Yate Town will be hoping to stretch their winning run to six games when they visit Wimborne Town in Division One South and West of the Southern League on Saturday.

The Bluebells brushed aside a weakened Guildford side 4-1 at Lodge Road last Saturday, before their New Year's Day game against Clevedon Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Yate's recent run of form has moved them to within four points of the play-offs, but they will be wary of a Wimborne side who won 6-2 at Evesham United on their last outing and would go above them with a victory.

Rob Cousins' side started very brightly against Guildford and had a glorious opportunity to take the lead within three minutes. A great ball in from James Harmer was tipped on by Ross Staley but the shot’s trajectory took it inches wide of a goalpost.

Jake Jackson then had a chance to register his fourth goal of the season from the penalty spot. A Guildford defender had clearly handled in the area and it was smartly spotted by the referee.  Yate would not get justice though as the visiting goalkeeper denied Jackson’s effort with a tremendous save by Guildford goalkeeper Anthony Hall.

Yate continued to press for the opening goal, their attitude implied that they deserved it. The pressure paid off on 27 minutes. Haldane’s strike was saved well by the goalkeeper but Jackson was there to tap the ball into an empty net. Just desserts perhaps as the sides went in for their respective analyses at 1-0.

Guildford City equalised early in the second half with their first shot on target and totally against the run of play. The old saw that you must score when you’re ahead was perhaps coming true for the home side as Sam Spencer slotted the ball into the bottom corner out of the reach of Martin Horsell.

Yate could have let disappointment become the order of the day but chose instead to respond immediately and were back in front within five minutes.

Great work down the wing from Staley left him free to look up and drill a ball into the box which was met by Lewis Haldane. His intuitive finish arrowed into the roof of the goal, the keeper well beaten, to register his 20th goal of the season.

Perhaps the unexpected equaliser had caused Yate to re-assess their approach.

So it was that things got even better for the home side on 74 minutes as Hall made a horrendous mistak,e dropping the ball from his hands and gifting an opportunity to Staley, who simply ran the ball into an empty net and duly put the game to bed.

A charitable spectator may blame the weather and a slippery ball but a more objective determination has to categorise this as a schoolboy error.

Jackson completed the rout with only six minutes left on the referee’s watch. A great through ball by substitute Sam Kamara - who had been on the pitch for only a handful of minutes - found Jackson one on one with the goalkeeper. Jackson made no mistake, calmly finishing into the bottom corner for his second of the match and his side’s fourth.

Jackson was left to rue the one that got away. If you score twice in open play and the one you miss for a hat-trick is a penalty you have to kick yourslef. Oh well.

Yate: Horsell, Cox, Chandler, Fletcher, Tippins, Staley, Abraham (Nicholls 80) Bryant (c), Harmer (Kamara 80) Jackson, Haldane (Meaker 84) Unused Subs: Harrison, Dunn.