Arlesey Town 1 Redditch United 3

REDDITCH fell agonisingly just short of the play-offs, despite victory at Arlesey, but there should be no sense of disappointment for Liam McDonald’s men.

Two goals from star man Ashley Sammons and one from Simeon Maye sealed Reds’ win at the Armadillo Stadium but St Neots Town managed to hold onto the final Evo-Stik Southern Premier play-off berth by a single point after their draw at Frome Town.

With such a slim margin between fifth and sixth, McDonald will inevitably look back on dropped points during the season and wonder ‘if only’. But the Reds boss and his young squad have shown they are firmly on the up and this campaign will be recorded as their best since winning double promotion a decade ago.

Saturday’s match, though, showed they are also still learning. With so much potentially at stake, they started nervously and trailed after just ten minutes when Saul Williams cut in from the right and drilled his shot past keeper Sam Hornby.

An excellent stop by Hornby kept out another effort from Zack Reynolds on 17 minutes but the Reds regrouped and after Liam Spink’s shot was pushed over and Sammons fired over, they equalised on 32 minutes.

George Carline passed to Sammons on the edge of the area and the midfielder controlled the ball neatly before smacking his low shot past keeper Danzelle St Louis-Hamilton.

The Reds stepped up their performance after the break and Sammons’ shot smashed against the bar before Spink was just off target.

But a superb passing move unlocked the Arlesey defence on 63 minutes and when Jordan Jones pulled back his cross into the six-yard box Maye tapped home to put the Reds ahead.

Seven minutes later, Arlesey were down to ten men when Ben Farrell was sent off for retaliation and the Reds tightened their grip on 73 minutes with a third goal. As Sammons crossed towards Luke Shearer, defender Sam Willett flung up his arm to handle and Sammons slotted home the penalty high into the net.

Only the crossbar denied Sammons his hat-trick on 88 minutes, hitting the bar from six yards out. Like the Reds’ promotion push, it was so near, so far.

REDDITCH: Hornby 7; Jones 7, Caines 7 (Liburd 75mins), Flanagan 8, C McDonald 4 (Carline 5mins, 8; Phillips 75mins), Scarr 7, Spink 8, Dinsley 7, Shearer 7, Sammons 8, Maye 7. Subs not used: Bridgwater, L McDonald.