AFTER a good run in the Midland Combination Division Two, Malvern Athletic came back to earth with a bump when they entertained third in the league Wilmcote Sports & Social.

MALVERN ATHLETIC 1, WILMCOTE S & S 4

The Stratford-based side that had a big strong physical presence about them always looked dangerous in the first half and with the slope and wind behind them they always looked the stronger of the two sides.

However, having said that Malvern Athletic in the first 20 minutes managed to defend in depth and kept the score sheet blank, Dave Starkey in the home goals making three outstanding saves. In attack, Malvern were very ineffective with both Richard Bird and Cyril Dowling being well marshalled by the Wilmcote defence and the only real chance that fell to the home side in the first half came from a good run from Andrew Cornes but his hurried shot went straight into the keepers arms.

Wilmcote took the lead after 25 minutes when a through ball from midfield saw Athletic's defence back off and allow the Wilmcote centre forward to run through and clip the ball home.

It looked as if Athletic might hold the visitors to the solitary goal before the half time whistle but a mad three minutes allowed the visitors to increase their lead by two more goals. Both goals coming from bad mistakes by the home side, errors that can only be described as very basic and very poor. Half time 0-3.

With the slope and the breeze in Athletic's favour Wilmcote were content to defend for most of the second period and were not put under any pressure from Malvern Athletic and they were always dangerous on the break and in fact they found the back of the net twice in the opening periods of the second half but both efforts were ruled out for fouls on the defender and keeper. Malvern did pull one goal back in the 73rd minute when Richard Forde found Richard Brookes on the right flank; he looked up and curled the ball wide of the Wilmcote keeper, the ball nestling in the roof of the net. This reduction was however short lived as the visitors regained their three goal lead in the 75th minute the ball being slipped home at the far post after good work down their right flank.

Assistant manager Dave Ilsley said: "We have not shown enough commitment today and some of the players were just going through the motions. It is disappointing after the last few performances and it does not help having just the bare 11 players with skipper Julian Langfield unavailable for today's match, Nigel Rusell crying off with an injury in mid week and the manager having to play the whole 90 minutes, does not help our cause."

Team: Starkey, Penney, Llewellyn, Owen, Lines, Forde, Richard Brookes, Cornes, Bird, Dowling, Mackenzie.