FA Trophy Preliminary Round

Mangotsfield United 0 Yate Town 2

GOALS in either half have given Yate Town progress through to the first round of the FA Trophy after they defeated tough near neighbours Mangotsfield United at Cossham Street on Saturday afternoon.

It was a tremendous victory for Yate against a side which had beaten them convincingly by 3-1 at the same venue at the back end of August in the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South and West.

This time, the Bluebells looked good and a team which is bouncing back from the dark days of August when they could not buy a victory.

Now, they are revitalised and playing with a spring in their step which showed against the Mangos.

The victory on away soil was something which manager Paul Britton had wanted as a draw would have meant a replay at the Jelf Stadium on Tuesday.

And with an important home league clash with Bideford on Saturday, winning first time around gives Yate’s squad a chance to train on Tuesday instead of the pressure of playing.

Yate’s first goal came after just two minutes of the match when Mitch Tippins, who played for an hour as he gets his match fitness back following a lengthy lay-off with injury, struck a shot from the edge of the Mangotsfield United penalty area into the net.

It was a signal for Yate to pressurise the home side which they did for most of the first-half as Mangotsfield hardly had a chance to equalise.

Mangotsfield tried to get back into the game towards the interval when Liam Monelle, who had signed for Yate last year, and Lewis Hogg had chances but could not capitalise on them.

Yate hung onto that lead as a replay looked possible until just after the hour mark when they all but wrapped up the victory.

That second goal came on 68 minutes when big Josh Morgan-Williams, who had come on as a substitute, finished off a free kick on the right side of the Mangotsfield area fell to him in a dangerous position and he smashed the ball home from six yards out with the home side all over the place.

Mangotsfield tried to get back into the game when Nathan Rose shot towards the Bluebells net but watched the ball sail over the bar.

And there were a lot of smiling faces coming off the field after the victory which now gives Yate four wins out of six games with one draw since they lost on August 29 – away at Mangotsfield!