Report by Paddy Gladman

It was 4 weeks ago to the day that these 2 met at Kayte Lane in league action, a thrilling 2-2 draw in which neither side could be separated.

Harrison Reeves opened the scoring that evening and he did the same again in this one. The number 8 thumped home an unstoppable, rocket of a shot into the top right-hand corner via the post to put Cleeve 1-0 up inside 2’ minutes.

Reeves had chances to find his second in the opening half-an-hour, however Will Emery’s came closest to doubling the Mitres score line as he smashed the crossbar with a long-range strike.

The second eventually came on the half-hour mark when Ross Langworthy collected the ball from Toby Holland, before coolly slotting past McIntosh Boyd to make it 2-0.

Holland turned from provider to goal scorer 6 minutes later; heading into an empty net on the rebound from Langworthy’s initial effort that was denied by the ‘bar.

Paul Collicutt’s men found their 4th on the stroke of half-time. Reeves finished off a slick move in style; firing into the top corner on his weaker right foot after Langworthy let the ball through his legs from Holland’s pass; fooling the bamboozled Yate defence.

Yate were resilient at the start of the second half and got deserved goal back for their efforts in the fifty-second minute. Ryan Hillier was on call to finish on the rebound after Jaheim Allen rounded Lewis Clayton and hit the post.

However, nothing was going to stop Cleeve’s momentum and they shut down any belief amongst the Yate squad just 3’ minutes later …

Will Turner crashed home a powerful header from close range following Reeves’ in-swung corner – for his first EVER senior goal!

Reeves then completed his hat-trick in the fifty-ninth minute; wrapping the ball beyond Boyd with aplomb before being subbed off to a great reception from the jubilant Mitres in attendance.
Kafi Ibrahim pulled one back for Yate in the sixty-third minute which proved to solely be a consolation goal, as the hosts would find their seventh of the evening with 10’ minutes left to play.

Off the bench, Ethan Dunbar got across the front post superbly well to get on the end of a wicked delivery from Steve Davis down the right flank and flick past Boyd.

5’ minutes later, Dunbar pounced on a poor back pass from Joe Hall; collecting the ball on the edge of the 6-yard box so he could snatch his 2nd and Cleeve’s 8th of the evening!

The magical: Dunbar, came close to a 2nd half hat-trick as he wound his way through the Town penalty area with his tantalising twinkle toes that could only be denied by the frame of Boyd.

The game concluded at Kayte Lane with the score line at a miraculous 8-2 and the hosts progressing in the Gloucestershire County Cup in style!