By Dan Brian

The goals came from Nia Geary-Andrews and Leonie Gough, with the former scoring a more than impressive first half hattrick, neatly wrapping up a great first five games for the Mitres.

The first bit of action came in the fourth minute, when Tamara Griffiths, who got the call up for this weekend’s game from the development side, cut inside the defender and was unlucky to see her shot go just wide.

A minute later, Gough had a go from just outside the box, but she was slipping as she took it off and could only trouble the Bristol and West goalkeeper slightly.

Ultimately, the visitors didn’t have to wait long to break the deadlock, as Geary-Andrews finished nicely to the ‘keeper’s right and gave Cleeve the lead.

Not much happened for the next 20 minutes, other than a Belle Torrington shot that went over the bar following a scramble in the hosts’ box. That was Torrington’s last contribution for the next 10 minutes, as she was then replaced by Jess Stirling. This substitution ended up paying big dividends for the Mitres very quickly, as Stirling immediately got in on the action and played a nice ball to Gough to put her in a goalscoring position.

She made no mistake in lobbing the goalkeeper and doubling her team’s advantage, adding to her goal against Longlevens two weeks ago and hat-trick against Mangotsfield Reserves the weekend before that. Unfortunately for the Bristol and West shot stopper, that wouldn’t be the last time the ball was chipped over her in this one.

Five minutes later, the hosts got one back, potentially suggesting that the game was far from over, but it didn’t take long for their spirits to be dampened as the Mitres restored their two-goal lead.

It was Geary-Andrews again, almost duplicating Gough’s goal 10 minutes prior. She’s been a great addition to Chris Gough’s side, and proved that big time in Bristol.

Only a minute after, she completed her hat-trick and made it five goals in as many games for Bishops Cleeve. She could have grabbed a fourth before the break if not for the goalkeeper, and nobody in pink could latch onto the ball after her save ricocheted off of her own defender.

That was it for the first half, with five goals on the scoresheet and the potential for more in the second.

The first notable highlight following the referee’s whistle came after eight minutes, as Bristol and West fired a powerful shot towards Lexi, but one that she could deal with.

Other than a Griffiths shot that went wide, nothing else happened for the next 10 minutes, until the hosts pulled another goal back. With two in it and just under half an hour left on the clock, it looked like it was all to play for.

The hosts did keep pushing until the end, but to no avail. The game finished 4-2 to Cleeve, who made it six consecutive wins in all competitions.

Next weekend, they’ll play their first home game since September as they take on Longlevens, whereas Bristol and West travel to Iron Acton.