Gloucester 3-0 Telford - Report

The hosts were much slicker in the final third after a cagey start, and exploited some inattentive defensive work from Paul Carden’s side to open up a two-goal advantage by half time.

The Bucks suffered on the flanks, as Brad Bood and George Burroughs struggled to cope with City’s crisp, short passing that too often managed to locate a spare man.

On 15 minutes City went ahead, when a cross from the right made its way to Sion Spence at the far post and he kept his composure and kept his firm shot low, to beat Luke Pilling, the ball going through and under the keeper.

The Tigers began to toy with the Bucks, like something from a David Attenborough wildlife documentary, and the away side weren’t to survive to half-time without conceding again.

They went 2-0 down on 35 minutes when Burroughs couldn’t stop a cross from the left and Harry Flowers’ attempt to halt the ball presented it straight to Ollie Hulbert, who fired into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

It could even have been worse; Owen Evans directed a header on to the bar and the goal led a charmed life.

Carden made a double substitution at half-time, with Nate Blissett and Jamie Allen replacing Brendon Daniels and Sam McLintock. The pair, but Allen especially, provided some spark and promise, as he showed several bursts of pace and attacking intent to raise hopes the tide could turn.

Alas, a nasty injury to the Bucks’ Devarn Green marred the contest and killed the Bucks’ momentum. Green beat his man to cross from the left but hit the metal perimeter fence with his head and had to leave on a stretcher.

And City added a third when Danny King beat Pilling to round off a miserable night for the Bucks.