The second half of Taunton Town’s pre-season preparations get underway on Tuesday evening as higher-league opposition Weston-super-Mare begin a run of three consecutive home friendlies at Wordsworth Drive.
The Peacocks head into the next phase of their preparations unbeaten after three away fixtures against Western League Premier Division and Southern League Division One South opposition, recording two wins and a draw.
The first victory came at Fairfax Park, where Scott Robinson’s brace secured a 2-1 win over Bridgwater United, with both goals coming against Liam Kingston.
A heat-soaked evening at Street then saw Gary Johnson’s side race into a two-goal lead through Ben Seymour and a trialist before the hosts hit back. Street pulled one back just before half-time before finding a late equaliser to earn a share of the spoils.
Last Saturday, the Peacocks completed their final away outing of pre-season with the short trip to Willand Rovers’ Silver Street. A trialist gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Taunton responded superbly after the break. Nick Grimes headed home the equaliser before Dan Koita fired the visitors in front just minutes later to open his pre-season account. Phil Mendonca then bundled home with eight minutes remaining to seal a deserved 3-1 victory.
There is still plenty of work to be done before the new campaign begins, and Head of Football Lloyd Irish reflected on the opening three fixtures while looking ahead to the challenges posed by the next week.
“We’re halfway through our pre-season preparations and remain unbeaten after the three games we’ve played. Now we ramp up the intensity. The opposition will be tougher, and the games will be much more like what we’d expect from league fixtures.
“There have been plenty of positives so far. The lads have all come back in excellent shape, which has been great, and remaining unbeaten is pleasing. We’re just a little rusty in terms of quality at the moment, but that’s to be expected at this stage of the season.
“We’re probably three or four players away from where we need to be, but it’s important we bring in players who fit the way we want to play. Hopefully we’ll see some new signings over the next few weeks, but for now we’ll continue to assess the trialists who are looking to impress during pre-season.
“These next 10 days will give us a good indication of how far away we are from where we need to be against the calibre of opposition we’ll be facing.”
Weston-super-Mare
Tuesday night’s visitors are familiar opponents in Weston-super-Mare, with the two clubs sharing plenty of battles over the years in both the Southern League and National League South.
The sides last met in the Emirates FA Cup under Richard Luffman’s management, when Taunton earned a creditable 1-1 draw at Wordsworth Drive. Sam Pearson opened the scoring with an excellent long-range strike before Jack Rice converted from the penalty spot to force a replay. The additional fixture ultimately proved one game too many, as Weston progressed with a 3-0 victory under the lights.
Tiverton Town
Attention then turns to Saturday, when Tiverton Town make the short trip to Wordsworth Drive.
The Yellows were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division South after finishing bottom last season but head into the new campaign with renewed optimism following the appointment of a new Director of Football and the recruitment of several local players.
It promises to provide another valuable test for Johnson and Irish as they continue to fine-tune the squad ahead of the new season, while assessing where further additions are still required.
Truro City
The final confirmed pre-season fixture sees Truro City visit Wordsworth Drive the following week.
John Askey’s side return to Step 2 after relegation from the National League, following the highest league finish in the club’s history. Having won the National League South title just two seasons ago, the Cornish side will be aiming to rebuild quickly and establish themselves among the promotion contenders once again.
Admission
- Adults & Concessions: £5
- Under-16s: FREE
- Under-11s must be accompanied by an adult.
- Car parking: £5 per vehicle
Tickets can be purchased at the gate by cash or card.