Results

Grasshoppers 3-8 Pig & Whistle Reserves [05/09/04]

Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, the newly resurrected Bridgwater Grasshoppers eventually succumbed 8-3 to a youthful Pig & Whistles Reserves outfit in the blistering heat at Morganians RFC. Fine strikes early on for the Grasshoppers from Bob Kippen, Adam Kinsey and Les Hobbs were eventually cancelled out and then surpassed by a hat-trick from Adam Jenkins and further goals from Mike Hart, Mark Coles, Jamie Evans and Chris Gillard.

Puriton United 7-2 Grasshoppers [12/09/04]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers suffered a second successive defeat losing 7-2 away to Puriton United. The game had been evenly poised in the first half with fine Grasshoppers strikes from veteran striker Rob Whiterod and young midfield dynamo Adam Kinsey. However, the game turned early in the second half when the fiery Whiterod blotted his copybook with a red card for foul and abusive language. Thereafter, Puriton made their numerical advantage tell with some clinical finishing while the Hoppers suffered further bad luck, losing defenders Rich Jones and Dave Shaw to injury. Puriton's Darryl Taylor finished the game with four more goals to make him the Uxella League's Top Scorer so far with seven from two games while Rich Harvey(2) and Lee Harvey also got on the scoresheet for the home side.

Cannington 3-2 Grasshoppers [19/09/04]

A re-shaped Bridgwater Grasshoppers side were unlucky to lose 3-2 at Cannington in a keenly contested Dave Hobbs Cup tie. Proving more than a match for their Division Two opponents in the first half, and leading at the interval thanks to another goal from pacey front-man Les Hobbs, the Grasshoppers will take heart from a highly impressive debut from John Kervell and an assured display from veteran sweeper Andy Cattle. However, it will be Cannington's name in the hat for the Second Round draw thanks to good strikes from Bradley Sparrow, Giovanni Cannell and a well-taken penalty from 16-year-old Luke Gregory.

Grasshoppers 2-7 Sportsman [26/09/04]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers went down 7-2 again, this time at home to a useful and youthful Sportsman side, for whom Steve Davis got two including a well-executed penalty. The other Sportsman goals came from the boots of Scott Clarke, Jordan Meaker, Dean Organ, Daryl Cocks and Mike Skidmore. The Grasshoppers replies included a third goal in three league games for Adam Kinsey and a rare strike from veteran stopper Brian Court.

Tor Sports 8-2 Grasshoppers [03/10/04]

It was definitely a game of two halves at Tor Sports in Glastonbury as Bridgwater Grasshoppers went in at half-time with a 2-1 advantage thanks to two good goals from veteran campaigner Andy Cattle, only to see the game slip away from them in the second half yet again as a five goal salvo from Joel Hopper, and further strikes for the home side from Nigel Cove(2) and John Osman gave Tor an 8-2 victory.

Admirals Reserves 2-0 Grasshoppers [10/10/04]

Admirals Reserves rise two places in the table following a narrow 2-0 victory over an unlucky Bridgwater Grasshoppers side. Having conceded a somewhat harshly awarded early penalty, which was converted by Admirals' Wes Glover, the 'hoppers went on to lose regular goalie Geoff Powell to injury only twenty minutes into the game. Hero of the hour was Adam Kinsey who, having just returned from injury himself and having had stitches removed from his knee on the morning of the game, went on to put in an assured display between the sticks. There was nothing he could do, however, to stop a fine second Admirals strike from Martin Cheese which was expertly dispatched into the top corner to seal the victory for the home side.

