Mitres lose in league for second time

Cleeve went into the match knowing it would be a tough fixture against a side who were unbeaten in ten in the league and making their own push for promotion. However the visitors took the lead early on when Kieran Alder slid in Jack Watts who placed the ball into the bottom left corner to score the opener.

Harvey Flippance, making his debut for Westbury, then had a glorious chance to level ten minutes later but whilst his shot beat Luke Merchant in the Cleeve goal, it hit the outside of the post.

The hosts equalised just before the half hour mark when Ricky Hulbert beat the offside flag and out fought the last Cleeve defender to convert, despite protests from the Cleeve bench about offside and a two handed push.

The hosts were then well on top for the final fifteen minutes of the half but were unable to take the lead before half time.

Ten minutes into the second half, Westbury were awarded a penalty and Joe Strading stepped up to convert, despite an agonisingly close strong hand from Merchant which saw the ball just loop over into the net.

The two sides then exchanged passages of play until a mad final ten minutes started. First of all Watts was pushed in the box and stepped up to convert the penalty and score his 24th goal of the season.

The home side then retook the lead five minutes later when a decision for a throw-in to the hosts was changed to a freekick and the hosts took advantage of Cleeve still reorganising to see Flippance pounce on the loose ball to score on his debut, despite Cleeve protests that he was offside when the freekick was taken.

Cleeve then chasing the game even more were again left open at the back and Stradling hit a stunning powerful low drive into the net.

The eventual rout was then completed when Flippance got a debut brace capitalising on a rare mistake from Merchant who was leaving a cross to go behind only for Flippance to come steaming in and bundle the ball home from a tight angle to give the hosts a deserved win.

Cleeve’s next match is a big top of the table clash away at Malvern Town on Boxing Day, incidentally Malvern were the only previous side to beat Cleeve in the league.