BUCKLAND Athletic secured another “really big three points” when Bradford Town visited Homers Heath on Saturday, August 30.

Matt Cusack’s side returned home empty-handed from Sidmouth Town a few days prior and so he emphasised that “it was important we got the response from the lads.”

An early, curling effort from Sean Thomson required saving in an otherwise uneventful opening 20 minutes.

There was then a lengthy injury stoppage with Bucks striker Jared Lewington down injured in the penalty area- a stretcher was required and the number ten left the field to warm applause.

Cusack told the Mid-Devon Advertiser after the game that this “looks like quite a serious knee injury so our thoughts are with him.” Injuries have plagued Lewington previously so everyone will be hoping that this isn’t as serious as first thought.

When play eventually resumed in the pouring rain, his replacement up front Ryan Bush wasted no time in making his presence felt.

Following a few narrow offside calls at either end, Bush timed his run perfectly and was found well by an incisive Ben Carter pass. Bearing down on goal, he displayed his usual composure to give the home side the lead.

A defensive mishap from Bradford nearly gifted Bush his second of the afternoon straightaway but the Buckland supporters didn’t have to wait long to celebrate again anyhow.

Jack Baxter picked up the ball from a short corner and drove down the byline, firing in a low cross which ended up in the back of the net courtesy of a visiting defender. Cusack labelled Baxter’s involvement as “clever play”.

Buckland then had the opportunity to run away with the game but instead, Bradford were presented with a reprieve in spite of the defence’s protestations.

As the ball rolled through to Yellows goalkeeper Jordan Duffey, Josiah McKayle was seemingly tripped by centre-half Scott Pocock. He subsequently fell to his knees in disbelief with his teammates sharing his bemusement and Cusack commented: “I thought the lad bought the penalty and I think that was a feeling shared amongst our dugout but the referee has deemed that it is a foul and so we’ve got to get on with it.”

McKayle stepped up himself to convert the penalty, sending Duffey the wrong way and halving the deficit.

A shaky few minutes at the back followed for Buckland but they still carried a threat going forward, Carter’s effort from range forcing the Bradford shot-stopper into another save whilst Ruben Kane was also denied.

The half-time whistle allowed Buckland a chance to reset only for Cusack’s men to be “a little bit flat” for the second 45.

“We’ve challenged the lads to go and win their duels again in the second half and I’ll be honest, I didn’t feel that we played as well as we did first half.”

Cusack continued, “We’ve done well to see the game out but when you’re only one goal ahead, there’s always a danger that the opposition can create an opportunity at some point and therefore you could let them back in.

“I think that was a disappointment overall, something we’ve got to do better as it to go and take games away from teams- I’ve been saying that for a while but it’s a process and I feel like we’re getting there, albeit slowly.”

In truth, the second half passed by without any real incident of note besides a sliding Carter challenge on the touchline which incensed those in the Bradford technical area. After a bit of pushing and shoving, the Bucks skipper was shown a yellow card.

Buckland certainly dropped off a level or two as they “just didn’t look after the ball well enough” but Bradford were unable to punish them for it.

One truly fascinating insight that Cusack shared related to the playing conditions. It rained for the duration of the fixture and he said that “we’ve been yearning for this for a while.”

“A wet, slick day really lends itself to the type of football we want to play and I think we saw that in the first half, moving the ball really quickly and therefore, we were able to gain territory and create opportunities in the final third which is what we want to do.”

He joked, “As long as the pitches aren’t waterlogged, long may this continue.”

This victory leaves Buckland in sixth place in the Western League standings at the time of writing, five points behind the flawless leader Clevedon Town. Bradford sit 11th meanwhile, winning two, drawing two and losing two to date.