Calne Town 0, Welton Rovers 2

7:25pm Saturday 19th April 2008

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Calne Town slipped to their second successive defeat as they paid the price for a lacklustre display against Welton Rovers.

Goals from David Pearse and Dean Evans either side of the break ended Rovers' run of four straight defeats as they cruised to victory against Robbie Lardner's men.

Calne pressed early on and Danny Baker's deflected 30-yard free-kick flew just over the top corner, before Pearse put Welton ahead in the 16th minute.

Mark Rowlands' corner was turned goalwards by Kye Mountford and Pearse's close range strike bobbled over the dive of Calne goalkeeper Steve Allison and into the net.

Croatian midfielder Pavol Kubovicu almost doubled the visitors' lead soon afterwards but his 23-yard thunderbolt hit the outside of the post with Allison well beaten.

Kubovicu went close again just before the break when he headed Mountford's corner just wide from ten yards as Welton dominated.

Calne upped their workrate after the break and they had a strong penalty appeal turned down when Baker's goal-bound shot struck the arm of Rovers defender Jason Hughes in the box.

But it was still the visitors to Bremhill View who looked the most threatening and the unmarked Evans came within a whisker of heading home Ian Milne's cross from close range in the 67th minute.

The impressive Kubovicu then lashed an effort just over the bar from the edge of the box before Mountford's angled drive was deflected just over by a last-ditch block from Calne defender Gary Blackwood eight minutes from the end.

Town huffed and puffed but they were unable to create any clear chances in the second half, with Gary Banks' tame 25-yard strike that was easily gathered by Welton goalkeeper Tristan Westlake the closest they came.

And after Kubovicu's powerful 12-yard header from Milne's cross had been tipped over the bar by Allison, the Calne goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Evans making it 2-0 two minutes from the end.

Town defender Blackwood failed to deal with a routine long ball and Evans burst through to fire the ball low past Allison one-on-one.

Calne boss Robbie Lardner said: "Our performance was unacceptable. There were one or two decent individual displays but most of the boys let themselves down badly."