A FIRST-HALF blitz saw Redditch United’s five-game winning run come to an end following a 3-0 defeat at title-chasing Spalding United.
The Reds found themselves two goals behind inside the first 10 minutes as Tom Pugh and Bartosz Cybulski both found the net to stun the visitors at the Sir Halley Stewart Field.
And a Jack Roberts penalty just past the half-hour mark all but sealed the points for the home side while Connor Johnson saw red for the league leaders late on.
The result means Redditch sit fifth in the Southern League Premier Central table, one point clear of the chasing pack in the race for a play-off place.
Mike Fowler’s side made the worst possible start as Pugh fired a loose ball into the net from 12-yards after just two minutes after Tyrese Warmington kept out Cybulski’s initial effort.
And the visitors doubled their lead on nine minutes when Cybulski’s effort deflected into the net which left Warmington with no chance.
The Reds almost halved the deficit as Matty Warburton saw his shot cleared off the line by Spalding skipper and former Football League defender Liam Moore.
However, Spalding went straight up the other end and won a penalty as Billy Fielding caught Abduramane Sani in the box.
Roberts duly dispatched the resulting penalty on 34 minutes with a cool finish into the bottom right corner despite Warmington diving the correct way.
However, Spalding finished the game with 10-men after Johnson saw red following a strong challenge on Morgan Owen with eight minutes left to play.
