Pershore II 1, Stafford II 4

PERSHORE'S bid for promotion stalled on Saturday when they took on a strong Stafford side with several players unavailable.

The hosts were quickly on the back foot with a disrupted back four taking time to settle in to their unaccustomed roles. However, they weathered the early storm thanks to Dave Ingram's brave stop on the line.

Stafford finally broke the deadlock with a clever move and then took control of the game with two more goals before half-time while the excellent Tony Groves was off the field after being hit by a rising shot.

Pershore made several positional changes at half-time and were much more penetrating after the break when Iain Rushin reduced the deficit.

The hosts were unlucky not to score again and conceded a fourth that settled the match in Stafford's favour.

Pershore III 0,

Redditch III 5

FIVE second half goals flattered the visitors and didn't reveal the determination and strength of the home team in the first 35 minutes.

Liam Ridings put in a number of excellent crosses but only one shot resulted from his tireless efforts down then right.

Lee Wickersham pulled off a number of great saves to keep the score level at half-time but he was helpless to prevent Redditch taking control after the restart when Pershore were caught several times on the break as they pushed for a consolation.

The losers will need to improve for this weekend's visit to Evesham.