Artillery WHB 6-1 Grasshoppers [17/10/04]

In a local derby at Chedzoy Lane an accomplished Artillery WHB side beat Bridgwater Grasshoppers 6-1. With some impressive early passages of play Artillery surged to a 5-0 half-time lead thanks to two goals from Jeff Read, one a piece from Pete Spellman and Steve Jones and a penalty from Brian Read. The second half saw the 'Hoppers stage a spirited fight-back and a fine lobbed goal from Jimmer Nichols gave them a glimmer of hope. As the half wore on the Grasshoppers continued to bombard the Artillery goal with a number of good efforts, most notably from Adam Kinsey, John Kervell and from tricky Turkish striker Erkan. Indeed, it was only thanks to a series of spectacular saves from legendary keeper Andrew "Beaver" May that Artillery were able to preserve their healthy advantage until a late toe-poked effort from Mark Raymond sealed the victory for the home side.

Countryman 7-0 Grasshoppers [31/10/04]

Missing their midfield "engine room" as a result of two freak accidents in the hours leading up to Halloween, Bridgwater Grasshoppers maintained their own different kind of 100% record, going down 7-0 away to Countryman, for whom Colin Blatchford-Brown scored twice and was joined on the scoresheet by Dan Hynds, Ben Birch, Jason Birch, Jerry Whitehouse and Jason Watson.

Grasshoppers 6-6 Glastonbury Sunday [07/11/04]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers finally got their campaign going in a sensational "Black Sabbath" encounter at Morganians RFC. At one stage the 'Hoppers were trailing 5-1 but mounted a remarkable second-half fightback to eventually level the game at 6-6. Veterans Rob Whiterod and Steve Hembery both struck with good goals to give the Hoppers an initial glimmer of hope and the introduction of Turkish "super-sub" Erkan provided further energy for their cause but the real hero of the hour was teenage "boy wonder" Adam Kinsey who scored four, including two "Beckham-esque" free-kicks, before going on to secure a priceless first point for the Uxella League's basement boys by confidently converting an equalising penalty in the dying seconds of the game.

Grasshoppers 3-2 Middlezoy [14/11/04]

Story of the week must surely be the first victory of the season for Bridgwater Grasshoppers who followed on from their amazing 6-6 draw last week by beating Middlezoy Athletic 3-2, a result which means that they move off the bottom of the table for the first time during the campaign. Last week's four-goal hero Adam Kinsey got the show on the road with a looping thirty-yard strike midway through the first half before Middlezoy struck back to first equalise, and then take a surprise 2-1 lead against the run of play, with both goals coming from the boots of George Jones. However, a cool finish from Hoppers striker James "Jimmer" Nichols levelled the scores and also dealt Middlezoy an important psychological blow just before the interval. The introduction of veteran Grasshoppers striker Andy Cattle at half-time then reaped immediate dividends as he struck a fine goal from a tight angle within thirty seconds of the restart. The Hoppers then continued to push forwards and should probably have scored more, with numerous chances falling to the lively Nichols, and also to Turkish "super-sub", Erkan.

Middlezoy 1-5 Grasshoppers [28/11/04]

It is now three games unbeaten for a rapidly improving Bridgwater Grasshoppers side who came away from Middlezoy's compact ground with an impressive 5-1 victory. The atmosphere was somewhat subdued with players from both teams observing a minute's silence before kick-off in memory of Middlezoy legend Darrell Cornish who tragically died in a car accident the previous evening. In the good-tempered encounter that followed the visitors secured the three points thanks to another looping effort from Steve Hembery, a superb low drilled shot from outside the box from Turkish phenomenon Erkan, a powerful headed goal from Wayne Court, a classic poachers effort from young debutant Johnny Shearlaw and a scrambled header from midfield powerhouse John Kervell. Midfielder Court was later carried off with what looks like a serious knee injury but the Hoppers continued to create chances until the final whistle and are starting to prove that they are no longer the pushovers that they appeared to be in the early weeks of the campaign.

