Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South and West

Slimbridge 3 Yate Town 1

SLIMBRIDGE did the double over Yate Town at Thornhill Park on Saturday as the Bluebells had two men sent off before half-time in a minute of high drama.

Slimbridge had beaten Yate 2-1 in August at the Jelf Stadium and two goals within minutes of each other in the second half sealed another win over the Bluebells.

It was, though, far from easy for the Swans while both teams had 11 men on the pitch.

Yate had more of the early territory and resented more of a threat on the Slimbridge goal than the Swans did at the other end.

And the Bluebells had the best chance of the opening quarter of the game when a cross came in from the right of the Slimbridge penalty area for the lively Jack Ball to strike only to be stopped by a lunge from home keeper Adrian Kowalski, with the rebound also going nowhere.

Captain Lee Smith tried to get something going for the Swans but found the Yate central defence locked tight and few numbers to cross to in the danger zone.

A long free kick from his own half from Nick Grimes posed danger for the visitors as it headed into their penalty area but there was no blue shirted bodies around to take advantage.

Yate had another chance on the quarter-hour as a Kyle Thomas corner was met by Matt Guy but the left back's effort went thundering over the bar.

From there, the game took some dramatic twists. Another Thomas header was cleared off the line by home wing Adam Mace.

But, against the run of play, Slimbridge went a goal up when Smith struck sweetly from just inside the penalty area with his right foot and into the back of the Bluebells net.

However, the controversy came on 37 minutes when Yate's Josh Morgan-Williams clashed with a home player on the touchline.

Referee John Roskellly saw a kick from the big striker on Slimbridge's Sam Turl and promptly delivered a straight red card. But that was not all. In the resultant melee of yellow shirts surrounding the official, Kye Mountford swore at the ref and earned himself a red card as well.

It left Yate down to nine men and in trouble. But before the break, they dramatically hit back when they were awarded a free kick which drifted to the Slimbridge far post for Ball to float a header past Kowalski for the equaliser.

Slimbridge scented blood and pushed the game wider after the break.

Jack Twyman shot over the bar from inside the area and Mace had Brown stretching to his right hand post to prevent a goal.

Yate pulled everyone back when attacked and ran their socks off to stay in the match and even had sporadic assaults up the other end of the pitch. But with Ball the lone man up front and little support against a Swans back four, it was a tough ask to breach them again as he did towards the end of the first period.

However, the game took another twist just after the hour as Slimbridge scored twice in three minutes.

First, a cross to the Yate far post saw Mace head to the goal but saw the ball handled by Yate full--back Mason Evans. Referee Roskelly pointed straight o the spot for Mace to convert and put his side back in front.

Then another cross to the Yate far post saw sub James Harding leap high, connect with his head and put it into the corner as Brown went the other way.

That was it as far as the result was concerned although Slimbridge could have scored a fourth when Turl floated a 15 yard shot onto the visitors crossbar before the ref blew the final whistle.