Mitres top the table after a brilliant win at Shrivenham

The tie began in cagey fashion with neither side creating too many clear-cut chances.

Courtesy of the Cleeve dug out, cries of “Squeeze, squeeze” echoed around Barrington Park with Paul Collicutt’s men following every order.

The Mitres ramped up the pressure on their opponents and the 19th minute saw Harrison Reeves slip striker Jack Watts in on goal, the number 10 feinted left and right to take the ball round the keeper only to sky the chance over the crossbar.

Not long after this, Watts would once again come agonisingly close to scoring the opener after the ball was driven hard and low across the box, with the striker nearly sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Cleeve pressed onwards in their search of a goal and were finally rewarded with a 35th-minute goal from Stephen Davies, heading in Reeve’s looping cross at the far post.

With the travelling away fans urging their side forward, the hosts did their best to ward off the pressure of the Mitres attack.

After some fine play through the centre of the park, Cleeve looked to counterattack quickly however it would only bring the first booking of the game when Shrivenham’s Jason Milhench fouled Kieran Alder to halt the promising counterattack.

Half time was looming at Barrington Park and the home side looked desperate to not concede another before the break, although the visitors had other ideas.

Following some brilliant passing play, Watts would once again come painfully close to scoring after he rattled the crossbar with a sublime strike from the edge of the box.

The striker showed fierce determination in his hunt for a goal, and he would not have to wait long as he picked up the ball inside the area only to be fouled, winning his side a penalty moments before half-time.

Calmly, the number ten stepped up to the penalty spot and netted his 18th of the season, giving the visitors a 0-2 lead going into half-time.

Shrivenham only made one substitution at half-time whilst play restarted with Cleeve in control of the tie and without any changes.

This was compounded with another Mitres goal in the 48th minute, this time coming from Jordan Annear after he was slipped in behind to take the score to 0-3 with a composed finish into the bottom left corner of the net.

A fourth and final goal would come to the leaders in the form of a Shrivenham own goal.

Previous goal-scorer Davies took credit for the build-up as he stretched to keep the ball alive on the right flank, fizzed the ball across the box only for it to fly off an outstretched Shrivenham boot and go in off the underside of the bar.

The 65th minute saw Cleeve make their first changes of the afternoon with Miles Ferguson and Kevin Slack coming on for Davies and Reeves.

“Hold the Line” was the defensive mantra that could be heard coming from the Cleeve dugout as the home side looked to score at least once before the final whistle.

Defender Leroy Odiero was intent on making sure the Mitres came away with a clean sheet and made several pivotal blocks late on in the match.

The match finished 0-4 to Bishop’s Cleeve and it takes them to the top of the league as they look towards another crucial away fixture against fellow promotion hopefuls Brimscombe and Thrupp FC.

Report done by Joe Bleasdale