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Stoke Gabriel 3rds 3 Loddiswell Reserves 0 It was Loddiswell’s second half performance which let them down in this mid-table league fixture. With the scores goalless at the interval the visitors had finished the half strongly. Tim Stathers was left ruing an earlier miss after he found himself one-on-one with Stoke keeper Mike Jones. Luke Bateman, returning from injury, was a constant menace to the home side while at the other end Loddiswell goalkeeper Richard Teague looked comfortable behind his back four marshaled by Ben Rogers. Tim Stathers saw his shot parried midway through the half before Jones saved at point blank range from centre back Sam Elliot. A dire twenty minutes saw a re-shuffled Stoke run away with the points. Loddiswell gave away possession cheaply and were twice hit on the break before an embarrassing third from a dolly drop corner. The move of the game for Loddiswell came with ten minutes remaining; Paul Tucker received a cushioned pass from defender Shaun Rowe and stroked the ball behind the full back for a delighted Bateman; it looked so easy but came too late. On the positive side manager Chris Guard will have been pleased to see Tucker play 90 minutes after returning from a groin strain that has hampered the midfielder for several weeks. ‘This is a funny division,’ said Loddiswell linesman and former player Andy Guard as he tried to console the squad after the match, ‘its there for you but you’ve got to won’t it more.’
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