3rds lose hard fought game

North Somerset Mens 3rds played their second game of the weekend against a Mendip team only a couple of places higher than them in the table, but who had been putting together a good string of results.
From the start Mendip proved to be a handful, with a good combination of pacy young players plus some strong experienced veterans. North did well to contain their threat, but with North initially only playing with two forwards this was at the expense of posing much of an attacking threat.
However, North did have two quick counterattacks, first when Jack Colling sped clear down the right wing but the keeper made a good save from his shot and then Steve Collarbone was set free down the left and his instinctive one handed reverse shot beat the keeper but hit the outside of the post.
Mendip were continuing to mount pressure and finally scrambled a goal after a prolonged attack in the North D.
At half time North took the decision to switch to a three man forward line and take the game to Mendip, and this tactic worked well in the second half, with North seeing more possession and putting more pressure on Mendip.
However, with players pushing forward to force the equaliser North left themselves vulnerable to a swift counter attack and Mendip took advantage of a rare opportunity to score a clinical second goal on the break.
The North players did not give up, and when veteran defender Graham Feboul smashed a long ball into the D from near the half way line Jon Venn made a great run to meet the ball and deflect it into the goal.
North continued to press for the equaliser but then Mendip broke away again and grabbed the clinching 3rd goal with little time left on the clock. A hard result for North to take, on balance Mendip had more of the play across the match but the North players left everything on the pitch and could not be faulted for effort, spirit and determination.