Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division One

Bredon 1 Dursley Town 1

NATHAN Vines had to convert a stoppage-time penalty to ensure Dursley salvaged a point from a game that they should have won by a significant margin.

Town manager Terry Stevenson labelled the trip to bottom-of-the-table Bredon a ‘must-win’ game – and the visitors only had themselves to blame for missing out.

Just ten minutes had elapsed when Dursley were awarded a penalty for handball, but Curtis Mills’ lacklustre spot-kick was saved by Bredon goalkeeper Kevin Wilkins.

Bruno Goncalves could also have put Town in front, but he shot across goal after racing clear of the home defence and the game remained goalless at the interval.

Playing with the wind, the visitors dominated the second period, but Jim Stevenson was twice denied by Wilkins, while Vines missed the target after going clean through.

Bredon came back into the game, though, and Keith Watson had to make an important block before Chris Wilkins made two superb goal-saving interventions.

Five minutes from time, though, Kwesi Sibanda headed in at a corner and Town’s Wilkins was bizarrely red carded for throwing the ball out of the net in frustration.

Right at the death, however, a Vines shot was handled on the goal-line and, following the resultant dismissal, the substitute coolly converted from 12 yards.

Dursley: K Watson; S Hobbs, C Wilkins, M Workman, D McNally; A Forgione (L Jones 67), L Thomas, J Stevenson, C Mills; R Stevenson, B Goncalves (N Vines 65). Not Used: C Dolbear.

Goals: Vines (pen 90).

Sent Off: Wilkins (85).

* In Stroud League Division Two, Dursley Reserves came from behind to beat AFC Phoenix 2-1 to move well clear of the bottom two in the table.

Town fell behind on 30 minutes, but Ricky Swift’s free-kick deceived everybody to level matters on the hour before player-boss Antony Nash grabbed a late winner.