Royals lose to two first half goals

Woodley started the quickest and saw Toby Briggs have a goal disallowed after seven minutes when he was first to react to Mortimer keeper Harry Stiff parrying Nathan Lock’s shot. However, five minutes later Lamin Ceesay opened the scoring when his low shot from the edge of the penalty area went inside Stiff’s right hand post.

Lock was denied by a defender’s tackle a minute later after the winger had rounded Still and Dylan Chaffin was also denied by a last ditch tackle and also fired over the bar from close range as Woodley’s attack play left Mortimer’s defence struggling.

A collision between Briggs and Lock saw the later injured and struggling to have the same impact. This allowed Mortimer time to regroup and change their game plan to a more direct style through the air that United struggled to cope with and saw the visitors’ level on the half hour and take the lead four minutes later from the penalty spot following Simon Frost being adjudged to have handled the ball.

Lock eventually had to be substituted before half time.

The second half saw Woodley play good football with Ceesay prominent in much of the play but they were unable to score the important equaliser with the best chance falling to centre back Scott Rogers who put wide from an angle having done well to create the chance for himself.