TROWBIDGE LEAGUE: CHRIS Stiles, a surprise omission from the starting line-up, came off the bench to help Broughton Gifford take another step towards regaining the Division One crown.

Gifford boss Stuart Irons - having seen two Simon Price headers, in the seventh minute from an Adam Gingell free kick and in the 18th minute from a Leigh Stevenson cross, give his side the upper hand over title rivals Rudloe - produced his trump card eight minutes after the break when Stiles replaced Stevenson.

In five minutes Stiles, with five hat-tricks in a 19-goal haul this term, had won a penalty, which Gingell superbly executed, and in the 72nd minute there was a repeat, Andy Sibbick fouling Stiles and once more Gingell made no mistake.

Yet this thrilling 4-2 Gifford success, in which Rudloe goalkeeper Kevin Hodgkinson denied Tom Staddon in the opening minutes and Stiles before the end, could have been closer.

Rudloe appeared to have a case for a penalty after Price's first and luck deserted them again when Matt Dancey had a third goal disallowed. And in the first seven minutes after the restart Tim Jefferies fired inches wide before Simon Gray missed a great chance.

Gifford, with Price missing out also on the half hour with Stevenson unmarked, had their three-goal cushion reduced for the first time when Dancey headed in a Jason Walsh 69th minute cross. Sibbick produced a tremendous effort before Gray fired in a second for Rudloe, whose nine straight wins came to an end while Gifford extended their unbeaten run to 19 matches.

Gifford now require five points from six remaining matches to end the one-year reign of champions Frome Town Sports.

Frome's 2-0 defeat at Seend United, inflicted by a well-taken Luke Ballinger second half opener and an own goal, left the champions goal-less against Barry Holloway's outfit in 450 minutes of football.

At the bottom Steve Martin's Blue Circle are all but condemned to Division Two next season. A 7-0 home drubbing by second from bottom Dynamo West End made it 13 defeats in a row, Jeremy Curtis charging Dynamo's batteries with a hat-trick in 30 minutes with Simeon Mills adding a fourth before the break. Trevor Jones, Nathan Mantle and Mills again completed the demolition.