Cheltenham Saracens 4 – 2 Shortwood United
UHL Hellenic League Division One
Shortwood United’s league campaign began in disappointing fashion with a 4–2 defeat at Cheltenham Saracens, where an uncharacteristically shaky defensive display cost them dearly, writes Jim Cunneen.
The visitors found themselves two goals down within the first five minutes of a nightmare start. A misjudged back pass put goalkeeper Wright under pressure, allowing ex-Shortwood striker Ryan Dobbins to pounce and slot home the opener. Less than a minute later, former Shortwood player Essa Sabally was given far too much space to cut inside from the left and lashed a 20-yard strike in off the underside of the bar to double Saracens’ lead.
To their credit, Shortwood responded well. In the 15th minute, Alfie Bradshaw fired a low drive into the net from the edge of the box to halve the deficit. From then on, Wood took control, pushing Saracens back and creating a string of chances. Home keeper Need produced fine saves to deny Gardner and Cooke, while a potential equaliser was ruled out for offside and a strong handball appeal was waved away.
Wood’s momentum continued after the break, and just two minutes into the second half they drew level. Martin’s driving run into the box was halted by a clumsy challenge, and Bradshaw coolly converted the resulting penalty, sending Need the wrong way.
But having battled back to level terms, Wood once again conceded a soft goal. A speculative long-range effort rebounded off the bar and Dobbins reacted quickest to head the ball past Wright, restoring the home side’s lead on 55 minutes.
Wright made a sharp stop soon after to deny Dobbins a hat trick, but with 20 minutes remaining, Saracens struck again. The pacey Bond broke clear of the defence, rounded Wright and tapped in to make it 4–2.
Despite continued effort, Wood couldn’t find a way back into the game and were left to rue defensive lapses that overshadowed some bright attacking play.
Shortwood United: Wright, Williams (Price 75), T. King (Cunningham-Sturmey 88), E. King, Tryner, Whelan, Gardner, Kent (Walker 60), Bradshaw, Martin (Muhid 74), Cooke.
