By Callum Nixon and Dan Cope
USW were looking to bounce back from a 5-1 defeat in their last game against Southampton Solent University 4ths, while Bristol were buoyant after a 7-1 victory against Bath Spa.
The game started with a flurry of chances for Bristol. In the 12th minute the visitors came close to opening the scoring after a fine through ball saw their striker shoot against the inside of the post only for the ball not to cross the line.
But midway through the first half Bristol took the lead with a neat finish.
The score appeared to knock the confidence of the USW players and they were soon further behind when their defence was caught square by a chipped pass in the 31st minute.
USW started to grow more into the game after the second goal and tried to change things by introducing midfielder Dan Crozier for Ross Graham in the 36th minute.
But the hosts always faced an uphill battle in midfield where Bristol were outnumbering them three to two.
This proved costly for USW when Bristol stole possession in the 43rd minute and played a long ball over the USW defence for the Bristol striker to score another.
USW improved in the second half with Nikolas Prezar adding trickery and pace down the wing and Elias bringing creativity to a midfield that found themselves over-run in the first half.
That creative spark almost paid off straight away when Prezar made a surging run into the box to get on the end of a deep cross from Liam Morgan but his header was easily saved by the Bristol keeper.
USW continued to press for a way back into the game and in the 56th minute terrific build up play from both Prezar and Elias in the middle of the park ended with striker Luke Andrews’s shot being well saved.
However, Bristol remained resilient and aimed to catch USW on the counter-attack.
They did just that when they cleared a poor USW corner and raced down the field only for Paulis to remain firm in the USW goal.
Frustration began to set in for USW as they failed to find a route to goal.
USW continued to create chances but another thunderous shot from Prezar in the 68th minute flew over the bar and summed up the home side’s lack of success in front of goal.
Eventually, Bristol grabbed the killer goal they were looking for when a free kick was whipped in and a header was buried in the back of the net. A further counter-attack saw the away team grab a fifth.
After the game, USW manager Chris Michaels praised his side’s effort but acknowledged the need for improvement.
He said; “We conceded easy goals and lacked concentration at the back. We need to work on our efficiency in the final third as well.”