PEWSEY battled gamely to frustrate promotion-chasing ten-man Southall for more than an hour but in the end succumbed to the added quality of their opponents.

The home side held hopes of taking something from the game but goals from Southall in the 60th and 70th minutes took all three points.

Vale boss Steve Wootton said: "Our goalkeeper was outstanding but he made a mistake on their first goal and that proved crucial. Southall are a good side and league tables don't lie. The result was fair but the 2-0 scoreline was a little bit harsh I felt.

"After their sending off we played three up front but we were naive at times. The longer the game went on at 0-0 the more I felt we could get something out of it. They were getting frustrated and were arguing but then we gifted them the all-important first goal.''

Vale suffered an early blow when they lost midfielder Darren Tapper with an injury in the 17th minute. Kevin Montague was brought on in his place.

The visitors took the lead when Ashley Keane's shot went through Wilson's hands and into the net.

Southall were reduced to ten men after a melee but it did not affect the result as Meaker struck in the 70th minute to seal the points.

Pewsey complete their league campaign tonight when they travel to fellow strugglers Pegasus Juniors.