SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION: Basingstoke Town 3, Redditch United 0

MISSED first-half chances and a late flurry saw Redditch United slip to a 3-0 defeat at Basingstoke Town.

Reds edged the opening 45 minutes but had precious few chances to show for it and simply could not resist the onslaught that followed later in the game.

United’s Dior Angus forced a smart near-post stop from Colm McAdden within five minutes but the visitors could not do anything else with their pressure before Ben Wright drew a strong save from Ethan Ross at the other end.

Angus went down in the box following some close attention from McAdden but had his penalty appeal was waved away before Orrin Pendley headed over an Andy Thanoj free-kick five minutes prior to the interval.

Basingstoke began the second half with renewed impetus and were a whisker away from the opener on the hour when Shane Hollamby’s fierce header cannoned back off the upright.

But the pressure kept coming and with 15 minutes to play Town had their breakthrough when Wright slotted home a penalty following a foul by Redditch’s Gui Mailancol.

A 30-yard blockbuster from Marcus Johnson-Schuster settled matters four minutes later and the game was finally up for the Reds when substitute Callum Bunting applied a crisp finish to a right-wing cross.

The setback signalled Redditch’s fourth defeat in five matches in all competitions, a run that has seen them ship 14 goals after a promising opening few weeks to the campaign.

Reds: Ross 5, Wright 5, Fox 6, Jackman 6, Mailancol 4, Pendley 6, Apostolopoulos 5, Manning 5 (Belmonte, 84), ANGUS 7* (Hussain, 84), Thanoj 6, Weir-Daley 6 (Jung, 62, 4). Unused subs: Amenku, Stares.