Slimbridge 0 Cinderford Town 2

Southern League Division One South & West

CINDERFORD Town reclaimed top spot with 11 games remaining, going two points ahead of Banbury United thanks to goals from Nick Rhodes and George Lloyd.

It was a comfortable win for Town in the end, who broke down a usually stubborn Slimbridge side almost at will.

Top scorer Ethan Moore came close to netting 14 minutes in, when he latched on to a soft header back from home captain Alex Hoyle, nipping in before goalkeeper Adam Thomas but the forward’s touch was too heavy and couldn’t redirect towards goal.

Two minutes later, though, Town had the lead. Lee Smith’s corner ended up near the back post where Lloyd was on hand to square the ball low and Rhodes turned his cross in.

Dean Turner’s curling effort looked like causing Alex Harris trouble in the away goal on 20 minutes, but in truth the shot was easier to deal with than it appeared.

Harris only had to deal with two more incidents – identical efforts on the half-hour mark and after 70 minutes – when he acrobatically tipped headers from Adam Mace and Rich Thwaite respectively.

Town controlled the game with relative ease, helped by the speed at which forwards Moore, Lloyd and Lee Smith countered. The breaks themselves rarely led to chances, but gave their teammates respite as Slimbridge worked hard to re-organise.

Town went into the half-time interval a goal to the good but had doubled it within 20 minutes of the second period.

Lloyd missed a gilt-edged chance on 55 minutes to put the visitors further ahead, having found himself in space inside the Slimbridge area before putting his shot agonisingly wide of the far post.

It was an opportunity the striker admitted after the game he should have buried, but if his confidence was low, it didn’t show when he scored the Foresters’ second with aplomb.

Lloyd lashed home a strike from the penalty spot ten minutes later to make it 2-0. Thomas in the home goal was helpless as the left-footed effort flew past his out-stretched hand just left of the goal’s centre.

It was just his second goal of the campaign, having last netted on the opening day of the season against bottom side Bashley and will surely boost his morale after recovering from a long injury lay-off.

From then on out it was plain sailing for Cinderford. The game petered out as Slimbridge were futile in claiming a result and Town earned their 20th clean sheet of the season.Cinderford Town v Slimbridge: Alex Harris; Keiran Thomas (capt), Nick Rhodes, Josh Nelmes, Kyle Knott; Lewis Fletcher (Sam Mendes 67), Lorcan Sheehan, Ben Snook (Niall Rowe 75); Lee Smith, Ethan Moore, George Lloyd (Lewis Thompson 81).Subs not used: Jamie Merry, James Fawke.