Honours even as Brimscombe and Stonehouse play out a draw

Both Brimscombe & Thrupp and Stonehouse Town had to settle for a point, following a 1-1 draw on Friday night.

Harley Hudd’s opener was cancelled out by a neat finish from Brimmy debutant Xavi Diaz-Butcher before half time – with neither side showing enough quality in the second half to claim all three points.

Stonehouse player/Assistant Manager Karl Nash was shown a red card in injury time after a challenge and kick out on Brimscombe’s Lewis Toop, as frustrations boiled over.

Stonehouse miss out on the opportunity to close the gap to the top three in Hellenic League Division One and find themselves nine points off leaders Wantage Town.

For Brimscombe, they stay 11th in the table and are now unbeaten in the league at home for the last four fixtures.

Both sides are back in action next weekend, with Stonehouse Town hosting FC Stratford and Brimscombe heading to Wellington.

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The game started with Brimscombe creating a number of openings, but not being able to test Stonehouse keeper Adam Clark.

Lewis Toop curled a free kick against the bar, before former Stonehouse man Jacob Eakers fired over from 20 yards.

James Piatek had a goalbound effort blocked, before Xavi Diaz-Butcher played a neat one two before seeing his effort deflected out for a corner.

Stonehoue’s likely out ball in the first 20 minutes was Joey Haswell, and after swapping sides with him and Harley Hudd the visitors looked a lot more balanced.

Haswell crossed from the right, but Dan Gayner didn’t catch his volley right and it was easy for Travis Wood.

Hudd then laid the ball square for Josh Beadle, but the former Shortwood man scuffed wide from 18 yards.

With five minutes left of the half, Stonehouse struck. Haswell’s ball forward towards Gayner was headed down by a defender, only for it to fall to Hudd on the edge of the box.

Hudd turned well, holding off his marker, before drilling an effort into the bottom corner with a tidy finish.

Brimscombe would have felt aggrieved to go into half time behind, and they got their deserved equaliser in first half stoppage time a Diaz-Butcher played a one two with Eakers, before slotting past Clark.

Diaz-Butcher had the first effort of the second half, but curled over after cutting back well on the corner of the box.

Stonehouse introduced Connor Walters and Jamol Dare as they went in search of a second goal, but a lack of quality in the final third, alongside some solid Brimmy defending, reduced chances to a premium.

Dare had a great chance with just over 15 minutes remaining, but he sliced wide after being picked out at the back post.

Hudd laid the ball into the path of substitute Fin Byrnes, but his curling side footed effort flew wide.

In reality, Brimscombe went closest to the winner, as sub Jono Peachey-Score got up well to head towards goal – but Clark did well to palm the effort away.

Then with seconds left on the clock, Karl Nash bundled into Lewis Toop and reacted to Toop raising a leg towards him on landing and was sent off for kicking out at the Brimscombe captain.

One positive for the visitors was seeing Lewis Bainbridge make a return to the pitch after an injury lay-off, but they will need to find consistency going forward if they are to make the play-offs.

Brimscombe & Thrupp: Wood, Jones, Toop, Piatek, Dainton, Saunders, Love, Moore, Bradbury, Eakers, Diaz-Butcher

Subs: Hall, Marks, Blackford, Peachey-Score, Griffiths

Stonehouse Town: Clark, Rees, Martin, Turner, Rich Thwaite, Ryan Thwaite, Haswell, Kibble, Gayner, Beadle, Hudd

Subs: Walters, Dare, Byrnes, Nash, Bainbridge

C Martin Roofing Man of the Match – Xavi Diaz-Butcher (Brimscombe & Thrupp)