Malvern Town 2, Friar Lane & Epworth 4.

STUART Hall and substitute Bryan Craven were on target but Malvern Town fell to another defeat in the Baker Joiner Midland Alliance.

Malvern started brightly and dominated the first 30 minutes. Robert Hendry and Jamie Insall both had one-on-one chances but could not beat the visiting keeper.

In the 27th minute Town were awarded a penalty after Insall had been brought down in the box. Captain Leigh Downing stepped up but fired his spot-kick wide of the goal, past the right-hand post.

This dampened Malvern’s spirits and raised Friar Lane & Epworth into realising they had a battle on.

Two minutes before the break, the ball was played into Malvern’s box and Leon Gibbons ran straight into Craig Humphries in the Malvern goal, knocking the ball from him and it fell to Stacy Coore who fired the ball home.

With all of the Malvern players appealing for the foul, the referee and linesman allowed the goal to stand.

Within a minute the ball was played into the area again and Coore grabbed his second while the hosts were still working out what had happened.

Martin Stephens’ side were now despondent and, in the 53rd minute, a corner from the right was parried out by Humphries but it fell to the back post where Coore was hovering a yard out to stab the ball home. After 55 minutes, Robert Hendry ran down the left touch down to the byline and played in a cross to Insall but the keeper, Andrew Simpson, gathered it.

Five minutes later Coore grabbed his, and Friar Lane’s fourth, from 10 yards out.

Malvern made two substitutions, bringing on Craven, back from injury and Sam O’Neill.

In the 83rd minute a wonderful through-ball for Craven saw him fire wide.

Two minutes later, Friar Lane’s substitute Ryan Rowley broke free and headed just wide.

The ball was then played upfield to Craven on the right and he fired home.

Within a minute Malvern regained possession and played the ball upfield to Hall on the edge of the box.

He turned and fired home to make it 4-2. Two minutes later the ball was played to Insall on the right and he took a couple of steps before firing in a curling shot that went just wide of the back post.

Malvern really had their tails up and, in time added on, Hall laid the ball back to Craven but he fired well over the bar.