Priory smash four past Bemerton in convincing Vase win
on 25/10/04 by Andy Starmore
The amount of positive attributes to Christchurch’s emphatic 4-0 FA Vase win over Bemerton Heath Harlequins at Hurn Bridge was a huge boost to a club that have been threatening a performance like this for some time.

Apart from the result itself, James Bailey-Pearce and Paul Rideout both grabbed two goals each, Sam Percival made a man-of-the-match debut at the heart of the Priory defence winning every header and the oldest players in the Christchurch side were John Wyatt, Scott Joyce and Max Frampton – at 23!

It was touch and go as to whether the game would go ahead in the first place with driving rain in a howling wind threatening to spoil proceedings but, with the Hurn Bridge surface these days in impeccable condition, there was hardly a puddle on the entire pitch.

It would have been a real shame for the few that came along to witness the match if it had fallen victim to the elements and following what in the end was a more than comfortable victory, Priory manager Pete Moore (pictured above) was wearing a Cheshire cat grin from ear to ear, praising debutant Percival in the process.

“We played well in the first half without us really flowing but, I thought in the second half we started to open them up and bring the wide people in and look like our old selves,” said Moore.

“Cup games are all about one offs and it takes a bit of pressure off people. This will boost everyone’s confidence as well.

“It was between Sam Percival and Paul Rideout for the man-of-the-match and to me Sam has made a massive difference to us today.

“When you’ve got someone who is so powerful in the air it’s a mammoth site and he could turn our season, that’s the kind of difference he’s made to us.”

In conditions more suited to a species that quack and waddle, Christchurch dealt with the downpours far better than their opponents and thoroughly deserved this justifiable winning margin.

And Moore was quick to point out that this kind of performance was always just around the corner.

He added, “We’ve just got to try and put some of that kind of form into our league games because I thought we were terrific today.

“I don’t think anyone could say that the scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection of the game in the end because I thought we dominated from start to finish.

“That was a long time coming but it’s always been almost there. We went to Newbury and should have got something out of that, we went to Hamworthy and dominated for 75 per cent of the game, we went to Portland and should have won by a mile and it just didn’t happen for us.

“I must admit even at the beginning when their goalkeeper made two great saves before we scored, I wondered if this was going to happen to us again.

“It doesn’t matter what round it is, a result like this will give everybody a boost because Bemerton are no mugs.”

The visitors to Hurn Bridge were level for a mere three minutes in the match before Bailey-Pearce opened the Priory account.

Richard Bentley saw his close range effort brilliantly saved by Darren Crowfoot in the Bemerton goal before Bailey-Pearce followed up to steer the ball into the far corner for 1-0.

Bemerton came at Christchurch a touch but never really threatened Frampton’s goal at any stage of the contest.

At the other end Joyce had two long range efforts saved by Crowfoot just prior to half time and 12 minutes after the restart Luke Whitley’s right foot cross was headed home at the far post by Rideout to double their lead.

The two goal cushion kick-started a period in the match where Priory really got to grips with their opponents with relative ease.

The downpours ceased and the flowing football began, with Rideout and Bailey-Pearce causing havoc to the Bemerton back line.

And on a day of major pluses for the Hurn Bridge outfit, with 14 minutes left on the clock 17 year old Steve Bernard sprung from the substitutes bench to show his lightning pace and was another aspect of this excellent victory.

Bernard had been on the pitch for just three minutes when his fierce shot came thundering back off the post before Rideout followed up with a cool finish from 20 yards out for number three.

The game and the cup-tie was well and truly over by this stage but, just to add a little bit of salt into the Bemerton wounds Bailey-Pearce fired home at the near post deep into injury time to compound the visitors misery and stick long awaited smiles on everyone involved at Hurn Bridge.

Priory: Frampton, Wyatt, Whitley, Stone, Percival, Bailey-Pearce, Lawrence, Griffiths, Bentley, Joyce (Bernard 76), Rideout. Unused subs: Laronde, Cole, Atkins, Young.