MATCH REPORT- Swindon Supermarine 1-3 Gloucester City

Three goals and three points helped book Gloucester City's spot in the playoffs after a resounding victory away at Swindon Supermarine.

The Tigers showcased their superiority throughout the match, to end a barren run of three away defeats in a row without scoring.

City were peppering the Supermarine goal but were unable to find the back of the net, with efforts from Ed Williams and Elis Watts going high and wide of the mark, before 18 minutes on the clock a Kevin Dawson header deflected onto the top of the cross bar and no one was there to follow it in.

The away side kept pushing, backed by a strong away attendance and thought they made it 1-0 on the half hour mark after a Watts curling effort hit the left hand post, and City's top scorer Joe Hanks was there to turn the ball in but he was adjudged to have been offside even thought it looked like he was bang in line.

This didn't stop City's domination and they would finally get their just rewards just under 10 minutes before the half time break.

Watts was involved again, feeding Dayle Grubb whose low effort was well saved by Daniel Brabham in the hosts goal but the ball spun in the air and Hanks was there to head in the rebound for his 22nd goal of the season.

Williams nearly made it two, two minutes before half time but it wide just wide of the right hand post, indicatiing that City were unwilling to sit on the one goal lead and were going to be searching for more in the second half.

The match became a bit tetchy in the second half with a number of challenges awarded with yellow cards in what was City's most local match of the season and the game became a bit stop-start throughout with Daniel Leadbitter and Harry Pinchard having to be subbed off.

Eight minutes into the second period, Hanks was there again for his eighth double of the 2024/25 season and a goal with similarities to the first.

A Watts cross was beautifully curled in to the path of Grubb but his close range effort was well saved again but he coudln't deny Hanks again as the ball fell into his path before he rifled it from about six yards out to double City's advantage.

At the mid way mark of the second half City made it three and it was Watts involved again as he turned from providor into scorer.

An effort by the Welsh wizard was saved by Brabham but it fell back into the path of Watts who was barely challenged by The Marine defenders and he could fire home into the bottom left corner from a fairly tight angle.

Williams went close again but couldn't add to his six goals for the season as his venemous long range effort went just wide of the left-hand post, while Pinchard also nearly got his name of the scoresheet for the second game running but he took too much of a heavy touch when trying to round the Swindon keeper.

After the substitutes were made by City manager Mike Cook, the home side did begin to get more of a foothold in the match and they pulled a goal back with less than 10 minute remaining after Harry Williams bundled in from close range to frustrate City who had been in total control for the entirity of the match.

With Swindon slipping into the drop zone with a defeat they piled on the pressure in the final dying embers of the game as they aimed to kickstart an unlikely comeback but Jared Thompson proved his star quality in goal by claiming a number of dangerous crosses and when the hosts had a ball slipped in, Thompson was there to get there before the attacker and cooly passed it to a City player.

At the other end Liam Cross went closest in the last few minutes as he looked for his first goal in his second spell at the club but his curling strike just msised the right hand corner which would then have been the cherry on the icing on the cake.

That was full time and City deservedly picked up the three points, the three points confirming where City have been in for the entire season and booking their spot in the top five.

City were back to their attacking best and could have had more than the three they scored in what had been a pleasing away performance which they dominated, but it also meant that they have scored 10 goals in their past two matches as they aim to build momentum for the all important playoffs

With results elsewhere it also confirmed that the Tigers will be finishing in fourth, meaning they have an away fixture against Walton & Hersham on 30th April which will promise to be another cracker between the two sides after two hectic and close encounters over this season.

City finish off the season at home to Gosport Borough knowing that there is no pressure on the result, but should be a great game as they aim to finish off the season at the TigerTurf in style.