Hartpury extend lead at top of the table with win at Stonehouse
Hartpury University extended their lead at the top of Hellenic League Division One thanks to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Stonehouse Town on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Jacob Towns and Ben Baxter were enough to see the league leaders take all three points, on a tough afternoon at Oldends Lane.
The visitors had most of the ball for the opening exchanges, but could only muster a scuffed Baxter free kick in the opening twenty minutes or so.
Renato Prifti then had a header saved by Ryan Smallwood in the Stonehouse goal, before Prifti produced the first bit of quality in the game to hold off a defender, turn and through ball for Towns to slot past Smallwood, on 34 minutes.
Stonehouse didn’t put an awful lot together in the attacking third during the first 45 minutes, but they made life tough for their visitors and defended really well throughout.
But they had the first chance of the second half, however a ball in from the right fell to Spencer Martin, on his weaker foot, and the effort was easily saved.
As the second half wore on, Stonehouse remained in the game and Hartpury struggled to force home a second.
Defender, George Sims pulled away at the back post before heading a Ben Baxter free kick wide.
Then, with 10 minutes left on the clock, King Baidoo got away from his man for the first time during the game and his cut back was perfect for Baxter to touch and fire into the top corner to seal the deal.
The result leaves Craig Robinson’s Stonehouse side in 12th place, 16 points away from the relegation places and play-offs places.
Both sides are back in action on Tuesday night, with Hartpury heading to Southam United in the league and Stonehouse set to host Cinderford Town in the GFA Challenge Trophy.
Stonehouse Town: Smallwood, K Marks, Martin, King, N Marks, Thwaite, Fowler, Kibble, Humphreys, Rees Lansdown
Subs: Soule, Earle, Keveren, Beckett
Hartpury University: Sarkodie, Macuna, Robinson, Sims, Roney, Kang, Prifti, Towns, Baidoo, Salter, Baxter
Subs: Giles, Hainault, McGregor, Manning, Symons
C Martin Roofing Man of the Match – Elliot King (Stonehouse Town) & Josh Roney (Hartpury University)
READ MORE: Check out the results in and around Gloucestershire this Saturday right here
