Shortwood’s remarkable eight game winning streak in the league was comprehensively halted by a strong Chipping Sodbury on Saturday afternoon. If Wood got away with a subpar performance in squeaking past Saracens on Tuesday night, they certainly weren’t able to repeat the trick, with the scoreline flattering the hosts if anything.

It took Sodbury a little over five minutes to open the scoring, Keane Ashwood escaping down the right before cutting back to Dan Grieve, who had the time to steady himself before finding the bottom corner.

Another counter attack fifteen minutes later doubled Sodbury’s lead, a poor Tyler Dacres cross field pass unluckily deflected into the path of Ashwood by the recovering Ollie Whelan, and the Sodbury captain made no mistake when one-on-one with Joe Wright.

Shortwood tried their best to rally, but in truth were unable to cross the halfway line with any sort of menace, consigned—on a heavy pitch it must be said—far too often to passing from side to side in their own half looking for openings.

Nathan Payne almost sparked Wood into life with what is quickly becoming a trademark near-halfway line effort, but Terry Maggs was able to gather. A run from Jack Gardner down the right resulted in a low cross which was agonisingly out of reach for Ollie Price.

Shortwood’s form made a second half comeback seem possible if a major improvement in performance was made, but the pattern of the first half, and the entirety of the encounter with Saracens, was repeated, with Wood dictating the flow of the game but creating next to nothing.

In fact it was Sodbury who looked much the more likely to extend their lead. Joe Williams came perilously close to turning an Ellis McSharry cross into his own net, and Wright was called upon three times to keep the scoreline respectable, denying Grieve from a tight angle, Dacres from range, and finally Liam Jones’ header with the help of the inside of the post.

Wood face a tough trip to Hartpury in the cup on Thursday before visiting Tytherington Rocks at the weekend.

Shortwood: Wright, Williams (E King 65), Price (Marshfield 85), Byrnes, Tryner, Whelan, Gardner, Kent (Fin Lynam 77), Payne, Martin, Gayner