Pig & Whistle Reserves 3-3 Grasshoppers [05/12/04]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers demonstrated their impressive team spirit by again staging a late comeback to grab a point from a 3-3 draw away to Pig & Whistle Reserves. A youthfully exuberant Pig Reserves side started the game the brighter and took an early lead thanks to a 30-yard screamer from the only "old man" in the side, 41-year-old Pete Standerwick. Gavin Riddle then distinguished himself in the Grasshoppers goal with a string of impressive reflex saves before Jamie Evans eventually struck a second for Pig. However, the Grasshoppers managed to quickly respond when veteran Scottish striker Bob Kippen blasted home a superb goal from close range following a long pinpoint cross from Jimmer Nichols on the right flank to make the score 2-1 at the interval. Jamie Evans then bagged his second for the home side soon after half-time to seemingly put Pig back in the driving seat but the Hoppers were not to be denied as John Kervell capped an awesome "dogs of war" midfield display with a clinical tap-in before hot young prospect Adam Kinsey ran on to a "Turkish delight" of a through-ball from Erkan to smash the ball home and clinch a hard-earned point that extends the Grasshoppers unbeaten run to four games.

Grasshoppers 1-2 Puriton United [12/12/04]

With runaway Division Three leaders Artillery WHB enjoying a well-earned break, second placed Puriton United kept up their chase by securing another three points from what turned out to be a tougher than expected encounter at Bridgwater Grasshoppers. United seemed comfortable enough after taking a 2-0 lead, and when the Grasshoppers' Turkish striker Erkan was hospitalised with a suspected broken collarbone, closely followed off the pitch by his team-mate Matt Kinsey with a bad knee injury, it looked like Puriton were home and dry. However, credit must be given to a spirited ten-man Grasshoppers side who, despite being a man short for most of the second half, actually managed to take the game to Puriton, responding with a goal of their own from the returning Les Hobbs and carving out further opportunities before eventually going down 2-1.

Sportsman 2-0 Grasshoppers [19/12/04]

High-flying Sportsman continued their fine sequence of results with a narrow 2-0 home win over an injury-hit Bridgwater Grasshoppers. Andrew Skidmore and Darryl Cocks bagged the goals that keeps Sportsman in third place in the table, three points behind Puriton but with two games in hand.

Grasshoppers 4-1 Tor Sports [02/01/05]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers continue to demonstrate their week-by-week improvement with a solid 4-1 home win over bottom side Tor Sports, in the process exacting revenge for their 8-2 thrashing at the hands of the Glastonbury side earlier in the campaign. The Hoppers controlled possession for long periods of the game but somehow contrived to fall behind against the run of play after half an hour when a speculative James Pentney lob just cleared the fingertips of the Grasshoppers excellent young goalkeeper, Gavin Riddle, to give the visitors an unlikely lead. However, parity was restored before the interval when, from a superb Adam Kinsey cross from the left flank, new signing Sean O'Grady opened his Hoppers goalscoring account with a textbook diving header. The second half saw the Grasshoppers go for broke, making full use of their strengthened squad by bringing on an experienced attacking trio in the form of Rob Whiterod, Andy Cattle and Les Hobbs. The changes reaped immediate dividends with Hobbs and Cattle both going close before Whiterod blasted home a fine goal upon his return from a lengthy suspension. It was then left to young starlet, Adam Kinsey, to seal the victory and take his season's tally to twelve goals as he bagged the first of a brace with a powerful headed effort from a Les Hobbs cross before creating his second strike all by himself, dribbling through the entire Tor Sports defence and slotting the ball underneath the advancing 'keeper to secure three more precious points for the home side.

Grasshoppers 3-4 Admirals Landing [09/01/04]

