Ely City 0 Wivenhoe 1

Ely suffered a bitter blow on Saturday as they went down 1-0 to struggling Wivenhoe.

Alan Alsop’s side were on top for large periods of the match but couldn’t turn chances into goals as Wivenhoe netted a penalty and held firm for the win.

The defeat sees the Robins slump to 17th place in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division.

Aside from a diving header from Adam Murray, superbly denied by goalkeeper Richie Robins, the opening stages of the match were uneventful.

Ely had two excellent chances to take the lead either side of the half-hour mark when, first, an overhead kick from a corner was cleared off the goal line and away to safety.

Just minutes later, Andrew Claydon was sent clear on goal but his shot was denied by Robins in the visitor’s goal.

Ely took control of the game once more after the break and Tom Meechan was unfortunate to see his shot cleared off the line having broken into the box. And Meechan had a goal chalked off for offside less than five minutes later.

Ely were gifted a golden opportunity to take the lead after the hour mark when they were awarded a penalty for a trip, only for Lewis McDonald to blast the resulting spot-kick over the bar.

And the Robins were made to pay in the 80th minute when Wivenhoe were awarded a penalty of their own, with Peter Maina making no mistake.