Hartpury FC led the way for Forest of Dean sides at the weekend as they ground out a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at Exmouth Town, while Cinderford Town were held to a late draw at Tuffley Rovers and Lydney Town slipped to defeat on the road at Corsham.

Hartpury secured their first win of 2026 thanks to a resilient display at the Complete Infrastructure Stadium, with Nathan Jenkins’ second-half effort proving the difference in a tight Southern League contest. The Acorns showed patience and defensive discipline throughout, with goalkeeper Seth Locke producing a standout performance to earn a clean sheet.

The opening exchanges were evenly matched, with Hartpury registering the first effort on target after 15 minutes when Louis Manning tested the Exmouth goalkeeper from distance. Locke was soon called into action at the other end, dealing comfortably with a low strike from Aaron Denny.

Jenkins began to assert himself midway through the half, firing a 25-yard effort that was well handled by Exmouth keeper Aaron Dearing. Hartpury went closest to breaking the deadlock on 29 minutes when Billy Osborn met Manning’s cross from close range, only to see his header strike the post.

Osborn was denied again late in the half, while Locke produced an excellent near-post save in stoppage time to ensure the sides went in level at the break.

The decisive moment came just seven minutes after the restart. Jenkins connected with a volley from the edge of the area and, aided by a deflection, watched the ball loop past the goalkeeper to give Hartpury a deserved lead.

Exmouth pushed hard in search of an equaliser, throwing bodies forward late on, but Hartpury held firm. Locke made another crucial near-post save in additional time, while Jenkins capped his afternoon with a superb last-ditch block to preserve all three points. Hartpury will now look to build momentum when they host Shaftesbury AFC at the 4ED Hartpury Stadium on Tuesday night.

Cinderford Town were left frustrated after surrendering a late lead in an entertaining 2-2 draw away at Tuffley Rovers. The Foresters made an ideal start when McCauley Power fired home from distance in the ninth minute to put the visitors ahead.

Cinderford continued to apply pressure and went close to extending their advantage, with the Tuffley goalkeeper producing a fine one-handed save before a follow-up effort struck the post. However, the hosts capitalised on a defensive error to equalise through Jorell Sanniola, scoring his first goal for the club.

The Foresters responded well and regained the lead before the interval when Lewis Powell struck from range to make it 2-1 at half-time. Tuffley pushed hard after the break and eventually found a way through late on, with Preston Mason converting after good build-up play to earn the hosts a deserved share of the points.

Lydney Town endured a difficult afternoon as they were beaten 3-0 away at Corsham. The hosts took control on 32 minutes when Nicholas McCootie lashed home after a long throw caused chaos in the penalty area.

Lydney battled to stay in the contest but fell further behind when Neikell Plummer calmly converted a penalty midway through the second half. Andre Freckleton wrapped up the points late on, finishing a slick team move to cap a challenging day for Lydney, who will be keen to respond in their next league outing.