EARLSWOOD Town ended the season with a disappointing 3-1 home defeat against Inkberrow despite leading at half time.
The Earls led at the break through Tom Kinsey’s goal only for Inkberrow to score three times in the second period at The Pavilions as home goalkeeper Alastair Lewis took to the field for the final time before retirement.
And the result means The Earls finish the season in 12th place just two places above the Midland Football League Division Two relegation zone.
Despite a promising start to the campaign, which saw the Earls lose just one of their opening 11 league matches, one win in their final 15 fixtures ultimately saw the club plummet down the table.
However, the Earls made the perfect start against Inkberrow when Kinsey found space on the edge of the penalty area and found the bottom right corner to score his 10th goal of the season.
The home side almost doubled their lead when Leadun Dunlevy’s free-kick from the halfway line looped into the box and was misjudged by Inkberrow goalkeeper Max Court as the ball travelled inches wide.
Earls stopper Lewis then showed his class to deny Brad Hands with a smart save and send the Earls into the break with a narrow lead.
However, Inkberrow equalised on 65 minutes when George Thomas latched onto a long ball and produced a delightful chip over Lewis into the top-left corner of the unguarded net.
The visitors snatched the points on 85 minutes as Josh Bowen towered above two Earls defenders to head home a cross from the right.
And Inkberrow made sure of the victory in injury time when Stan Thomas tapped home into an empty net from close range after George Robbins selflessly squared the ball into the substitute’s path.
