Report by Oli Lewis

Blaine Waugh was the only scorer at Kayte Lane on Saturday as he lobbed a jumping George Burton from high up on the right flank.

Lewis Clayton, and the centre half duo of Will Taylor and Linden Dovey put in excellent performances to secure third clean sheet on the bounce.

While the Mitres extend their overall win streak to four, all coming in league competition.

It was a tough first half for the Cleeve side, as they were under pressure for most of the half, as key Willand players such Douglas Camilo and Gabriel Rogers. Both who had a few chances as the half progressed.

Rogers’ first came in the ninth minute, but he put it over the bar. While Camilo’s was in the 22nd, neither troubled Clayton.

While Clayton made his first save in the 20th, it was how he finished the first half that won him the player of the match award. Saves in the 33rd, 39th, 41st, and 42nd all stood out as brilliant pieces of goalkeeping.

Clayton had to get low to force the stop off a quick Willand counter attack. Then the Mitres’ keeper was forced to tip the ball onto the crossbar from a long range attempt.

A save in the 41st where he dived well to his right to stop the shot, did end up in the back of the net, but was chalked off as the Rovers player was deemed offside.

The save off a corner just a minute later, was his best of the lot. The corner was put in well by Camilo as he connected with Roger’s head, from point blank in front of Clayton, somehow Clayton managed to react in time and once again deflect it over the bar.

Keeping Willand Rovers to nil, proved to be important, as the next Cleeve attack after was when Waugh scored his goal.

He put the ball towards the net with Burton slightly off his line, from high up the pitch on the right side. Burton then proceeded to let the ball through his stretched hands and into the net.

Going into the half at one nil was completely against the run of play, but Bishop’s Cleeve took it in their stride and came out the second half a much better team.

Not only did Taylor and Dovey produce a much more solid backline, that didn’t get challenged too often, but the attack seemed to be a lot more dangerous.

A couple more attempts from Waugh, one from George Box, and one from Ross Langworthy set the tone for the second half within the first 10 minutes.

Even as the substitutions rolled in the Mitres appeared to stay in control. Clayton was only really properly challenged once, on a freekick attempt from Camilo, that is nudged by Clayton onto the bar.

In the 83rd minute, Bishop’s Cleeve looked like they had doubled their lead, as the ball gets into the net at the clubhouse end of the pitch. However, it was called back as the linesman deemed the ball to go out of play when Isaac Pearce brought it down the byline.

That was the final significant attack of the game, as Cleeve are able to control the pace and hold out any threat for the final 10 minutes.

The Mitres now find themselves six points from playoffs and 12th in the table. With a trip to league leaders Sholing coming up next week, Bishop’s Cleeve have found the right time to find their form.