Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division One

Dursley Town 1 Minsterworth 2

JEKYLL and Hyde Dursley saw their hopes of three crucial points slip away as Minsterworth staged a second half rally to come from behind for victory at the Rec.

Town caused the visitors plenty of problems during the opening period with the front three of Kyle Ward, Karl Nash and Ryan Stevenson looking particularly lively.

Indeed, it was from a quick break midway through the half that the hosts took the lead – Nash bending a lovely pass in for Stevenson to bring down and stroke home.

Minsterworth applied pressure without creating too many chances, their best coming when Jason Griffiths rounded Keith Watson only to hit the post from a tight angle.

However, the second half was a completely different matter as Dursley struggled to get going again, allowing the visitors to launch wave after wave of attacks.

Ten minutes in, Watson made a point-blank save from a corner, but Town failed to clear and Carl Bailey was adjudged to have fouled John Pratt amid the scramble.

Griffiths sent Watson the wrong way from the spot to equalise and the goalkeeper then had to save from Pratt and Steve Badham to keep the hosts on level terms.

Fifteen minutes from time, though, Pratt timed his leap to perfection to head in a right-wing cross and Dursley could not find an equaliser in a desperate late rally.

Dursley: K Watson; S Hobbs, C Wilkins (J Stoneman 80), J Stevenson, D McNally; M Humphrey (B Jones 75), L Thomas, C Bailey; K Ward, K Nash; R Stevenson. Not Used: C Dolbear.

Goals: R Stevenson (25).

Stroud League Division Two

Longlevens Res 3 Dursley Town Res 1

DURSLEY remain perilously close to the relegation places in third-from-bottom place in the table following their tenth defeat in 17 games against high-flying Longlevens.

The hosts took the lead after quarter of an hour, but were pegged back ten minutes before half-time when Liam Jones converted Nathan Vines’ far post cross.

However, the Gloucester side upped their game considerably after the break and scored twice by the mid-point of the second half to end the visitors’ hopes.

Town assistant boss Pete Childs admitted: “Longlevens were all over us for the first 25 minutes of the second half. We came back at the end, but couldn’t score.”

Dursley: P Dykes; D Clark, M Workman, R Crowcombe; L Jones, J Minett, R Swift, L Peters (D French 70), J Warner; N Vines, Aaron Nash.

Goals: Jones (35).

Stroud League Division Five

Dursley Town 3rds 4 Upton St Leonards Res 4

MIKE Sims lobbed a late equaliser to complete a fine hat-trick and earn his side a point from a topsy-turvy encounter against Upton St Leonards at the Rec.

The visitors took an early lead before Sims turned things around with a double strike, but there was still time before the break for Upton to move back in front again.

Sims headed across goal for strike partner Jack Knight to nod an equaliser on the hour mark, but the away side responded once again with a fourth goal.

However, two minutes from time, Sims was presented with his hat-trick chance and he cleverly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to ensure the points were shared.

Dursley: R Cox; D Minett, W Taylor, N Hart, P Cook; J Dolbear, A Pearce (L Matthews 46), R Lyon, J Aldridge; M Sims, J Knight.

Goals: Sims (20, 30 & 88), Knight (60).