Slimbridge 1

Mangotsfield 8

SLIMBRIDGE are facing a relegation scrap, writes Rob Peck.

Lee Driver-Dickerson's side were thumped 8-1 against a rampant Mangotsfield at Thornhill Park.

The Swans are five points above the relegation zone with three games to play.

Against Mangotsfield, the Swans started brightly enough with Joe Noakes and Steve Jackson firing shots straight at Mangotsfield’s keeper Marko Radovanovic, and Dan King directed a header wide from Jamie Martin's cross.

However, United opened the scoring on 10 minutes. Daniel Demkiv curling the ball past Lewis Adams in the home goal.

Four minutes later Demkiv made it two. A third goal followed on 21 minutes, after two cleared corners, the ball was fired back into the box and it fell kindly to Keith Kearney to score from 10 yards.

With just half-an-hour of the game gone, Slimbridge conceded a fourth when Lee Hartshorn stabbed in from close range.

As half-time approached United pretty much sealed the game with a fifth goal, Adams collected a throw in on the right and kicked the ball up field. The ball fell nicely to Ollis who had time to control and fired the ball back from just inside the Swans half finding the back of the net with Adams scrambling back across the goal.

Boss Driver-Dickerson made three changes at half-time in an attempt to salvage some pride in the second-half. The optimism was short-lived when Christopher Peck made it six. The seventh came eight minutes later when Ollis found Hartshorn in space to fire past Adams.

The Swans did manage a consolation on 65 minutes, Dunbar finding space in the box to tap in from close range past Radovanovic.

United completed the rout on 81 minutes Tyrone Tucker Dixon’s shot was blocked on the line by Korey Pring after he had rounded Adams, the ball came back out to Tucker Dixon who was brought down by Adams as he scrambled back the referee not hesitating in awarding the penalty. Demkiv stepped up sending Adams the wrong way to complete his hat trick.

Slimbridge: Adams, Noakes, Waddington (46 Dunbar), Pring, Jackson, C Turner, D Turner (46 Smith), Mendes, Martin, Hawes, King (46 Magee)

Unused Sub: Beadle

Attendance: 104

Slimbridge travel to Bideford on Saturday and then welcome high-flying Cinderford Town on Bank Holiday Monday, 3pm. They complete their season at Thatcham Town on April 27.