Derby delight as Robins extend winning league run to eight - The Evesham Observer

Derby delight as Robins extend winning league run to eight

Evesham Editorial 16th Nov, 2016   0

Evesham United 4 Bishops Cleeve 2

Southern League Division One South & West

UNITED secured the bragging rights over neighbours Bishops Cleeve with an entertaining victory after an enthralling encounter at the Jubilee Stadium on Tuesday.

In front of their biggest crowd of the season – 335 – Paul Collicutt’s in-form side were made to graft for all three points by a hardworking Cleeve side but, after a dominant second half display, the Robins finally overpowered their dogged visitors to secure an eighth league win in a row.




United, who are up to third, remain unbeaten at home in the league but are still 11 points adrift of leaders Hereford, albeit with a game in hand.

Collicutt was forced to bring in Sam Gilder between the sticks for the unavailable Kevin Sawyer and named midfielder Louis McGrory on the substitutes bench for the first time since his loan move from Forest Green Rovers.


To their credit, mid-table Cleeve looked threatening in the first half but lacked a cutting edge in the final third and paid the price for not converting some decent half chances.

Aaron Drake, James Baldwin and Jack Horrell were all wasteful early on and then Gilder came to United’s rescue with an excellent save from Jack Watts who had got clear after escaping the clutches of the United defence.

After this, United began to put their game together and Nick Stanley pulled his shot just wide before Mitres Keeper Matt Weiczurek got to a through ball just ahead of leading scorer Lance Smith.

However, with 33 minutes on the clock and after a decent spell of pressure, the Red and Whites broke the deadlock through Lewis Binns who curled a delightful shot beyond Weiczurek into the far corner after good work by the hardworking Smith.

That is how the scoreline remained until Smith pounced in the 49th minute to sweep the ball over the line after Weiczurek had failed to hold on to Stanley’s powerfully driven free kick.

United were now firing on all cylinders and ten minutes later increased their lead to 3-0 courtesy of McGrory’s splendid through ball which picked out Smith who then rounded several defenders before claiming his 17th goal of the season.

Harlie Price raised Cleeve’s hopes by pulling a goal back in the 73rd minute but two minutes later substitute Jake Sloggett arrowed home a superb drive from the edge of the box to make it 4-1.

The chances kept falling United’s way and Smith somehow prodded wide from inside the six-yard box before Weiczurek reached out a hand to touch over McGrory’s 20-yard piledriver.

It was Steve Cleal’s side who completed the evening’s entertainment as Price grabbed his second goal of the game in the last minute with a simple finish past the diving Gilder.

United visit eighth placed Wimborne Town on Saturday before hosting struggling Wantage Town on Tuesday.

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