Berkeley Town 0 Bishops Cleeve Reserves 4

BERKELEY Town have left themselves needing an amazing escape act in order not to finish on the basement of the Gloucestershre County League after they crashed at home in a crucial clash with fellow strugglers Bishops Cleeve Reserves on Saturday.

Berkeley are now 12 points behind both Patchway Town and Bishops Cleeve Reserves above them.

And their attempt to win on Saturday got off to a dreadful start conceding a goal in the first minute from a harmless looking cross into the box by Rob White that Giles Elliott headed home. Berkeley’s Paul Brooks had a good chance in the 6th minute but he fired his shot high over the bar. The visitors went two goals up on 17 minutes from an in-swinging corner from the left by Giles Elliott that found Adam Gill’s head. Berkeley mustered several attacks midway through the half and the second effort ended with Tom Andrews hitting a good shot on target from a difficult angle that saw Cleeve keeper making his first save of the game. Berkeley should have pulled a goal back in the 27th minute when Cleeve’s keeper Adams spilled the ball and Paul Brooks then found he had an open goal to aim at but hit his shot wide of the target. Berkeley’s veteran keeper Lee Mason had to be at his best to prevent another good shot from Giles Elliott making it 3-0 on 30 minutes.

Right from the off of the second half the visitors pushed hard and Dan White’s shot just cleared the bar. Then Elliott broke through but fired well over the bar. James Pickup then saw his free kick from 20 yards clip the top of the crossbar. Cleeve scored a third on 71 minutes after two Berkeley Players collided in the box and the ball sitting up nicely for Luke Skears to lob the ball over Mason from 12 yards. There was a considerable hold up as Chris Andrews needed lengthy treatment on his nose and eventually had to leave the field. Town were now down to ten players but soldiered on regardless but never really threatening the visitor’s goal. Cleeve got their fourth and final goal in time added at the end of 90 minutes with a cross from the right that was turned in by James Pickup.