Following a run of four home defeats it was no surprise when Evesham United manager Paul Collicutt ran the changes, he made no less than five from the midweek home defeat to Kidlington.
The game started in a very untidy manner with neither side looking as if they wanted to take control of the game in the first 20 minutes, it was then the visitors who began to take the majority of the possession but, never really looked like they were going to create anything in the last third of the pitch.
Finally, the game sprung to life in the 34th minute when a Bradley Gray corner found the head of Ethan Moore who scored, much to the delight of the home supporters. Mangotsfield’s best and possibly only chance came in the 39th when Simpson was free in the box, but didn’t manage to get a clean strike on the ball with his attempted shot going wide of the Robins goal. As the first half came to its conclusion it was the home side that finished the stronger of the two.
As the second half got underway it looked as though Mangotsfield were not going to take any risks and waited for Evesham to make errors to regain possession. Evesham were punished for their poor passing in the 54th minute when Mangotsfield United’s Kane Simpson’s deflected shot gave Sawyer in the Evesham goal no chance and the visitors drew level.
For the last third of the game both sides found it difficult to keep a hold of the ball with some very poor passing at times, when Evesham did manage to hold onto the ball they did make good use of it. A Gray shot went just over the bar following a good period of home team pressure on 63 minutes, that was followed by another chance when Moore picked up the ball just inside the Mangotsfield half and made a great run but his final ball to Powell was not a good one. Fahy with another bursting run which ended with Brown firing just over the bar.
In the 76th minute the visitors looked like they may have nicked all three points with a Peare header evading all in the Evesham defence, but fortunately the post came to Sawyers rescue. As the game entered the last 10 minutes Evesham looked to be throwing everything at Mangotsfield to get the win with Brown going close on a couple of occasions, Adam Mann also had his chances the closest of which just skimmed the bar and it looked like being another one of those what if or maybe games. When the final whistle went it was easy for all to see that The Mango’s got what they came for which was something or anything from the game, as for Evesham it was a point at home following an awful run of home defeats.
It is the turn of the Evesham Utd Youth Team to take centre stage on Wednesday night when taking on Football League Division 1’s Shrewsbury Town FC’s Youth in the First Round Proper of the FA Youth Cup
Evesham Utd: Sawyer, Sheehan, Bennett, Haskayne, M Williams, A Williams, Gray (Bryan 74), Brown, Moore, Powell (Mann 67), Fahy (Liddiard 74) Subs not used: Hancock, Odiero
Mangotsfield Utd: Dorrington, Gardner, Peare, Hobbs, Nelmes, Weeks, Warren, Vincent (Lloyd HT), Simpson, Malpas (Price 90), Williams (Maddison 50) Subs: Maddison, Lloyd, Price, Carydice
Attendance: 201
