Match report courtesy of the Gazette

Evesham United left Thornhill Park with all three points in an eight goal thriller in a game that kept the supporters warm on a rather cold afternoon.

A minutes silence was held prior to kick off in respect of both Armistice day and the sad loss of Swans long serving committee member John Ashplant.

The Swans opened the scoring early on when Adam Mace converted a good cross from Marley Thomas, firing Low past Kevin Sawyer in the eighth minute.

Fahy should have equalised five minutes later but he fired his shot over after a good cross from Jordan Bryan.

Play was end to end on the well prepared,slick surface and efforts from Lewis Powell and Adam Mann went unrewarded for the visitors whilst at the other end Sean Lawson went close after Kieran Squires had set him up with a superb long ball down the left.

Lawson then disposed a defender and looked certain to score but his shot was cleared and went for a corner.

Slimbridge were more than holding their own and good moves resulted in both Mace and Lawson going close.

With the last attack of the half the visitors drew level.

A excellent run and cross by Fahy was well headed home by the advancing Powell as both teams went in for their half time break.

Swans manager Freddy Ward introduced Max Harper-Emerson after the break, replacing Kieran Squires as the home side looked to score a second and they really should have done on 52 minutes when Lawson excellent run and cross found Thomas with just Sawyer to beat but he completely fluffed his shot.

Jack Twyman picked up the first caution of the afternoon a minute later for a shirt pull and referee Ollie Williams who had a excellent afternoon levelled things up by issuing a yellow card to Evesham’s Matt Liddiard for holding back Lawson.

Things were made harder for the Swans when Twyman made a silly challenge on Adam Mann which left the referee with the easy option of showing him a second yellow card.

Although now a man down the Swans equalised after after a shot by Thomas took a wicked deflection on its way into the net past the helpless Sawyer.

Just two minutes later Evesham regained the lead when Mann fired in from close range as the excitement continued.

Slimbridge had a big appeal for a penalty turned down when Thomas appeared to be upended in the box but the referee was having none of it.

Evesham started to turn the screw now and went 4-2 up after 69 minutes when Carl Brown was left unmarked and he nodded home Liddiard cross.

On 87 minutes it was 5-2 when Powell notched his second goal of the game, converting another cross from close in.

A pulsating game was completed when Harper-Emerson converted Lawsons cross after 88 minutes.

Both sides should be commended for entertaining a crowd of 182, the visitors deserving the points in their quest for promotion.