There`s no stopping in-form Evesham who are now just one point away from booking a place in the Evo-Stik Southern South & West Division play-offs courtesy of Lance Smith`s winning goal five minutes from time in a tense affair at the Jubilee Stadium. The former Badsey Rangers striker and last season`s leading scorer came off the bench and got on the end of Marcus Jackson`s inswinging corner to prod in the decisive goal beyond the dive of Town keeper Alex Harris.
Both sides went into the match boasting impressive unbeaten runs, Cinderford arrived in the Vale with five straight wins under their belts and Paul Collicutt`s men were undefeated in ten. In front of a bumper holiday crowd, Evesham didn`t take long to get going resulting in Ashley Edenborough planting a couple of early headers into the side netting but after just three minutes the Robins` positive approach was rewarded with the opening goal. The Cinderford defence failed to clear George Washbourne`s corner and the alert Lee Smith playing against one of his former clubs, pounced to blast the ball home at the back post. Harris was in the thick of the action soon after, getting a good fist to Washbourne`s dangerous looking free kick and then gathering low down from the dangerous Edenborough.
But no sooner had the second half began, the Foresters were back on level terms through Ethan Moore who caught Kevin Sawyer in no-mans land and lobbed home over the United stopper for 1-1. Cinderford went on to enjoy their best spell in the game and Sawyer was kept on his toes making a fine save to his left from Bobbie Dale and then finger-tipping over a Kieran Thomas volley. Play switched to the other end when Adam Mann got in behind the
visitor`s defence and looked certain to score but screwed his shot wide with only Harris to beat. The impressive Liam Harding then came to the Red and Whites rescue with a superb goal-line clearance when Moore`s looping header had `goal` written all over it. As the game entered its final stages, play continued to flow from end to end before local boy Smith settled the game in United`s favour arriving unmarked in the six-yard box on 85 minutes with a clinical finish past Harris for his 6th goal of the season.
Lance Smith came off bench to score winner
Evesham United: Sawyer, Harding, Stanley, Brown, Slack, Dovey, Washbourne (Lance Smith 61), Wilson (Jackson 44), Edenborough, Mann, Lee Smith.
Subs not used: Wellon, Binns.
Attendance: 430
Pictures here by Stuart Purfield
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