Longlevens end home season with win over Corsham to secure play-off spot for Cirencester Town
Longlevens ended their home campaign with a 4-2 victory of Corsham Town on Thursday night, with the result ensuring that Cirencester Town will be in the play-offs this season.
Corsham arrived to Saw Mills knowing that any dropped points would end their play-off hopes, whilst Longlevens knew a win would put them on a cusp of a top half finish.
Goals from Daf Hyett and Theo Bevan either side of a Lewis Gilchrist penalty had Levens 2-1 up at half time, with a header from Soyam Sherchan stretching the lead in the second half.
Jake Wilson pulled one back in the first minute of injury time, but as Corsham were forced to chase the most unlikeliest of comebacks, Gino Valenti diverted a Lewis Driscoll cross into the bottom corner to seal the deal.
Longlevens head to the Champions, Slimbridge, on Saturday knowing that if they avoid defeat they will finish in the top 10 to complete a good season.
Corsham welcome Worcester Raiders in their final game and could finish as close as one point outside the top five after back to back losses have proved costly.
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Longlevens included U18s forward Theo Bevan in the middle of a front three, with him, Ben Lodge and Gino Valenti were impressive in the opening 45 minutes in particular.
Valenti pulled back for Bevan inside four minutes, but his effort was blocked – before Daf Hyett got forward from left back and had an effort saved on 15 minutes.
Hyett got forward again three minutes later to sweep into the bottom corner after being picked out on the edge of the box – but Levens weren’t ahead for long.
Jay Wells tripped Nick McCootie in the box 90 seconds later and Lewis Gilchrist stepped up to convert from 12 yards.
Valenti had a great chance to restore his side’s lead, but saw his effort saved by Ryan Clarke.
Clarke’s opposite number Drew Brei produced a superb save down to his right to keep out Marley Rose after he was slipped through by McCootie.
The hosts would go into half time deservedly ahead as Valenti was slipped in down the left, before his ball across was slid home by Bevan.
Ben Lodge skipped into the box on the hour mark and his cut back saw Valenti’s effort turned out for a corner by Clarke, with the resulting ball in leading to Levens’ third of the night.
Wells flicked a header onto the bar, with the ball then looped onto the bar again by Bevan – leaving Soyam Sherchan to swoop in and head home from close range.
So the equation was simple for Corsham, they had thirty minutes to save their season. Gilchrist looked like the only one capable of producing any quality for the visitors for the most part though.
Gilchrist played a superb diagonal into the box, but Brei once again saved well from Dylan Lewis.
The hosts were seeing the game out comfortably enough, playing on the counter as Corsham began to commit more and more.
Corsham reduced arrears to one in first minute of added time when defender Jake Wilson took advantage of some poor defending to screw an effort past Brei.
But the final nail in the coffin for Corsham’s season came two minutes later. After Longlevens won a corner, they played it short, before Lewis Driscoll turned inside and crossed for Valenti to guide the ball into the bottom corner.
And with that, Saturday brings the curtain down on a successful season for Longlevens – who will be glad to conclude a campaign that saw them win the Floodlit Cup and them play three games a week for the month that followed, giving the players a well deserved rest.
Longlevens: Brei, Roddis, Hyett, Long, Wells, Sherchan, Beardsell, O’Connor, Valenti, Bevan, Lodge
Subs: Byard, Holmes, Driscoll, Williams, Knight
Corsham Town: Clarke, Wilson, Lyndon, Humphreys, Lawrence, Salawu, Jeremy, Gilchrist, Lewis, McCootie, Rose
Subs: Freckleton, Allen, Cox, Oputeri, Brown
C Martin Roofing Man of the Match – Gino Valenti (Longlevens)
READ MORE: Submit your nominations in the Severn Sport End of Season Awards 2026 by clicking here
READ MORE: Check out the list of Saturday’s fixtures in and around Gloucestershire right here
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