Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South and West

Yate Town 2 Bashley 0


A win is a win and Yate Town were glad to get their second home league win of the season on Saturday against a Bashley side who were poor and showed just why they are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Yate were dominant over the first half and should have had more than the single goal they scored at the interval which came when full--back Jake Cox fired a cracker from the left edge of the penalty area past the hapless Nic Jones in the Bashley goal.

Kane Ingram, on the left, supplied plenty of ball into the Bashley danger area as did Cox from the same flank.

And with a bit more accuracy and patience in front of the visiting net, Yate should have scored earlier.

Bashley hardly got out of their half in the opening 30 minutes and home goalkeeper Martin Horsell was just a spectator as the Bluebells went about their task.

Striker Darren Edwards could have scored after just three minutes but his header from an Ingram cross went over the Bashley bar.

Centre back Matt Villis should have done better with a header from point-blank range but saw it go agonisingly wide from five yards.

And a great volley from Alec Fiddles from ten yards out went straight at the keeper.

When the goal eventually came, however, it was great as Cox let fly and watched the net burst to the joy of the Bluebells faithful.

For a fleeting moment, Bashley sparked themselves into action and forced the home defence to be alert in clearing the danger from their six yard box.

But that was it from Bashley and normal service was resumed quickly as Yate got back on the front foot and went into the changing room at half time having forced seven corners and having put themselves half-way towards that second win off the league campaign at Lodge Road.
  
Yate's dominance continued after the break but for all their passing around the central pitch area, the final execution was left wanting.

Jackson and Edwards had chances in the box but fumbling finishes failed to trouble Jones between the visiting sticks.

Yate's biggest threats came again when they utilised Cox down the left yet invariably his crosses into the box went flying through empty space with nobody able to connect on the other end.

The most Bashley offered after the break was a shot from frontman Carl Foster which caused the corner flag more danger than Horsell's net.

Yet as much as Yate tried, they could not get the second goal which would ease any fears the visitors scoring a shock - if unlikely - equaliser and getting their first league points of the season. By the hour, that goal looked highly unlikely despite the Bluebells' labours.

Jamie Laird could not control an Ingram corner when five yards in front of goal, and Harry Horton slipped when a ball was played just beyond the penalty spot.

Eventually, with ten minutes left, Yate got their second goal. A Cox cross was cleared for a corner by Bashley's Ronan Moore as Edwards harried him.

And when Ingram swung the ball in from the resultant corner, full-back Callum Laird was amongst the crowd in the goal-mouth scramble to poke the ball past Jones.

Jackson flashed a shot from 20 yards just wide of the Bashley net and suddenly Yate were playing with confidence.

A Cox shot from the left side of the penalty area with the goalkeeper scrambling in no man's land was cleared off the line and that was that for a win which was not pretty but much needed.