Spennymoor Town 5 Gloucester City 1.

Spennymoor recorded their third successive league win without much fuss when they comfortably beat Gloucester at the Brewery Field.

Moors did the damage by scoring twice in the first ten minutes, and after Gloucester winger Jennison Myrie-Williams stupidly got himself sent off for swearing at the referee on the half hour mark, the game was all but over as the visitors resorted to damage limitation.

And on a day when Moors climbed up to twelfth in the table and only two points behind the play offs, the new pitch at the Brewery field played perfectly – this game would have been called off in previous seasons considering the amount of rain that fell in the north east in the 24 hours before.

“I thought that we were always comfortable,” said Ainsley. “It was important to get the points on the board, especially as there were only three games on in the whole of our league. We needed the points to put us right amongst it, we’re up to twelfth now. We need to make our home ground into a fortress, we’re doing that quite well.

“I thought we started well, just as we have done in recent games. We knew they’d had a long trip up on the morning of the game, and we scored a great goal by Shane Henry.

“That goal gave us a platform to build on, and I though the second goal was outstanding – the football, the move, the touch by Rob Ramshaw and the finish by Glen Taylor.

“I thought we played some great stuff, and in the second half it was important that we drove on and scored some brilliant goals at the right times. You sometimes get a bit nervous at 2-0. I was just disappointed with the goal that we conceded because we switched off. It was the only sort of negative from the day really.

“That’s three league games in a row we’ve won now. We’ve got a good team, and there were a few negative people and a few negative things said after we lost in the FA Cup last week. There always is when you get beat, they all come out of the woodwork. It was important to bounce back this week, and we drummed the message to work hard into the players during training.

“We’ve got some quality footballers – they gave us endeavour, effort and some great goals to match.

“It’s important that we keep moving in the right direction and staying under the radar. If we can put a run of wins together, then we’re not far away from the play offs, which is where we need to be.”

Moors took the lead in just the second minute, when they broke down the right, and when James Roberts crossed low into the middle, the ball was only partly cleared to Shane Henry, who on his return from injury, fired left footed into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

But at the other end, Moors keeper Mattie Gould had to be on his toes to push a powerful left foot shot by Jennison Myrie-Williams around the post.

Moors scored their second on 10 minutes, when Glen Taylor picked up a flick from Rob Ramshaw, ran into the box, and easily beat keeper Josh Bradley-Hurst with a left foot shot for his 13th goal of the season.

Gloucester were in danger of being overrun, and Moors nearly got a third on 14 minutes when a right foot shot by Roberts was deflected just wide. Ben McKenna had another shot blocked by a diving defender at the expense of a corner.

Gloucester were reduced to ten men on 34 minutes when Myrie-Williams was yellow carded for a reckless challenge on McKenna on the halfway line, and as referee John Matthews showed him a yellow card, the winger foolishly swore at him, and was swiftly shown a second yellow and a red.

McKenna nearly scored straight after half time, when he stepped inside 25 yards out and hit a right foot shot that Bradley-Hurst pushed over the bar.

It was 3-0 on 62 minutes when Taylor and sub Mark Anderson were involved in the move that put Roberts clear, and he beat Bradley-Hurst with a right foot shot into the bottom corner.

Joe Hanks was just over with a 30-yard free kick for Gloucester but Moors soon added a fourth when Anderson chipped the ball over to the far post, where Ramshaw knocked the ball down for Jamie Chandler to tuck away.

Gloucester pulled a goal back with a good run and strike by left back Vincent Harper, but Anderson nearly got a fifth with a neat little chip that went over Broadley-Hurst on to the roof of the net.

Gloucester were then reduced to nine thanks to another lack of discipline, Zack Kotwica going in with a high foot on James Curtis and a straight red.

A very satisfying day for Moors was completed with three minutes left, when a shot by sub Ryan Hall took a deflection and went under Bradley-Hurst for the fifth.

Gloucester ended a day they will want to forget when Harper was stretchered off with concussion right at the end after colliding with the post.

Moors’ next game is at Alfreton this Saturday.

Team: Gould, Magnay, Mason, Chandler (sub Ward 83), Buddle, Curtis, Roberts (sub Hall 72_, Henry (sub Anderson 56), Taylor, Ramshaw, McKenna.

Subs: Hibbs, Boyes.

Attendance 928.