City made to work in Gloucester but come out on top

On a 'Tuff' night at Tuffley Rovers, City managed to return home with all three points despite twice going behind, and playing periods of the game with nine and ten men through sin bins.

Manager Cornes made a couple of tweaks from Saturday's 8-0 rout of Wantage Town, with Jamie Insall and Izak Reid returning to the side in place of Dylan Hart and an unavailable Robbie Thompson Brown. Another positive was the return of Kyonn Evans on the bench following injury in recent weeks. Lorcan Sheehan continued to partner Kirk Layton at centre back in the absence of Elliott Keightley through suspension, and Kyle Belmonte looked to be in a slightly deeper role than his usual 10 to accommodate Izak Reid playing in a more advanced position.

City looked to immediately be in the ascendancy when Belmonte was gifted a glorious early chance by Reid, but his effort somehow ended up just wide of the Tuffley post. Belmonte could have scored another in the first 10 minutes, this time Insall the architect with a ball into the box, but his effort was over the crossbar.

Against the run of play, the hosts took the lead on 11 minutes. A clearance from Tuffley keeper Luke Merchant was mis-headed in the City midfield, and as the ball dropped to Henry Birkett he'd noticed Haydn Whitcombe off his line, and from 45 yards drilled an effort over the scrambling City stopper and in to the back of the net. From dominating the opening stages, City found themselves behind.

Managing to pull themselves together after the early set back, just five minutes later City were level. Liam Lockett drove a low cross to the back post where Elliott Hartley was waiting to score his fifth goal in his last six games. He could have made it two on the night just two minutes later, robbing the ball from a Tuffley defender, but his effort was over the bar.

Shortly after the half hour, City were down to 10 men for the first time on the evening, after Izak Reid was sin binned following a disagreement with the linesman, which left him and various other team members perplexed.

More City chances fell for Stoddart, Hartley and Belmonte, but on the stroke of half time Tuffley took the lead for a second time. From a City corner the home side broke forward, which left defender Layton exposed and he missed his intercepting tackle, leaving Jake White, making his full debut, clear to run through to the City penalty area and score his first goal for the club.

Into the second half and it wasn't long before City were reduced to 10 again, this time skipper Adam Mace accused of 'dissent' and removed from the action. Unbelievably, just a few minutes later and City, seemingly not understanding the referee's approach to the game, saw Calvin Dinsley also sin binned which briefly left them with 9 men on the field.

The visitors rallied however, and managed to get the equaliser despite being at a two-man disadvantage. Elliott Hartley notched his second of the evening, sixth in six games and totalling seven for the season, rising to meet a cross and heading into the back of the net. Adam Mace returned to the game shortly after and City were now chasing the victory.

The boys in blue-and-white cranked up the pressure and with eleven men back on the pitch, took the lead for the first time on the night through a fantastic strike from Liam Lockett. Fantastic individual skill saw Lockett bare down on the penalty area, and he drove a left footed effort into the bottom corner.

City searched for more goals and were given a further advantage with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, as Tuffley defender Pritchett was sent for an early bath as last man when City surged forward. They made that advantage pay with just a few minutes remaining as substitute Dylan Hart, who'd been introduced shortly before in place of Hartley, found himself free and found Belmonte for a simple finish. That made it 4-2 and from finding themselves twice behind, City were rewarded for their efforts with three points.

Next up it's another home test as Brimscombe & Thrupp visit Claines Lane, after their own 3-1 away victory against Wantage Town in midweek.