UoG fought off a stern test from University Degrees Abroad as they claimed a 2-1 win in their pre-season game at the TigerTurf stadium.
UOG’s first goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 20th minute with midfielder Dylan Venn tucking it away in the bottom left corner.
They doubled their lead in the 64th minute with a fantastic strike from outside the box from Jim Robinson.
UDA however grew into the game from that moment on and managed to grab one back from a corner.
The first half saw UOG dominate possession for large parts of the first 20 minutes.
The first attempt came from a shot from UOG firsts striker Rhys-Williams going narrowly wide of the post.
With Gloucestershire’s first XI dominating much of the ball in the opening 15 minutes, they found it increasingly difficult to break down the UDA formation.
As the UOG second XI entered the field, UDA had their first shot on target in the 22nd minute.
UDA only grew more confidence after this as they were seeing a lot more of the ball.
As half time approached, UDA needed to find a way to break down the opposition’s defence.
10 minutes into the second half saw a effort from Ben Brown go over the bar.
However, a moment of brilliance from Jim Robinson with a curling shot into the top corner saw UOG go two up on the hour mark.
UDA managed to nick a goal back from nothing as the ball was floated into the box with the defender rising highest and finding the back of the net.
Despite a hard fought last ten minutes from UDA, it was too little too late as UOG secured their first pre-season win.
We caught up with third year UOG winger Rory Hunt to gather his thoughts.
WHAT WERE SOME THINGS YOU THOUGHT YOUR SIDE DID WELL?
A: In the first 20 minutes we did well on our positioning , our organisation was really good and thought we were really solid. We didn’t let them (UDA) play the way they wanted so I felt the tactical setup was spot on.
ANY IMPROVEMENTS?
A: As we grow as a team we get more chemistry with each other, if we can maintain the organization, that will just improve us massively.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO IMPRESS A NEW MANAGER?
A: Well he’s (Ivor Gumm) been relatively fair in the whole build up process, he’s given everybody a fair chance to show him what you got and not be nervous.
HOW MOTIVATED IS THE TEAM?
A: That game there felt like a BUCS game, were all proper motivated, especially when the goal went in the celebration was great.
HOW WELL ARE THE FRESHERS SETTLING IN?
A: They’ve been excellent, great attitude shown by them from the start, they have really good quality.
ANY OBJECTIVES THIS SEASON?
A: We came close last year, it’ll be nice to get promoted this year and maybe a varsity win this year. We’ll see.
UOG will travel to Plymouth a week Wednesday where they will play the first BUCS game of the season.
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