Taunton Town were left frustrated on Saturday afternoon as a last-gasp equaliser denied them all three points in a 1–1 draw with Basingstoke Town at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium, writes William Ledbury.
The Peacocks made the perfect start, breaking the deadlock inside two minutes. Niall Thompson’s cross was half-cleared into the path of Owen Brain, who wasted no time in rifling a fine strike into the far corner to lift the Peacock Army to their feet, and to those still making their way behind the goal after the coin toss!
Basingstoke responded quickly, forcing goalkeeper Frankie Phillips into action on six minutes, but the hosts soon regained control. From Alfie Moulden’s dangerous corner to Tom Purrington’s sharp turn and effort that was blocked at the last moment, chances came and went. The best of them fell to Ben Seymour on the stroke of half-time, his thunderous effort just clearing the top corner.
Seymour came within inches of a spectacular second shortly after the restart. Spotting visiting keeper Simon Grant off his line, the striker produced an audacious chip which struck the underside of the bar and bounced agonisingly away. Moulden then almost turned home a Brain cross at the far post, but the Peacocks simply couldn’t find the cushion of a second goal.
The home side were dealt a further blow when Thompson pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, compounding the absence of Ryan Lane who had already missed out through a knee problem. Despite the reshuffle, Taunton continued to battle and Phillips was again on hand late on, saving smartly from Robbie Gallagher to preserve the lead.
But cruelly, deep into stoppage time, fortune deserted the Peacocks. A soft free-kick was awarded after Brain appeared to win the ball cleanly, and from the quickly-taken set piece, Basingstoke worked the ball neatly through D’Andre Brown, Charlie Austin and finally James Clark, who calmly slotted past Phillips to level.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Richard Luffman’s men, who had created enough opportunities to win the contest but were left with only a point to show for their efforts.
Taunton now turn their attention to the Bank Holiday double-header, travelling to Walton & Hersham on Saturday before returning home for a mouth-watering local derby with Tiverton Town on Monday.
We would like to thank Taunton Town Disability who were the mascots on Saturday afternoon. We hope that Luke, Louise, Jay and the mascots had a brilliant afternoon, and we look forward to seeing them all again soon.
Match photos courtesy of Commercial Director & Club Photographer, Debbie Gould can be accessed through the link here.
