YORKLEY'S high hopes that home advantage would give them the edge against neighbouring Bream turned into a nightmare. They lost 4 - 1.

This North Gloucester League division one fixture was scheduled to be played at Bream but when the referee ruled Bream's pitch unplayable the match was switched to Yorkley's Recreation Ground.

With home advantage the Yorkley boys might have expected to cement their position as league leaders but true to their recent run of misfortune the home team slipped up and conceded their third defeat in four games.

"It's not that we are playing that badly, but it does look as though our luck has run out," said Yorkley's Steve Jeffs.

"We did not get the rub of the green and for a couple of weeks now refereeing decisions have gone against us," he said.

Yorkley remain top of the league but other teams have games in hand and to regain a place in the premier division they will now have to rely on other teams failing to play up to scratch.

Aylburton, yet to drop a point this season, are runaway favourites for the top spot and White City – who Yorkley meet twice in the near future – are also pressing hard.

For Yorkley it has been a season of rebuilding.

"We lost our premier division place last season and a couple of players drifted away. But new manager John Elliott has done a good job and introduced a couple more players and we have been in quite good form until the last month," said Jeffs.

Ruardean-based Pumas lowered the Yorkley colours two weeks ago when they visited The Rec and won 2-1.

"They are quite a good side and gave Aylburton a tough game," reflected Jeffs.

For now Yorkley will be digging in a bid to recapture their early season form.

"We are still in with a slim hope of second spot but it now looks as though we will need a lot of other results to

go in our favour,"

said Jeffs.