BISHOPS CLEEVE | BIGGEST AND BEST

Goalkeeper, Lewis Clayton, lauds latest win

Bishops Cleeve have moved up into third place in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South table after their long Tuesday evening trip down to Falmouth Town yielded a 1-0 victory, their biggest and best win of the season according to goalkeeper, Lewis Clayton.

“Of course, we had the Emirates FA Cup victory over Torquay United earlier in the season that will be talked about for years to come, but in the context of the season and all of the aspects surrounding it, Tuesday’s result was our biggest and best of the season so far,” Clayton told us. “To go down there on a Tuesday evening and battle out a 1-0 win at this stage of what has been a busy season, is fantastic.

“We defended with real purpose and played the conditions of the pitch well. The lads in front of me were immense; I didn’t have all that much to do over the course of the game and that was credit to the way in which we defended from the front.

“There was a save towards the end where I managed to tip a header over the crossbar, which I was pleased about, but the work-rate and determination of my team-mates was there for all to see and it was a nice goal to win it too.

“That’s a big three points for us to take us up to third place, but it’s still so close with just four games to go and I can see plenty of twists and turns ahead for all of the teams that are involved.

“Our run-in isn’t easy and we can’t afford to allow ourselves to get too carried away. It’s a well-used cliché but it’s a case of one game at time and see where it takes us.

“It’s been a great season for us, though. As I say, we had that Emirates FA Cup adventure and since then we’ve been in and around the leading pack. We’ve really found our true self as a team this season; we know what works and what doesn’t and we’re in a good place going into the final straight.

“The competitiveness of this division means that it’s a tricky League. There’s also the added difficulties such as having to travel down to Cornwall on a Tuesday and all of the logistical issues that come with it. These games should be rearranged for Saturdays because we all work full-time and it is difficult, but we have to get on with it.”

A home clash with Larkhall Athletic awaits on Saturday and then over Easter it’s a trip to Thatcham Town followed by a mouth-watering home encounter with fellow promotion hopefuls, Evesham United, on Bank Holiday Monday. The season ends at Cribbs.

IMAGE: Henry Nunn

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