FOOTBALL: Six straight defeats for Abingdon United (From Oxford Mail)

FOOTBALL: Six straight defeats for Abingdon United

9:40am Monday 28th January 2013 in Sport

ABINGDON United suffered their sixth successive defeat in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West as Lee Wort hit a hat-trick for fellow strugglers Sholing in a 3-0 victory.

United almost opened the scoring when Steve Davis slid the ball beyond the reach of keeper Matt Brown, but Lee Bright got back to clear it off the line.

Abingdon then had a narrow escape as Mark James backheeled the ball off their goal-line after keeper James Foster took the pace off a Wort shot. The lively Sholing striker then had an effort blocked by Foster.

At the other end, Carl Self’s attempted chip was clutched out of the air by Brown.

But Abingdon fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Lee Bright’s free-kick smashed against the underside of the bar, and Wort bundled it over the line.

Abingdon’s attacking edge was blunted when Davis, who is still short of match fitness, came off early in the second half.

Foster blocked a shot from Jamie Musselwhite, while Aaron Woodley seized on a weak Sholing back pass and toed it beyond the stranded Brown, only for the ball to run out of play.

With 20 minutes to go Woodley, who was playing his first game for a month, suffered a recurrence of his thigh strain and was substituted.

Within a minute, the game was put beyond Abingdon’s reach when Wort stole behind the defence to head home from a well-delivered free-kick.

Wort then flashed a chance just outside the far upright. United kept plugging away and Self saw his fierce drive from 30 yards held comfortably by Brown.

And their fate was sealed in the last minute when Wort completed his hat-trick with a diving header from a fine cross.

Abingdon Utd: Foster, Riccio (Evans 85), Halliday, James, Thomas, Melledew, Biddle, Tucker, Woodley (Taplin 70), Self, Davis (Nowell 53). Sub not used: Christodolou.

Attendance: 95.