PAULTON Rovers beat Mangotsfield 3-1 at home in an Under 18 match in mid-week..

Paulton started the game the brighter of the teams dominating more possession and attacking well down the right, it was the home side who came closest first; an excellent cross from Alice Wach gave Willis an opportunity inside the 6 yard box, unfortunately his header missing the target and the scores staying level. Mango’s were playing direct and looking for their winger who had a solid battle with Allman playing at left back, despite a few crosses Paulton defence stood firm. Another chance was presented for Willis as he ran through 1 on 1 with the GK, narrowly missing the target. Rovers finally took the lead in the 35th minute after some impressive work from Barroquiero down the left saw him cut the ball back for the oncoming Harvey Wroe who made no mistake finding the net. A poor pass early in the second half was intercepted and a fine move followed to give the visitors an equaliser. Ollie Lewis in the home goal was called upon a couple of times and made some important saves to deny the visitors. A couple of subs from Paulton were made to try and change the flow of the game and Rovers were rewarded after 70 minutes when some excellent link up between Allman & Willis led to a cross that was paried by the visiting goalkeeper straight into the path of U16 debutant Rowell who made no mistake from close range. Five minutes later, Rowell again found himself in the right place at the right time to get his second of the game and give Paulton a more comfortable lead. In the last 15 minutes of the game, the Paulton defence stood firm despite a lot of pressure from the opposition. Man Of The Match: Alex North.

Josh Hurst