A LAST-MINUTE winner for Willand Rovers’ Fletcher Williams ended Bradford Town’s hopes of a runners-up finish in Toolstation League Premier Division.

Danny Greaves’ side were beaten 4-3 in Devon and that result, coupled with a 2-1 win for second-placed Melksham Town at home to Wellington, means the Bobcats are six points behind their Wiltshire rivals with just one game remaining.

Despite the defeat, Bradford remain on course for their best-ever finish in the league, and victory away at Bridport in their final match on Saturday would see them end the campaign on 78 points, 10 more than the haul they collected when they finished fifth last season.

“At the moment it is still a bit raw. When we came off the pitch last weekend after beating Buckland we were in with a real chance of finishing second, but after losing to Melksham on Monday and now Willand, we know that chance is over,” said Greaves.

“It’s a real kick in the teeth but when we take a step back and analyse it, it’s been another brilliant season for the club where we’ve got our record high finish and record points tally again.

“Overall, it’s been a very good season. There have been some tough moments on the way but there’s been some great wins as well and the players have shown great character all the way through.

“Now we will just keep going into the last game at Bridport and try to get another win under our belts to finish the season off well.”

Brett Worbey put Willand ahead after only five minutes at the weekend but Martin Lenihan soon restored parity. Rovers’ Adam Hill and Bradford’s Sam Jordan then traded goals as the first half ended 2-2.

David Steele put the home side in front once more 10 minutes into the second period, but Jordan got Bradford’s third equaliser of the day as the contest headed towards its conclusion.

However, that was not enough to hand the Bobcats a share of the spoils as Williams struck at the death to hand Willand the win.

Greaves added: “We know Willand have got that sort of finish in them. In their last few games, they have scored either a late winner or a late equaliser, so they keep going all the way until the end.

“Saturday was a disappointing performance. We were nowhere near our best, but we still went away from home and scored three goals and were very unlucky not to come away with a draw.”