THE 10 men of EVESHAM United suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bideford AFC on Saturday, with a late winner denying them a deserved point.

Matthew Buchan's 16th-minute opener gave the visitors the lead before matters were worsened for the hosts towards the end of the first-half when Michael O'Regan was sent off.

Both O'Regan and a Bideford defender went for a 50:50 ball in the air and following a collision, the Evesham defender was shown a straight red card.

Despite being a man down, Evesham equalised mid-way through the second period when captain Amer Awadh curled a shot into the bottom corner after a quick free-kick. 

But with just four minutes remaining, the visitors pinched all three points as Lewis Hill volleyed home from a corner. 

There will be some anger amongst those at Evesham following the red card decision, with some on social media claiming it was the wrong call by referee Richard Walker. 

But despite being 1-0 down and a man down, Evesham showed plenty of desire to get something from the game. Will Owens went close after Frederick Willcox played a precise through ball.

Awadh, a real stand-out for Evesham so far this season, then provided the moment that so nearly earned the hosts a deserved point. 

A quick-free kick found the Robins' skipper and his first-time shot nestled into the far corner to make it 1-1. 

As the game moved into the final 10 minutes, Evesham began to sit back and try and protect what they had.

Ben Taylor looked to have made a crucial save for the hosts when 1-on-1 with Bideford forward Ryan Turner but the keeper was beaten minutes later when Hill's first-time volley found the back of the net and broke Evesham hearts. 

The defeat leaves Evesham third-bottom of the Southern League Division One table but there is no time to reflect as they are straight back into action on Tuesday night with a trip to Cribbs (7.45PM KO).