Pershore 0, Hampton-In-Arden 6

PERSHORE'S pre-season tactic of playing superior opposition in friendly games was called into question on Saturday when a full-strength home side crashed to a heavy defeat against opponents from two leagues higher.

It wasn't all bad news, though, as Pershore's organisation and commitment were excellent for large parts of the game and Hampton were forced to play well to drive home their skills advantage.

Trailing by four goals at half-time, Pershore could have capitulated. Instead, extra effort and poise from the midfield trio of Taylor, Whiting and Crawley allied to resolute defending from James Hughes, Pete Powell and Errol White's goalkeeping saw just two more goals conceded.

Philosophical captain Garth Rushton reflected: "We have some positives to take away from the game and the boys showed good spirit - we'll just take every game as it comes"

Promotion from the Coaching Solutions West Midlands Division Two is the target this season and the club, which runs three men's teams, would welcome new players of any ability. Ring Toby Whiting on 01386 422614.

Redditch III 2, Pershore II 1

THE second team came away from their latest fixture wondering how they didn't achieve a positive result.

They started the game in a composed manner with the midfield trio of Handley, Attwood and debutant Ball controlling the game with some good passing movements.

It wasn't a surprise, therefore, when Handley calmly finished a slick move midway through the first half.

Although continuing to dominate, Pershore missed further opportunities to extend their advantage and they were then unfortunate to concede a breakaway goal in the dying minutes of the first half.

The second half started in a similar manner with Pershore pushing forward for a second goal. However, some last-ditch defending thwarted their attacking efforts.

A swift counter attack led to Redditch's winning goal following a defensive lapse but Pershore still had further opportunities to equalise but Passmore, Wright and Ball wasted good positions from short corners.