A GOAL from Steve Lutz earned Evesham a third successive win and top spot in Southern League Division One Midlands.

A succession of drawn games for rival clubs has left the Robins at the summit of the table, level on points with Leamington who have played a match more.

Captain Lutz struck his eighth goal of the season after 16 minutes when he showed tremendous determination to win the loose ball after a shot from James Knott had been parried by the Town keeper and then excellent composure to slide the ball into the net.

The Bedfordshire side only fielded a bare 11 after a fall-out prior to the game that resulted in the two nominated substitutes refusing to take their places on the bench. Knott should have netted before Lutz's strike while the scorer, Danny Scheppel and Gary Hay went closest to adding to the tally before the break with Paul Taylor producing good saves to deny the latter pair.

Nathan Vaughan saved at the foot of a post from Aaron Flood and then kept out Chris Marsh's thumping drive after 42 minutes but the home goalkeeper was virtually redundant in the second period.

However, his attacking colleagues failed to produce a display befitting a top of the table side.

Defenders Michael Hayden and Steve Luckett both brought saves out of Taylor, while Scheppel headed narrowly wide from one of the few decent crosses United produced.

Paul West used all three replacements with leading scorer Mark Owen, who entered the fray with six minutes left on the watch, heading Scheppel's cross wide with almost his first touch.

It was left to the skipper to show the way to goal with his fourth goal in as many games as a third successive win without conceding a goal left the winners in pole position to lift the championship.