Football: Stone at the double again for in-form Yate (From Gazette Series)

Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South and West: Halesowen Town 0 Yate Town 2

5:24pm Monday 9th January 2012 in Yate and Sodbury Sport

DAVE STONE bagged a brace for the second game in succession against former club Halesowen as Yate continued their meteoric rise up the table.

Player-manager Rob Cousins also played a starring role at centre-back to help Yate record another clean sheet after Scott Thomas failed to recover from an ankle injury in time.

A run of one defeat in ten games has seen the Bluebells move from one place off the bottom of the table to a mid-table position of 13th and they have even given themselves an outside chance of making the play-offs.

Justin Nisbett shot over early on for the hosts, but Yate took the lead on 18 minutes when Stone’s dipping half-volley from 15 yards flew in.

Robin Nicholls hit a long-range effort over the bar and Nathan Jackson was also unable to keep his shot down at the other end.

Tom Warren’s near post strike was saved by Jake Want but Yate extended their lead in the 33rd minute.

Want failed to deal with Matt Groves’ corner and Stone was on hand to fire the loose ball in.

Nisbett had an effort ruled out for offside six minutes later, while Groves was denied by Want before half-time.

Halesowen improved after the break and Josh Dempsey did well to tip Nathan Jones’ shot around the post before Tyrone Mings cleared a deflected shot by Naveed Arshad off the line.

However, the home side were reduced to ten men after 67 minutes when Nisbett was given his marching orders for elbowing Mings.

Yate could have won more comfortably, but Russ Church and Nicholls missed chances.

Yate Town: Dempsey; Warren, Mings, Nicholls, Ferguson, Badman (c), Groves (Meese 88), Cousins, Stone (Plummer 82), Church (Meaker 85), Greenwood Referee: A. Matthews (Stroud) Attendance: 240