Solihull Borough 2, Evesham Utd 1

THERE should have been only one winner on Wednesday night and it certainly wasn't the side that progressed to the fourth round of the Southern League Cup, writes Mervyn Collins.

United wasted a glorious chance after four minutes, struck a post after 40 and the bar after 70, earned around a dozen corners yet still only managed a solitary goal that proved scant consolation on another miserable night for the Common Road faithful.

To rub salt into Evesham wounds, what proved to be the winner came when Gavin O'Toole was penalised when it was clear that he played the ball and not the man but manager Dave Busst again won't be happy at conceding another goal from a set-piece.

Yes, the performance, especially in the opening 45 minutes on a smooth Damson Park surface, was much improved on recent efforts but there's still that something missing - goals!

Despite Evesham's vast superiority, Borough goalkeeper Chris Adamson was only called upon three times. He blocked well from Danny Williams after four minutes when the recalled striker should really have found the net from six yards and then turned over a couple of mishit crosses from Neil O'Sullivan in the second half.

Tim Clarke was only called into serious action on one occasion when he clutched Jamie Petty's 18th minute free-kick and the only other time he exerted himself was the run back to his own goal area after ambling the length of the pitch as United threw everyone forward for a stoppage-time corner.

Richard Ball will have been disappointed not to have found the net and his manager will feel the same way about his inability to get three decent first half chances on target!

Danny William was similarly wasteful, while Jermaine Clarke's goalbound drive was deflected for a corner.

After O'Toole's dead-ball despair, Scott Voice was left unmarked to curl the opener around keeper Clarke in the first half injury-time.

Torment in the tackle for O'Toole led to Voice outjumping Lee Knight to head in Petty's far post free-kick and leave United with 40 minutes to grab three goals.

They had done just that in the last round at Yate but all their slick passing of the first half had by now disappeared and Ball and Clarke were drifting out of the match.

Grant Pinkney and Simon Fitter replaced the Williams brothers on the hour and their introduction could have been meaningless 60 seconds later had Voice not shot over after a Knight mistake.

Fitter provided a couple of cracking crosses but no one was in the six-yard box to capitalise. But, when Clarke and Ball did combine, the latter's shot struck the underside of the crossbar and rebounded to safety.

Leon Blake replaced Jermaine Clarke with 17 minutes left on the watch and he squeezed in a left-footer from 12 yards that took a deflection off Pinkney to halve the arrears.

Fitter fired recklessly over when he had time and space in the area before Tim Clarke's forward foray saw the late flag-kick drop loose but O'Sullivan was unable to direct his shot on target from eight yards.

Blake is suspended for tomorrow's home game with Burnham when victory is a must if the Robins' Division One West promotion hopes aren't to suffer a further setback after two defeats in the last three league games including last weekend's 2-0 reverse at table toping Mangotsfield United.