IN DANGER of finishing the season as badly as they started it, Yate suffered their third defeat in a row against Bridgwater this afternoon.

The Bluebells turned in a performance as abject as anything they produced over the first 12 league games of the campaign when they failed to pick up a win, and their mid-season resurgence will be quickly forgotten if they do not improve in their final two games at home to Tiverton Town and Sholing.

Even a rare goal for Mark Badman in the 29th minute – his second in a Yate shirt with the other coming ironically at Bridgwater in a 5-0 win just over 12 months ago – could not inspire Yate as they conceded early on in both halves.

The large Lodge Road pitch could have been tailor-made to suit Bridgwater’s style as they looked comfortable on the ball throughout, but Yate were guilty of giving them far too much time and space by not pressing enough.

Bridgwater went ahead on five minutes when the Yate defence failed to deal with Danny Wring’s corner and Bradley Middleton struck the ball sweetly into the bottom corner from 15 yards.

Yate were almost handed an equaliser when Bridgwater goalkeeper Luke Purnell had to come out of his area and headed straight to Dave Stone after Matt Pitcher’s back-pass had put him in trouble, but the strangely out-of-sorts Yate striker was unable to take advantage as he volleyed well over.

Matt Groves went closer with a spectacular volley on the turn from 25 yards that drifted just wide, while Tyrone Mings’ cross-shot from the left was tipped over by Purnell at his near post as Yate rallied without playing their best football.

Bridgwater still possessed a threat, though, and after a good passing move Tom Hurley’s shot deflected just wide off Yate skipper Edd Vahid, who made a vital intervention at the following corner which caused a scramble in the six-yard box.

Yate were on level terms two minutes later when Nicholls drove the ball into the six-yard area and Badman was on hand to tap the ball in at the far post.

The home side finished the first half in the ascendancy, but Bridgwater went ahead again within two minutes of the restart.

Hurley cut in from the left and had a shot blocked before laying the ball off the Neil Peek, who lashed home.

Yate almost responded immediately when Tom Knighton’s well-struck free kick from 25 yards came back off the crossbar, but that was the closest they came to an equaliser.

Knighton headed a deep Mings free kick straight at Purnell with 15 minutes left, but otherwise Yate were restricted to long range efforts, with Adie Adams and Tom Warren firing over as Bridgwater held on comfortably.

Yate Town: Freeman, Warren, Mings, Nicholls (Mackie, 90), Thomas, Badman (Adams, 76), Groves, Vahid, Stone (Ferguson, 76), Knighton, Purnell. Subs not used: Cousins, Meaker.

Ref: Mr B Durie.

Att: 134

Gazette star man: Edd Vahid.