HARTPURY FC extended their unbeaten run to five matches with a controlled and confident 2 0 victory over play off chasing Shaftesbury AFC at Cockrams on Saturday.

The Acorns set the tone early and were quickly on the front foot. Inside five minutes Billy Osborn glanced a half chance goalwards, though it lacked the power to trouble the home goalkeeper.

Hartpury continued to press and moments later Vanylson Silva skipped past his marker before dragging a low effort narrowly wide after capitalising on a loose pass in midfield.

That early dominance was rewarded on 18 minutes when Noah Coates opened the scoring. Shaftesbury failed to clear a dangerous Sol Kent cross and the ball fell kindly at the back post, where Coates reacted quickest to lash home from close range.

Hartpury remained the more threatening side and Nathan Jenkins came close to doubling the lead on 26 minutes, bringing down a long ball superbly in the area before seeing his driven effort deflected over the bar. Jenkins then tried his luck from distance just before the break, curling an ambitious effort over as the visitors went into half time with a deserved advantage.

Shaftesbury showed more urgency after the restart and Lewis Morgan volleyed wide early in the second half, but any momentum was halted on the hour mark when Hartpury struck again.

Osborn threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Louis Manning, who calmly lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to make it 2 0.

The home side pushed for a route back into the contest, but Seth Locke produced an excellent flying save to preserve Hartpury’s lead.

Late chances came and went at both ends, with Renato Prifti denied from close range before Sam Kelly produced a superb last ditch block to secure a third consecutive clean sheet.