Evesham Utd 0, Bishops Cleeve 2 LEG weary, nerves or simply not good enough. Those were the questions being asked after Bishops Cleeve became the first team to record a Southern League double over the Robins on Easter Monday, writes Mervyn Colins.

The players have done superbly during a hectic schedule of matches that has seen Evesham catapult from mid-table obscurity to play-off contenders in the past two months.

Those sterling efrforts might now be taking a toll on Paul West's thin squad that was without Anthony Watson, Lorcan Sheehan and Mark Hands who came up against a hard-working Cleeve side who arrived at St George's Lane on the back of a 1-0 win over Bromsgrove.

Perhaps apprehension is also a factor. Expectations are now high for a side that wasn't expected to be in such a lofty position - and Evesham's players aren't the only ones suffering.

Of the sides in and around the play-off area, only Aylesbury, Dunstable and Cinderford managed to take more points than the Robins last weekend and, at 4.15 last Saturday, three points would have been the maximum that could have been hoped for!

A top five finish is still in United's own hands but they will have to produce three far better displays than this one when chances were again at a premium.

Perhaps more worrying for West is the defensive uncertainy that has seen his side leak two goals in four of the last five matches.

Monday's soft opener epitomised that frailty when a free-kick was allowed to bounce in the six-yard area and Nick Williams had the easiest task of giving the visitors the lead after 59 minutes.

Eleven minutes later and the lead was doubled when a corner wasn't cleared properly and James Veresci's angled drive found the roof of the net.

Problems increased four minutes later when Nathan Vaughan again let himself and the club down when feeling fit to use foul and abusive language towards the referee who had let play continue after a foul on Steven Hands and a third red card of the season was the result.

Karl Lewis took his place between the sticks and made a couple of late stops before substitute James Fox missed a glorious chance to halve the final arrears with the final kick of the match but Dimitar Dimtrov smothered his close-range effort.

The visiting goalkeeper was twice left helpless in the early stages when Mark Owen's snap volley flashed past the angle of post and bar and, when the striker raced clear after 12 minutes, his shot beat Dimtrov but also his left-hand upright.

Daniel Lennon volleyed over just before the break, while Liam Daly's misdirected header after 55 minutes was all the hosts could offer before Williams broke the deadlock.

The central defender was again wayward from another dead-ball situation, while Fox should perhaps have done better in the 68th minute when he only succeeded in firing an overhead kick over the top.

Veresci's strike left United with two goals to make up for the second successive match - there was to be no repeat of Saturday's heroics for a team that is good enough to get out of this mediocre division but is nowhere near Premier Division quality.