UWE Bristol’s Futsal team recorded their first win of the season yesterday afternoon over a Southampton Solent side who boasted a 100% record before kick-off.

It was an exciting game from start to finish with UWE Bristol threatening early on, testing the visiting keeper on multiple occasions from all angles. Southampton’s keeper was forced to make a flurry of saves as UWE Bristol’s players continued to pile on the pressure.

The final five minutes of the first half saw a bombardment of chances for the hosts. The woodwork was rattled on numerous occasions, notably from a brilliant volley following a corner kick.

UWE Bristol finally broke the deadlock with just under two minutes to go in the first half. After a series of blocks from the visiting defence, Paul Clark’s shot proved too strong for their keeper to handle, rattling the back of the net and sending UWE Bristol into a deserved first half lead.

Paul Clark’s shot proved too strong for their keeper to handle…

Southampton came out strong in the second half forcing a series of saves and blocks from the UWE Bristol defenders. Eventually, the visitors found the back of the net drawing the game level with a strike from midfield.

Despite the disappointment of conceding, UWE Bristol’s players didn’t let it affect them. In what was an end-to-end game throughout, the hosts had several great chances to go one ahead yet again. With just less than ten minutes to go, Joe Powell made it 2-1 to the hosts striking the ball through the arms of Southampton Solent’s keeper.

With time running out for our visitors, they were forced to dig into their bag of tricks with their substitute goalkeeper repeatedly taking matters into his own hands (or feet). After getting himself into several situations outside of his penalty area in an attempt to draw level, it backfired for the visitors. With around two minutes left on the clock, their keeper ran outside his area to clear the ball but UWE Bristol’s Johnny Thomson was there to meet it. The ball ricocheted straight off Thomson into the wide-open net, doubling UWE Bristol’s advantage.

At last, a bit of breathing room for the hosts who were solid enough to hold out for the remainder of the game. The final score was 3-1 to UWE Bristol who were understandably over-the-moon as the referee blew the final whistle.

Matthew Williams – Journalism Placement Student