Moneyfields 1

Slimbridge 0

THE Swans made their longest journey of the season to Portsmouth on Saturday to take on third-placed Moneyfields FC and returned home pointless despite battling brilliantly with ten men for 80 minutes of the game, writes Rob Peck.

The game was just ten minutes old when Slimbridge were reduced to ten players after Joe Noakes was adjudged to have used an illegal elbow by referee James Robinson.

However, the Swans took the game to their hosts and near misses by Jamie Martin and Yeshaya Lomotey gave the visitors some confidence.

Moneyfields started to attack in force, but some sterling work by the Swans back-four kept them at bay, but further disaster struck for the Swans just before the break when Ben Hands was stretchered off with a serious leg injury, later to be confirmed as a ruptured ACL, which will see the popular midfielder sidelined for at least the rest of the season.

The second period was a case of defend in numbers for the Swans who had to dig in deep to prevent the home side from opening the scoring.

Just as it seemed the Swans had done enough to hold on for a point a soft shot from substitute Joseph Briggs after 78 minutes seemed to take a bobble and go under the body of keeper Eric Edge to break the hearts of the travelling supporters.

So despite a narrow defeat, their first in three games, Slimbridge can take heart from yet another good performance and look forward to hosting fellow strugglers Winchester City at Thornhill Park on Saturday, 3pm.

Everyone at Slimbridge AFC would like to send Ben Hands their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Slimbridge: Edge, King, Mbunga, Pring, Hands (Mendes 27) Noakes, Smith, Myron Turner, Dunbar, Martin, Lomotey (Bloomfield 82)

Unused Sub: Lewis Adams (G/K)

Attendance: 104

Star Man: Dan King.