In a cracking Tom Bell Trophy game at Chedzoy Lane, Third Division Bridgwater Grasshoppers ran First Division Admirals Landing close before eventually going down 4-3 to the visitors. The Hoppers had started the game brightly, hitting the crossbar in the first minute and wasting further chances to establish a comfortable lead in the first quarter of the game before conceding two quick goals to the visitors following strikes by Kev Andrews and Wes Glover. The Grasshoppers then experienced further misfortune as they saw three key players lost to injury in the space of five minutes, including a bad shoulder injury for promising young goalkeeper Gavin Riddle, who was rushed straight to hospital. Perhaps fuelled by a sense of injustice, the Hoppers embarked on yet another of their now familiar fightbacks, and got back on level terms before the interval following two superb strikes from teenage "wonderboy", Adam Kinsey. The second half was a closer affair with Admirals pegging the Hoppers back into their own half for long periods. However, even then the home side contrived to miss further gilt-edged chances on the break and were to pay the price for their profligacy in front of goal when a top corner scorcher from Lee Turner and a low drive from Andrew Cheese gave Admirals another two goal cushion with only five minutes to go. There was still time for Grasshoppers to hit back once more through veteran Scottish striker Bob Kippen, but the final whistle blew soon afterwards and it will be Admirals' name that will be in the hat for the second round draw.

Grasshoppers 0-5 Artillery WHB [16/01/05]

In the Chedzoy Lane clash between ground-sharers Bridgwater Grasshoppers and Artillery West Huntspill Boys it was the "visitors" Artillery who felt most at home as they continued their 100% winning record this season with a 5-0 victory. Two goals from John Winter, and one-a-piece from man-of-the-match Mark Raymond, Liam May and super-sub Dean Holman, who scored a cracking goal with his first touch of the ball, was the difference between the two sides. The Grasshoppers went into what is arguably their toughest game of the season missing half a dozen key players through injury but still managed to put up a spirited resistance for a large part of the game and stand-in goalkeeper Nick Northey distinguished himself with an excellent penalty save as well as a number of other crucial stops.

Grasshoppers 7-0 Countryman [30/01/05]

Without a doubt the game of the day in the Uxella League was in Division Three at Chedzoy Lane where Bridgwater Grasshoppers, a side who only reformed at the beginning of the current campaign, came of age with an emphatic 7-0 home win over a full-strength Countryman side. The result was sweet revenge for the Hoppers following their away defeat by the very same margin on Countryman's sloping pitch during the early weeks of the season. A key factor in the result was the outstanding debut performances of new signings Steve Moule, a recent acquisition from Flag Old Boys, and man-of-the-match Nigel Woodcock, who has recently moved to the area from Shropshire and whose previous career highlights includes an appearance on the hallowed turf of Wembley in the company of none other than Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown. The two new boys were the icing on the cake for a Grasshoppers side that has been improving at an exponential rate in recent weeks as various key individuals return from injury. Veteran striker Rob Whiterod got the show on the road with a fine blast into the top corner before 18-year-old leading scorer Adam Kinsey started to work his magic with an outstanding hat-trick which included a clinical penalty, a fine dribbled effort and an audacious bending free-kick with the outside of his left foot from the edge of the penalty area in a position that would normally only be considered by a right-footed kicker. Midfield powerhouse John Kervell returned to the side from a recent bout of concussion to claim two well-taken goals and Nigel "Wembley" Woodcock, who started the game at right-back, ended the match looking more like his famous namesake Tony as he expertly dispossessed the Countryman goalkeeper to claim a fine debut strike. The most satisfying aspect of the performance though was the Hoppers first clean sheet of the season with goalkeeper Nick Northey and centre-backs Paul Ham and Brian Court in outstanding form.

Glastonbury Town 0-3 Grasshoppers [06/02/05]

Bridgwater Grasshoppers bagged three more invaluable points from a tough encounter away to a strong and determined Glastonbury Town Sundays side at the rearranged venue of Ashcott due to the condition of the pitch at Glastonbury's Abbey Moor Stadium. A fine early goal from long-standing Grasshopper Lee Gannicott, followed by later strikes from teenagers Adam Kinsey and Sean O'Grady, gave the Hoppers what turned out to be a hard-fought 3-0 victory, in the process making it two consecutive clean sheets on the trot for the visitors. However, the victory was never completely safe until O'Grady's strike in the dying minutes of the game with Glastonbury giving it their all from first minute to last as they tried in vain to keep their own impressive unbeaten run going.