ON-FIRE Malvern Town continued their impressive run of form in the West Midlands Regional League with a thrilling 3-1 win over Bilston Town (2007) on Saturday.
First half goals from Dave Reynolds and Matthew Turner put Malvern in control before Chris Allen headed into his own net to give Bilston a lifeline.
But Reynolds scored his second with five minutes to go to seal a well deserved victory, which lifted Town into the top half of the table.
Having suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Ledbury Town in the WRI Senior Cup in midweek, Malvern would have been keen to get back on track and extend their four-match unbeaten streak in the league.
And it did not take long for Les Jones’ men to open the scoring as Reynolds slotted the ball home after keeper Ben Astley saved Turner’s shot.
Malvern could have doubled their advantage in the tenth minute, but Lee Hooper’s effort struck the upright.
Bilston were struggling to get out of their own half and they had Astley to thank for keeping them in the match as he got a hand to a goalbound header from Joe Endacott.
Astley also denied Reynolds and Loader just before the break, but this came after Turner bagged Malvern’s second in the 43rd minute.
And Town seemed to be cruising as they continued to cause their opponents countless problems in the second period.
But as the half wore on Bilston gained in confidence and after a string of corners they got a goal back – albeit through a Malvern player as Allen watched on in horror as his header flew into his own net.
However, the goal failed to derail Town as James Lush went close on a number of occasions before Loader played the ball to Reynolds who completed the scoring.