Southern League Division One South
Evesham United 4–3 Lymington Town
EUFC MoM: Bradley Gray
Attendance: 179
Report by Dean Speake
The teams for this game were sitting 13th & 14th in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South, suggesting the 179 who braved the freezing weather would be in for a close game.
It was the visitors who took the lead in the 7th minute, Lymington’s Luke Churchill shot towards goal was deflected by Will Armitage past the home keeper. The scores were level just 4 minutes later when Bradley Gray had the ball in the visitor’s box, his twists & turns followed by a well-placed strike gave him a goal on his return debut to The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium.
With the home side playing the better football, it was only a matter of time before they would get their reward. Kyle Belmonte pounced on a loose Lymington pass before advancing and giving The Robins the lead, which they took into half time.
Lymington showed they had not made the 260-mile round trip from the south coast to make up the numbers. With five second half minutes on the clock the visitors had a corner, which Evesham were unable to clear. Jason Brookes fired the ball in from close range to level proceedings.
Evesham regained the lead on 55 minutes when Belmonte intercepted the ball in the centre circle, a pinpoint pass found Gray whose shot gave Joe Coombes in the Lymington goal no chance.
The home side were reduced to 10 men when Tom Chamberlain was shown a straight red card in the 67th minute but, they continued to move the ball well.
An 83rd minute penalty levelled the scores yet again; Lewis Clayton was adjudged to have brought down his opponent. Freddie Bullard’s confidently struck penalty gave the keeper no chance.
Yet again Evesham seemed to lift their game, denied another goal when Jack Horrell’s 25-yard screamer was kept out by the visitor’s crossbar, and the loyal Robins fans were feeling another goal was coming. They weren’t wrong, Belmonte broke the Lymington line before his perfectly struck shot found the net.
An incredible fingertip save from Lewis Clayton in the fifth minute of injury time denied the visitors an equaliser and gave Evesham all three points.
Evesham United: Clayton, Hunt (Sidibe 85), Armitage, Paddock, Belmonte 2, Chamberlain, Dinsley© (Sheehan 45), Symons (Horrell 71), Gray 2, Lymn. Subs Not Used: Djurovic, Smalley.
