Defeat sees Bourton Rovers falling from grace (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Defeat sees Bourton Rovers falling from grace

THE week's grace afforded by inclement weather didn't seem to do Rovers any favours on Saturday as they crashed to a disappointing away 2-5 defeat at Gloucester side Longlevens.

The home victor's five-goal onslaught also saw them leap-frogging their Cotswold opponents in the Northern Senior League Division One table and exact sweet revenge for a 6-2 reversal back in September.

Longlevens got the better of the their opponents in the first half and led comfortably by two goals at the interval.

The visitors' first a mistake was down to keeper Andrew Herbert who called for and then completely missed a deflected cross from the right.

It wasn't one of the Bourton stopper's better days, but he was powerless to stop the second.

This one was driven in from the edge of the box after woeful marking at the heart of the Rovers' defence.

Bourton were stirred in the second period and, with the introductions of 16-year-old Tom Chanin and an evergreen Robson, they pressed to test their rivals' defence.

Yet Bourton's defensive frailties once again proved their downfall and a mix-up between Tim Heming and Gary Clark resulted in third, before Matthew Winter capitalised on a goalkeeping fumble to pull one back.

With Longlevens threatening with almost every attack, they soon restored their three-goal cushion with the simplest of headers from a free kick.

A well-taken fifth, where the home forward flicked the ball over the head of Clark before crashing a half-volley past a motionless Herbert, was emphatic proof of their dominance.

It could and perhaps should have been more, but for Heming clearing from under the crossbar and an inexplicable miss from no more than a foot out.

Just before the end, Winter did get his, and Bourton's consolation second. He was in the right place to sweep the ball home from eight yards.