Article courtesy of Gloucestershire football association:
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JUSTIN Bishop won’t forget one particular recent weekend in a hurry - by the ace marksman’s own admission.
The 35-year-old forward was asked to turn out for newly-promoted Chipping Sodbury Town Reserves for their Bristol Premier Combination One meeting with Greyfriars Athletic at the Ridings.He agreed - to potent effect - firing four of the league leaders’ goals in a 6-0 success, including a ‘proper’ second-half hat-trick courtesy of right and left-foot finishes and header to boot.
His job happily done for the day, or so it appeared, Bishop returned to the changing quarters for a shower and wind-down, only to be informed he was required as a second-half substitute for the club’s first XI, who were trailing 2-0 to Dorset side Gillingham Town in a Toolstation Premier Division tussle.
Five minutes after entering Saturday afternoon action for a second time at the same impressive site, Bishop was celebrating a fifth goal, a strike which ultimately proved a frustrating consolation only as Sodbury slipped to a 2-1 defeat.
Nevertheless Bishop returned to his nearby home with his head in a spin after a whirlwind few hours and he grinned: “I don’t think I’ll have too many more days like that on a football field.
“I’d stepped down from first team duties to concentrate on our new women’s team but I informed the ressies manager Les Theobald that I could make myself available at times as and when required.
“Les called me up for the Greyfriars game on the top pitch which kicked off half-an-hour before the first team’s match and I scored the four goals before helping take the nets down and carry them with other equipment back, duties I haven’t been too familiar with in my career so far I have to confess!
“I’d had a shower and was in my flip flops about to enjoy a piece of Les’s birthday cake when he popped his head back around the door and said that buried among his birthday greetings there was a text he hadn’t spotted, urging me to get down to the first team’s pitch asap where they needed me.
“People were suddenly throwing any pieces of clean and dirty kit at me in an effort to get me prepared and back out there and when I did eventually appear, there was about 20 minutes to go and we were 2-0 down.”
Bishop added: “Five minutes or so after coming on, having yet to touch the ball, I gambled on a long punt upfield from our keeper and found myself one-on-one with their goalie. I managed to tuck it between his legs into the net to give us a lifeline.
“I was buzzing a bit by now thinking all things were possible but unfortunately I didn’t score again and we couldn’t find an equaliser.”
Bishop has every reason to add the two-game scoring feat to his list of most cherished recollections.
On the final day of last season he hit a hat-trick to dramatically help see Chipping Sodbury Town into the Toolstation top-flight as champions on goal difference ahead of Wells City courtesy of a 6-0 away thrashing of Calne Town.
The former Patchway Town, Yate Town, Brislington, Tytherington Rocks and Longwell Green striker also appeared in two FA Sunday Cup finals at Anfield, with UK Flooring and Lebeq, lucklessly finishing up on the losing side on both occasions.
His job happily done for the day, or so it appeared, Bishop returned to the changing quarters for a shower and wind-down, only to be informed he was required as a second-half substitute for the club’s first XI, who were trailing 2-0 to Dorset side Gillingham Town in a Toolstation Premier Division tussle.
Five minutes after entering Saturday afternoon action for a second time at the same impressive site, Bishop was celebrating a fifth goal, a strike which ultimately proved a frustrating consolation only as Sodbury slipped to a 2-1 defeat.
Nevertheless Bishop returned to his nearby home with his head in a spin after a whirlwind few hours and he grinned: “I don’t think I’ll have too many more days like that on a football field.
“I’d stepped down from first team duties to concentrate on our new women’s team but I informed the ressies manager Les Theobald that I could make myself available at times as and when required.
“Les called me up for the Greyfriars game on the top pitch which kicked off half-an-hour before the first team’s match and I scored the four goals before helping take the nets down and carry them with other equipment back, duties I haven’t been too familiar with in my career so far I have to confess!
“I’d had a shower and was in my flip flops about to enjoy a piece of Les’s birthday cake when he popped his head back around the door and said that buried among his birthday greetings there was a text he hadn’t spotted, urging me to get down to the first team’s pitch asap where they needed me.
“People were suddenly throwing any pieces of clean and dirty kit at me in an effort to get me prepared and back out there and when I did eventually appear, there was about 20 minutes to go and we were 2-0 down.”
Bishop added: “Five minutes or so after coming on, having yet to touch the ball, I gambled on a long punt upfield from our keeper and found myself one-on-one with their goalie. I managed to tuck it between his legs into the net to give us a lifeline.
“I was buzzing a bit by now thinking all things were possible but unfortunately I didn’t score again and we couldn’t find an equaliser.”
Bishop has every reason to add the two-game scoring feat to his list of most cherished recollections.
On the final day of last season he hit a hat-trick to dramatically help see Chipping Sodbury Town into the Toolstation top-flight as champions on goal difference ahead of Wells City courtesy of a 6-0 away thrashing of Calne Town.
The former Patchway Town, Yate Town, Brislington, Tytherington Rocks and Longwell Green striker also appeared in two FA Sunday Cup finals at Anfield, with UK Flooring and Lebeq, lucklessly finishing up on the losing side on both occasions.
Article courtesy of Gloucestershire football association:
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