Eastwood Town 1 Witton Albion 0

8:30am Wednesday 2nd January 2008

LINDON Meikle's goal helped Eastwood end Albion's unbeaten run.

The Club of the Month curse struck Jim Vince's men as they lost in the league for the first time since the opening day, stalling their streak at 22 matches.

But results elsewhere meant little damage was done.

Ian Deakin in the home goal stood up well to all the shots that came his way, the first coming in the sixth minute when he held on to Rob Lloyd's effort.

On the quarter hour Mark Peers left two defenders for dead but could only send a shot scurrying across the face of goal with Rod Thornley well placed at the far post.

Cavell Coo got to the byline to cross for Kyle Wilson but his flicked attempt went wide.

The hosts breathed a sigh of relief on 24 minutes when Richard Cooper, cautioned eight minutes previous, somehow escaped a second yellow card from referee David Sullivan after a cynical trip on Dave MacPherson.

Deakin denied Peers and then MacPherson as Albion, missing flu-victim Adam Warlow, continued to control the midfield area but all too often the final ball fell to an Eastwood player.

But it was the hosts that broke the deadlock soon after the restart.

A ball delivered from the left found Meikle and he got a touch to plonk the ball past Jon Kennedy from close range Albion raised their game and Wilson's flick teed up MacPherson only for the latter to miscue his header.

Kennedy then pulled off a smart save to deny Paul Mitchell before on the hour Coo unleashed a shot that flashed across the face of goal.

Three minutes later Tony Barras, who had stayed forward following a corner kick, saw his attempt strike a defender but with sound claims for a penalty the referee decided the handball was unintentional.

Ian Kearney's introduction to proceedings saw Brian Pritchard thrown forward to supplement the tireless Thornley and it nearly came off when Coo's cross was hastily cleared by the sole defender between Witton's waiting forwards.

Tom Rutter's first touch was a header that was turned away and from an acute angle Thornley's shot struck the upright but it was not to be Albion's afternoon.

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Star Man: Cavell Coo
ALBION: Kennedy, Coo, Pritchard, Barras, Brownhill, Peers, Lloyd, MacPherson, Brodie (Kearney 76), Wilson (Rutter 85), Thornley
Sub not used: Dillon
Attendance: 341