Southern League South and West Division
Evesham United 1
Shortwood United 0
By Jim Cunneen
FORMER Shortwood United favourite Adam Mann ended injury-stricken Shortwood United’s 10-game unbeaten run.
Mann, on-loan from parent club Gloucester City, struck the only goal on 10 minutes and respectfully refused to celebrate against his former club.
Joint Shortwood manager John Evans said: “We didn’t create enough and we were ordinary and flat. We had enough of the game to have got something out of it.”
The Nailsworth outfit were missing strike pair Lewis Sommers and Ross Langworthy and were without new signing Joe White. However, Evans and Alex Sykes named fresh faces Andy Smith and James Lawrence-Forbes on the bench.
With Jake Lee moved into a striking role, Wood’s back four, apart from the goal, performed well and kept Evesham largely at bay.
Wood fell behind in contentious fashion. Jake Lee was clearly fouled as he went for a high ball and when Evesham broke the ball should have been cleared but Mann ran on and shot past Tom King.
Wood were the dominant force and Evesham broke the play up as much as possible and the game was littered with free-kicks. Play-off chasing Wood were on top with Marley Thomas going close and Lee seeing a header cleared off the line.
Wood came close to levelling as Josh Egan rattled the bar with a curling free-kick. At the other end, King kept out a shot from former Shortwood striker Kevin Slack.
Wood started the second half brightly with Adam Price almost forcing Stanley to turn his cross into his own net.
As the game petered out, Price fired wide and sub Njoya shot high over the bar.
SHORTWOOD: King, Rawlings, Humphreys (Smith 70), Thomas A, Lee, Hancock, Thomas M (Lawrence – Forbes 59), Price, Veal (Njoya 30), Egan, Bennett.
Star Man: Matt Bennett.
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