Bristol Premier Combination December 27th 2025 edition
By Simon Parkinson
DRG Frenchay can head into the New Year brimming with belief and hopes high after signing off 2025 in clinical fashion.
Poor Patchway Town, with only three points set fast to bottom spot to their name courtesy of November’s solitary 2-1 Scott Park success over Shirehampton Reserves, found themselves suffering their heaviest defeat to date in the face of DRG’s undoubted firepower.
Emiel Aiken, Dhani Golding and Joe Loney all celebrated with festive doubles, and Adam Porter, Sam Haggett, Antonio Nurse and Charlie Jones notched with the rest, as the Frenchay Park Road fliers rattled home ten goals without reply to ensure themselves top table status at Christmas with seven wins, a draw and only the one loss still, a 4-1 home reverse against Bristol Barcelona second game in.
Deadly DRG, with a four-point advantage at the summit over second-placed Hallen Reserves who have two valuable games in hand on the leaders, have until their return on Saturday, January 3 to reflect on all that and gear up for what will be an away day with Greyfriars Athletic (2pm).
The bad weather and winter lurgy causing havoc to Combination football once more, DRG’s one-sided meeting with Patchway was one of only two fixtures to get the go-ahead in the top flight and four in all across the league.
Bristol Barcelona, facing next a tough January 3 appointment with ambitious Iron Acton on the Oaklands Park 3G (3.30pm), completed their 2025 programme in fifth position thanks to Andy Josue Martinez, Scholastic Mpofu and Taiwo Omotayo goals in a 3-1 home victory over Greyfriars, who had Lyam O’Rourke’s 75th-minute strike to at least offer him and his side a little Christmas cheer.
In the Combination league’s second tier, Bedminster Down were clearly out to complete their year on a high note – as their Lion guests discovered to their cost.
Connor Bodnarazek, George Cobern, Henry Colston, Max Nosko, Callum Mogg, Jordan Pocock and Charlie O’Neill all registered in a 7-0 Bridge Learning Campus success for Down who, from their fifth place standing, next face second-bottom Cribbs A for a 2pm January 3 collision at the same Teyfant Road venue.
In the league’s only other fixture on show, AEK-Boco Reserves reinforced their position top of the pile heading into the Christmas sabbatical as Jacob Leonard, Luke Harding and Kailen Anderson goals saw them safely past AFC Mangotsfield 3-1.
Boco, who don’t return to the action until their Saturday, January 10 away engagement with bottom-placed Hanham Athletic Reserves (2pm), lead Old Sodbury by five points acutely aware those second-placed rivals, and others beneath them, have plenty of games in hand with which to try and peg back the deficit.
Meanwhile, the funeral of Tony Stone is to take place at Canford Crematorium, Canford Lane, Westbury-on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3PQ on Friday, January 9 at noon followed by a celebration of his life at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium.
Tony died at his home on Friday, December 5 with his family by his side.
He was a much-respected and popular honorary treasurer for both the Bristol Premier Combination and Bristol and District leagues, having been an influential member of Gloucestershire FA’s management structure for many years.