Men's 1st Team vs Honiton

Bridport Dominate Honiton Town in Derby Day Thriller

Report by Simon Robinson

The Bees travelled to Honiton Town FC on Saturday for a highly anticipated Walter C Parson Peninsula League local derby, greeted as always by the insistent, metronomic drumming from the Hippos' faithful—our commentator calls him the local "Phil Collins." What followed was a drumming-out of a different kind, as Bridport delivered a commanding 5-1 victory.

First Half: Ayunga's Pace Proves Lethal

Bridport started brightly, showing immediate intent when Samuel Fisher forced an early save. It took just three minutes for the Bees to break the deadlock; Solomon Ayunga sliced open the home defence and calmly opened his account for the afternoon.

From the first whistle, Ayunga's blistering pace was a major problem for the Hippos. Frustration clearly set in, leading to a string of desperate, lunging challenges to try and halt his runs. In one such clash, the Honiton player came off worse. The physical approach from the home side continued, leading to a period of back-and-forth play punctuated by heavy tackles, resulting in the referee issuing a strong word on the 17th minute.

A moment of controversy arose on 19 minutes when Honiton had a chance from what looked suspiciously like an offside position, but the flag stayed down. Fortunately for the Bees, our stand-in keeper was spared as the chance was squandered.

Just moments later, having been fouled yet again, Ayunga delivered the perfect response: a second ball in the back of the net to give him a quick-fire brace.

Further chances followed, highlighting Bridport’s control. Tony Pinder unleashed a rocket shot that rattled the woodwork and momentarily triggered Phil Collins on the drums again. Samuel Fisher's relentless press saw him steal the ball directly from the keeper, though he couldn't convert the subsequent opportunity. Fred Parsons then put a shot over the bar. Another foul on Ayunga on 35 minutes saw the Bees pile on the pressure, with Fisher's shot deflecting for a corner from which Luke King almost headed home.

The half-time whistle blew with Bridport comfortably ahead, 0-2.

Second Half: The Floodgates Open

The second half began with the same fierce intensity. It took Ayunga just five minutes to complete a deserved hat-trick, putting the Bees firmly in control at 0-3.

Four minutes later, Harley Brook joined the party with a divine shot that sailed into the net, making it 0-4.

On 61 minutes, the hard work and tireless running of Samuel Fisher was rewarded with a goal, assisted by the Man of the Match, Ayunga, making the score 0-5.

The match unfortunately, descended into a period of overly physical play. On 64 minutes, a Honiton player dove in recklessly and somehow only received a yellow card. In the same passage of play, another Hippo took out Harley Brook with a late challenge. Following the ensuing bundle of arguments, two Honiton players were perhaps lucky to remain on the pitch.

Bridport then used the opportunity to make a few substitutions while still pushing for a sixth goal. Honiton, to their credit, posed an occasional threat on the counter, catching us out a couple of times. The drums, which had largely fallen silent, remained muted until the 90th minute when Honiton managed to sneak a consolation goal. Our stand-in goalkeeper, who put in a great performance throughout, was surely gutted to lose his clean sheet, though he stood absolutely no chance with the strike.

The game ended with a comprehensive 5-1 win for Bridport FC.

Man of the Match

A huge shoutout to Solomon Ayunga who was the undisputed Man of the Match. His pace, clinical finishing, and ability to constantly draw fouls proved overwhelming for the Honiton defence, capped off perfectly with a sublime hat-trick.