FORMER Thornwell players Jack Taylor and Matthew Divers were determined to enjoy the moment when they went back to their former club with Mathern Reserves B at the weekend.

Divers was determined that if he scored, he would not celebrate but after firing his first goal in which he hit so hard that it injured his ankle, his former teammates and some of the spectators gave him a hard time from the sidelines.

“I wasn’t going to celebrate,” Divers said. “But when they gave me stick after my first goal, I decided to celebrate when I scored my second,” he added with a grin.

Young Taylor also received some good-natured banter from the sidelines but he responded with a man-of-the-match performance, according to Mathern’s player-manager Jeff Whitehouse.

“Divers put in an excellent performance and no keeper would have saved his first goal, he almost kicked the leather off the ball and Jack was superb throughout.

“In fact I was really pleased with our performance including another two goals for Kyle Gettings and a couple of good saves by our keeper Jason Johnstone.

“We should have been more than 2-0 up at half time but we squandered too many chances. Having said that, we restricted Thornwell to only a couple of chances and Jason dealt with them and our defence coped when they put us under pressure.”

Mathern will be joined in the hat for the semi-final draw by Severn Tunnel B – who beat Portskewett & Sudbrook 5-2, Underwood SC B, 6-3 winners at home to Chepstow Town and Caldicot Castle B who beat Sudbrook CC 2-0.

Underwood’s goals came from David Jackson (3), Jahmal Johnson, Craig Owen and Taylor Gregory.