Recap
Report
Two goals in a four minute spell midway through the second half proved sufficient for the Peacocks to reach the 4th Round Qualifying after avoiding a potential banana skin against their visitors from the Combined Counties League. A frustrating first half in which Taunton almost tried too hard saw Amersham snatch the lead before eventually yielding under home pressure after the break.
With Jayden Nielsen cup-tied, Harris Feltham stepped into midfield, the only change from the team that had efficiently despatched Swindon Supermarine in midweek. Unfortunately though much of the slick passing game witnessed four days earlier was absent for the vast majority of the opening 45 minutes. After kick-off had been preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of long-standing club sponsor Terry Gibbs, the Peacocks won their opening corner after five minutes, Jake Hodgson directing a header off-target, while several other early deliveries into the box only found a Magpies’ defender. Feltham did have sight of goal but saw his shot nullified by a deflection, making it easy for Amersham keeper Xavier Comas Leon to gather.
The visitors shook Taunton by grabbing the lead out of the blue on the quarter hour. Up until then they had rarely got into Town territory but a stray pass across the edge of his own box gave leading scorer Jake Tabor the opportunity to break downfield, riding a tackle on halfway to arrive on the cusp of the Taunton area where he took a breath before firing home a terrific strike off the inside of Adam Parkes’ left-hand post to silence the crowd bar away celebrations. Taunton were temporarily ruffled as Hodgson picked up a yellow and from Louis Stead’s free kick a header was sent well wide.
Normal service was soon resumed though albeit not to recent standards. Aysa Corrick engineered a decent position but opted to pass rather than pull the trigger and the chance had gone before Leon parried Smith’s angled attempt from beyond the far post following a Morgan Lewis cross. Lewis sliced a shot wide, then had another effort roll to Leon after a Kylron Bishop block while a Lewis cross rebounded off Feltham to the keeper, epitomizing Town’s fortunes during the half when a missing cutting edge coupled with dogged resistance from the hard-working Amersham team defending in numbers combined to thwart the Peacocks’ intent.
An assistant’s flag for offside, raised before the ball hit the net, thankfully denied Amersham a second goal when Tabor played in Harvey Sells to steer past Parkes five minutes before the interval before a final knock on the door came with Brain ballooning Corrick’s assist over the top and then launching a free kick to the far post where Hodgson’s header was palmed away by Leon.
An improvement was required and a regroup in the changing rooms seemed to do the trick as the hosts set about their rescue attempt. Feltham’s shot deflected for a corner and Hodgson’s near post header from an Eddie Jones cross was denied by Leon’s excellent save at the expense of a corner which Moulden sent in and Ollie Woodhouse glanced just wide. Yet another corner saw Brain’s delivery hit the near post as the pressure on the Amersham goal cranked up, Smith posting the next effort but unable to get enough power onto his shot from Corrick’s cross.
The onslaught finally produced the goods after 66 minutes although it took several attempts to get the ball over the line! Corrick crossed low from the right, the ball fell loose to Brain whose shot was blocked by Leon’s boot, Feltham’s follow-up also hitting a defender and falling for Brain and when his strike from an angle was parried by Leon, Tom Purrington was there to slot home from six yards. One for sorrow for the Magpies whose defiance had finally been broken before it turned into two for joy for the Peacocks four minutes later following great work from Moulden who collected the ball just inside the opposition half and jinked down the right before laying a centre across for Lewis to connect sweetly from 18 yards and pick out the bottom corner.
Two nearly became three soon after, Corrick’s drive into the box falling for Brain whose initial attempt was blocked before a second go saw him volley just over. Hodgson’s header from a long free kick then led to Woodhouse trying his luck with an acrobatic overhead effort from a tight angle which rebounded off the post. With five substitutions having been made by the hosts, Amersham enjoyed a brief flourish with Louis Bircham firing over and Tabor shooting comfortably wide before two of the Peacock’s replacements could have inflated the scoreline during five minutes of added time. Corrick’s ball over the top put David Duru clear, only for Leon to stop with his leg and then a break from new signing Opi Edwards on the right gave Evander Grubb another opening but again Leon blocked the attempt.
Certainly nowhere near a classic performance from the Peacocks but the job had been done against a spirited Amersham side who left the Cygnet Health Care Stadium with their heads held high.
Line-Ups
Taunton: Adam Parkes, Eddie Jones, Ollie Woodhouse, Tom Purrington (Toby Down 76), Tom Smith (captain) (Opi Edwards 83), Owen Brain (David Duru 83), Jake Hodgson, Alfie Moulden (Evander Grubb 78), Harris Feltham, Morgan Lewis, Aysa Corrick. Unused subs: Dan Griffin, Oscar Poole, Sam Naylor
Amersham: Xavier Comas Leon, Kylron Pierre, Harry Bishop (Max McLeish 83), Louis Stead, Adeymi Adewale, Daryl Brown (captain), Harley Sells (Charlie Robertson 67), Samir Shaffi, Luke Peerless, Louis Bircham, Jake Tabor. Unused subs: Jamie Speer, Harry Doyle, Richard Pacquette, Pompeyo Castillo
Officials
Referee: Paul Collier (Bristol)
Referee’s Assistant 1: Daniel Spyer (Calne)
Referee’s Assistant 2: Darren Gay (Radstock)
Attendance
833
Reaction
“Second half we absolutely were the better team…..” watch the reaction of manager Richard Luffman on Peacocks TV HERE
Highlights
Match highlights can be seen on Peacocks TV HERE
Photos
Match photos from club photographer Debbie Gould can be viewed HERE
Taunton Town MOM
Owen Brain receives the Taunton Town Man Of The Match award from Football Operations Manager Karl Lindsay and Director Lloyd Irish
Many Thanks To Our Match Mascots
Tone Youth Under 8’s