Manager Kevin Hill made just one change to the starting side that drew with Farnborough with new loan signing Sean Ridgway (left) replacing Joe Sparrowhawk in the midfield while Ryan Tackley earned his first entry to the bench in place of the departed Tobi Jinadu.

The game began in open fashion with both sides looking capable of breaking the deadlock, Ryan Lockett saw a early volley curl wide of Kevin Davies' goal while former Missioner Jack Midson should have done better when a long free-kick bounced over the defender only for the Bishop's striker to head over. At the other end a free-kick from Mark Nicholls was met by Orlando Jeffrey whose headed centre led to a Jon Dyer header that Andy Young kept out and then kicked clear.

Two more chances came our way, both created by Damon Ming, the first being a corner that was headed on by Jeffrey to Nicholls who controlled and shot weakly at Young from four yards, the second minutes later saw the young wingers shot blocked by Young with Jon Dyer's shot being blocked by Dave Collis, hitting his teammate Tom Champion with Young saving at the foot of his post.

The home side from this point on really began to control the play without creating a great deal, a deep free-kick from Collis bounced through the area and appeared to be presenting itself to Midson only for Ridgway to get his head to the ball and put it wide off the Bishop's frontman. A minute later the Hayes defence was knocked for six with the loss of influential centre back Peter Collins who left the field requiring several stitchesto a head wound that appeared to come courtesy of an unpunished elbow. His replacement in the centre being young left back Ryan Tackley.

The home side continued to press for the opener with Hayes unsettled by the defensive reshuffle, Ashley Fuller broke away down the left, he fed the ball into the path of Ryan Lockett and although Jeffrey slid in the block his shot the loose ball fell to Anton Innocent, briefly a Missioner a few years back, and he placed his effort wide of the post. Six minutes later the deadlock was indeed broken and it was former Missioner Midson who netted, a punt into the box saw the Hayes defence fail in more than one attempt to clear giving Midson the easy task of beating Davies from close range.

Just over the 30 minute mark saw the only real chance from the remainder of the half, Collis again planted a free-kick into the area, Gilbert Nuako missed his header, Davies blocked the ball away and Midson fired over when well placed to net his second.

The Missioners started the second period a little better, Daniel Dyer saw an angled drive ripple the side netting while Ming had a 20 yard effort blocked after the home defence failed to properly clear a free-kick from Nicholls. At the other end Innocent headed high and wide at the far post before we netted an equaliser.

Nuako played a long ball forward that substitute Knight, a recent replacement for the once again ineffective Nicholls, flicked into the path of Jon Dyer, the striker shrugged off a defender before rifling past Young only to see his effort come back off the upright. The striker however showed speed of thought in rising to meet the bouncing rebound with his header finding its way into the net despite a desperate Gwillim attempt to hack it off the line.

Sadly having fought back into the game it took us just ten minutes to commit defensive suicide as the defence went walkabout allowing the home side to play "shoot at the keeper". Tackley had twice been on hand to clear the ball away from within his own six yard box during goalmouth melee's before the ball found it's way to Fuller on the left, his perfect cross to the far post saw Lockett in acres of space having run from an onside position and he took a single touch before firing past the undefended Hayes stopper.

Just four minutes later virtually the same thing happened on the other side of the pitch, a deep Fuller corner was passed around on the right before a deep cross found the original corner taker totally unmarked and he rifled an unstoppable shot past Davies from the acutest of angles to put the game beyond our reach.

Even in the closing quarter hour if anybody was going to find the net it was going to be the home side, our own Ryan Ashe had an overhead kick go just wide while the home side saw a weak Innocent shot held by Davies, as was an effort from Max Porter and a free-kick from Jason Mason.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.