After passing three pitch inspections, Evesham went on to produce a strong second half performance to ease past bottom of the table Bishops Cleeve for an eighth successive victory in the Evo-Stik Southern South & West Division. Volunteers and players helped clear surface water off the Jubilee Stadium pitch and after passing a 2.oopm inspection their hard work was rewarded with another dominating display which extended the Robins unbeaten run to nine games.
It was United’s third league double and remarkably the fifth time this season that Paul Collicutt’s side have netted five goals in a league game without reply. Evesham were unchanged from the side that beat neighbours Stratford Town on Boxing Day, while the Mitres included five former United players in their starting line-up.
For the majority of the first half, Evesham were camped in the Cleeve half but were unable to find the back of the net despite creating a number of gilt-edge chances. The best of which fell to Carl Brown on the stroke of half-time but the midfielder arriving late at the back post proceeded to prod Adam Mann’s cross wide of the target from point-blank range. Earlier, Nick Stanley, Lance Smith twice and Mann had all gone within a whisker of giving Evesham the lead.
Mann: Another brace of goals
Evesham’s luck changed at the beginning of the second-half, Stanley picked the ball up 20 yards out and curled a shot into the bottom corner to finally make the breakthrough. Cleeve keeper Steve Benbow made successive saves, first to deny Mann and then again to gather from the impressive Stanley, but three goals in five minutes put United on the road to another deserved win. On 72 minutes powerhouse Mann fired in a low drive past Benbow for 2-0 and moments later Mann raced through unchallenged and easily beat Benbow for goal number three. It soon became 4-0 when Sean Wood’s cross was headed home by substitute Ashley Edenborough. Cleeve’s back-line looked depleted and conceded again three minutes from time when Edenborough got on the scoresheet again with a clever back-heel after Marcus Jackson’s powerful run and cross down the right to round off another emphatic victory for the Red and Whites.
Evesham Utd: Kevin Sawyer, Sean Wood, Will Wellon, Liam Harding, Matt Sysum, Linden Dovey, Carl Brown (Marcus Jackson 70), Nick Stanley, Lance Smith (Ashley Edenborough 72), Adam Mann, George Washbourne (Lewis Binns 64).
Subs not used: Jared Wilson, Ollie Knowles
Attendance: 324
Referee: Mr C Husband (Worcester)
Photos by Stuart Purfield
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