Needham Market 0 Bromsgrove Sporting 3
Needham Market's home woes continued, as they slithered to another defeat at Bloomfields against away-day specialists Bromsgrove Sporting this afternoon.
The Marketmen have only won two home league games all season, a poor record that has kept them rooted in the lower half of the Southern League Premier Central table.
A brace of goals from the excellent Shaquille Mcdonald, on 17 and 42 minutes, put the Worcestershire visitors 2-0 up at half-time.
And Richard Gregory made the most of a defensive error to add the killer third, in the 61st minute.
Bromsgrove, who started the day in third spot, have now accumulated an impressive 23 points on the road, from 11 away games, while by contrast Needham have earned just 11 points from 11 league games at Bloomfield.
Fresh from an excellent 2-1 win at league leaders Tamworth in midweek, the Marketmen at least started quite brightly and Keiran Morphew glanced a header wide from Gareth Heath's fifth minute corner, the ball skidding off the back of his head.
But Bromsgrove gradually got into their stride and looking very menacing, whenever they broke, especially down either flanks with home full-backs Jack Dye and Callum Sturgess struggling to cope.
And winger Mcdonald let from 25 yards out with shot that took a sizeable deflection as it soared wide of the post, on 10 minutes, with Marcus Garnham wrong-footed,
Needham's best moment of the half arrived just 60 seconds later. Adam Mills delivered a cross from the left and Craig Parker connected sweetly with a low volley from a tight angle which Bromsgrove keeper Daniel Platt did well to palm to safety.
Danger-man Mcdonald curled a long-range free-kick narrowly wide, in the 16th minute, but just a minute later and he did put the visitors ahead.
Michael Taylor burst through the middle of the Marketmen's defence and although Garnham dived at his feet, the ball squirmed free for an unmarked Mcdonald to gleefully plant the loose ball into an unguarded net, from eight yards out.
Needham searched for a quickfire equaliser, but too often they were caught offside, and it was Bromsgrove who looked the more likely to add to their tally.
On the half-hour mark, Garnham dived low to his right to smother another goalbound effort by Mcdonald, following some route-one football, but Mcdonald was soon celebrating his second goal of the afternoon.
Gregory got the better of Dye inside the box and squared into the danger area. Taylor's initial shot was blocked but the alert Mcdonald was on hand to bury the rebound to put the visitors 2-0 up on 41 minutes.
Needham boss Richard Wilkins made an attacking substitution for the start of the second half, introducing striker Joe Neal for midfielder Sam Squire.
And the hosts nearly halved the deficit, in the 56th minute. Mills managed to lift his shot over keeper Platt, only for it to ricochet off the near post and drop to safety.
The game was more open, and Garnham did well to keep out Michael Taylor's goalbound shot on 58 minutes, before play switched to the other end with Luke Ingram being denied by Platt.
Bromsgrove effectively killed off the game by adding a third goal in the 61st minute. Gregory took advantage of a defensive lapse to calmly round Garnham and slot into an empty net.
Squads
NEEDHAM: Garnham, Dye, Sturgess, Squire (sub Neal, 46), K Morphew, D Morphew, Marsden (sub Page, 77), Heath, Ingram (sub Short, 69), Parker, Mills. Unused subs: Diogo, Elsdon.
BROMSGROVE: Platt, Hickman, Wilson, Mussa (sub Westwood, 76), T Taylor, Broadhurst, Mcdonald, Quaynor, M Taylor, Gregory (sub Mills, 76), Shorrock (sub Dowd, 69). Unused subs: Beardmore.
Attendance: 208
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