the first-half was a major blow for the Abbotonians.
Moving into the second 45 and Hart commented that “We were going to judge ourselves as a coaching team as to whether we could tweak something in the correct manner and get the correct reaction from the players”, which they seemingly did.
Sam Morcom’s inviting ball across the box gave Ryan Bush a golden opportunity to half the deficit and he duly obliged, before the latter then set up substitute Ryan Richards to calmly fire home the equaliser.
On Richards, having “come back to the club after a little injury and a loan spell at Liskeard”, the forward “looks a little bit sharper and fitter” and made “a really good impact, although he’ll be disappointed that he didn’t take two or three chances” in this one.
Momentum was on Buckland’s side now but in their search for a go-ahead goal, individual brilliance instead won the clash for Oldland. Hart stating that, “Sometimes at this level, you have to hold your hands up and accept” the turn and finish that sealed the three points for the away side.
This defeat sees the Bucks drop to seventh whilst Oldland sit 14th- next up for Hart’s men is a trip to Paulton Rovers on Saturday 21.