It was a cold wet afternoon in Bletchley which laid ahead for Stewkley on Saturday, as Budgen and Howard's men aimed to make it six league games unbeaten at Milton Keynes City.

Skipper Budgen was unavailable for this one due to injury and so too was Howard who's taken himself off to Cyprus for the half-term. It was still a strong Stewkley squad that travelled though with both Alligan and Hardings returning to the fray and Young made his second appearance of the season too.

The game started with Stewkley in their changed blue strip, and their was little in the way of early action. On a big slick pitch Stewkley were looking to get their passing game moving but City were working hard to give them little time on the ball. The home side were slightly on top in the early exchanges and were looking to play balls in down the Stewkley left, eventually the hosts striker managed to get a shot off which was smartly saved by Essex in the visitors goal, in what was the first real chance of the game.

After that the visitors began to grow into the game more and Roadnight and Reeves down the right were causing the City left back all kinds of problems, twice Roadnight put great balls into the box but nobody in a blue shirt was able to get onto the end of the cross. It was however City who opened proceedings after a switched ball wasn't dealt with by Whittemore, the City winger pounced on his mistake and as he ran through on goal he slotted the ball beyond Essex and the hosts were in front. MK City 1-0 Stewkley.

Stewkley didn't spend long licking their wounds and went about restoring parity straight away. After winning a free kick down the left a deep ball into the box by Scrivener found Wagner who's header back across goal was met by Whittemore who's shot was blatantly handled on the line. The ball however fell to Roadnight who slammed a shot against the post and a melee ensued, during the chaos the ball popped back out to Reeves who squeezed the ball home off the left hand upright. To everyone's surprise the MK City linesman then flagged for offside after the shot had gone in and bizarrely the referee agreed and ruled the goal out.

The poor officiating didn't stop the boys in blue and they kept on attacking the City goal, after winning a corner Scrivener's cross was flicked on by McKenna and he found Okolie who from two yards out bundled the ball home to level proceedings. MK City 1-1 Stewkley.

The visitors tails were well and truly up now, and Roadnight was causing all kinds of problems down the right hand side with teasing balls into the box. This time however it was Carter who found some space off the shoulder of the City centre back and he glided past the defender, cut the ball back into the path of the onrushing Hardings who hit his shot straight at the City keeper and stopped what should've been Stewkley's second of the game.

Half-Time: MK City 1-1 Stewkley

The visitors started the second half better than the first half and after breaking up a City attack the ball found it's way to Carter who turned and saw Roadnight unmarked, his pass found the winger who's first touch was perfect and he was away running through 1-on-1 with the keeper, as he ran into the box he smashed the ball past the hapless City stopper and Stewkley were ahead. MK City 1-2 Stewkley.

Again, Budgen and Howard's side thought they'd made it three when a ball from Alligan set McKenna away into the box and his shot was smartly tipped onto the bar before falling to the feet of the onrushing Carter, who's shot from 12 yards out was partially blocked and slammed off the post before falling back to him again and he knocked the ball past the keeper and into the net. Again the offside flag went up, despite Carter connecting with his own shot. The referee and linesman consulted for a long while and somehow came to the decision that the goal should be ruled out for offside.

The second half was all about Stewkley, and they were regularly finding real joy out on both flanks, meanwhile City were looking to drop balls in behind both full backs with little joy. Whittemore and stand in centre back Atkinson were dealing with everything being thrown at them with relative ease. The blues third goal soon arrived and this time Scrivener on the left played the ball inside to Carter, who knocked the ball round the corner to Hardings, and from 20 yards out struck a dipping shot towards the bottom right hand corner which the keeper couldn't reach, that was Stewkley's third of the game, and Hardings third goal of the season. MK City 1-3 Stewkley.

It was continued attacks from the visitors after the third but the chances kept coming and going as the visitors became really wasteful in front of goal. Sub Bailey came on and his delivery from the left was pinpoint as he whipped a ball onto the head of Carter and the midfielder should've done better but only managed to direct his header into the arms of the grateful City keeper. Bailey was at it again as he worked some space down the left and this time his cross found the unmarked Young who's header down to the keeper's right was smartly smothered by hosts rather busy keeper.

There was more drama with referee and linesman again as both adjudged that substitute Kirchin had said something untoward and he was show a straight red in more bizarre scenes from the official.

Despite going down to 10 men Stewkley still looked like the team who were going to score again, and Young broke through the City backline with ease but his shot from the angle was again dealt with by the City keeper. With little time left on the clock Essex in the Stewkley goal made a rash decision to come for a ball he was never going to get to and he collided with the hosts winger in the box to give City a penalty, which was duly dispatched down to Essex's right hand side.

There wasn't much time for anything else and the referee blew up to confirm Stewkley's seventh win on the bounce and the boys in blue extended their lead at the top to 6 points.

Full-Time: MK City 2-3 Stewkley
Scorers: Okolie, Roadnight & Hardings

Next Up: Marsh Gibbon (A), 2nd November - North Bucks Premier Division