Evesham Utd 2, Clevedon Tn 4

NOT for the first time this season - and thankfully the last - refereeing decisions conspired to work against the Robins, writes Mervyn Collins.

A yellow card for kicking out and then pushing over Wesley Joyce was a travesty after Danny Bryant's 29th minute retaliation for the striker's challenge.

The report of referee Patrick Keane should make interesting reading down at the Somerset FA when the blatant red card offence surely would have allowed the Robins to end the season with a win.

As it was, a fourth successive home defeat brought the curtain down on another season of torment for the Common Road faithful, none of whom will have any sympathy with Joyce, who was sent off four minutes after his tangle with Bryant after receiving a second caution.

Joyce had blasted Evesham into a fifth minute lead but it was the visitors who created most of the chances although only Inderpaul Khela will know how he managed to direct a header from two yards wide of David Mogg's net a minute after the restart.

A two-goal advantage should then have been enough for the ten men to cling on to but, once Steve Lester nodded in the equaliser with 22 minutes left the tide turned.

Further goals from Lester and Guiseppe Sorbara made it 3-1 to Town after 76 minutes and Lester completed a headed hat-trick on the stroke of full-time to rub salt into United's wounds.

Had Tim Hart not produced a trio of splendid second half stops, the damage could have been far worse for Phil Mullen's men who scented a fightback ten minutes from time when Khela fired in from little more than a yard after Mark Shepherd's pull back.

The club's presentation evening takes place at the Northwick Hotel on Friday, May 23. Tickets are priced at £20 for five-course meal and disco.