Recap
Report
The Peacocks promotion charge continued as they ticked off their ninth League win on the bounce and their 14th without defeat. It wasn’t the most thrilling of games with chances in short supply overall and with Town not firing on all cylinders against a decent Marine outfit. However, and not for the first time this season, the Peacocks found a route to victory thanks to two second half goals which secured them the League double over their visitors.
Jay Foulston made a welcome return at left back, the only change from the previous week at Merthyr, while loan striker Prince Henry made his home debut, but the Peacocks were slow to settle into the contest against a livelier Marine. A quick break saw Harry Williams feed Ryan Campbell on the left but his ball across goal failed to find anyone before their first corner from Tom Mehew was cleared by Joe Guest. Town’s opening gambit came just past the quarter hour mark when Ross Stearn was brought down 20 yards out, but Lloyd James curled the free kick over the top.
Will Buse caught a Henry Spalding corner which prompted a few feeble claims that the ball had carried over the line, however this aside Supermarine appeared the more fluent going forward, with the movement of Conor McDonagh keeping the Town defence on their toes. After seeing a shot deflect for a corner, his neat back heel then set up Williams, but he stumbled as he shot, and the ball travelled wide before another neat bout of play saw Campbell feed McDonagh whose strike from the left side of the box was held by Buse.
In response Town had a penalty appeal waved away after Stearn went down before Marine keeper Martin Horsell was called into action, parrying Joe Budd’s shot from the edge of the area with Foulston drilling the loose ball wide of the target. Stearn then played in Henry who seemed to be fouled but nothing given while Jake Wannell tried his luck from distance, his left-footer whistling just the wrong side of the post.
Jared Lewington replaced Henry for the second half and his introduction led to the breakthrough after 50 minutes. Lewington’s looping header from Budd’s cross was palmed over by Horsell and Marine failed to clear the resulting Foulston corner, which was hooked back in by Guest, Nick Grimes nodded on to Ben Adelsbury whose header was kept out by the arm of Williams. When all the Marine protests had died down, Williams departed after being red-carded and Stearn kept his cool to send Horsell the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Grimes fired a dipping shot over the bar before Supermarine conjured up one of their few offerings of the second half, Mehew venturing infield for a ground shot which was bread and butter for Buse to hold. The visitors forward spark had diminished while the Peacocks cohesion had markedly improved, and they maybe should have doubled their lead when Stearn ran through the middle and laid off to Zac Smith on the right, but he got too much on the shot which was blasted over.
Town continued to press for a second potentially decisive goal, Smith seeing more of the ball down the right flank and when his cross was blocked, he had another chance to deliver, his lofted chip towards the back post being clutched by Horsell. The goal when it arrived though came from the other flank and what a peach it was. Dan Sullivan, who had only replaced Budd five minutes earlier, found Foulston out wide and he nonchalantly drifted in from the left past a couple of opponents before smashing a strike across Horsell into the top corner of the net. Pick that one out!
A purposeful run from Smith nearly produced a third soon after but Lewington was unable to connect with his ball into the middle. Supermarine made a few forward excursions in the final stages but really only had one effort, McDonagh firing over the top, as the Peacocks’ rearguard remained solid. Mission accomplished for Town who strengthen their 4th place position on the back of results elsewhere but they now focus on the Cup when they travel to mee the same opposition in the League Cup Semi-Final in three days’ time.
Line-Ups
Taunton: Will Buse, Joe Budd (Dan Sullivan 73), Jay Foulston, Ben Adelsbury, Nick Grimes (captain), Jake Wannell, Lloyd James, Joe Guest, Ross Stearn (Toby Holmes 85), Zac Smith, Prince Henry (Jared Lewington 45). Unused subs: Ross Staley, Ioan Richards
Supermarine: Martin Horsell, Michael Hopkins, Lewis Hall, Matt Britton, Tyrone Duffus, Mat Liddiard (captain), Henry Spalding (George Dowling 68), Tom Mehew, Harry Williams, Conor McDonagh, Ryan Campbell (Kieran Phillips 76). Unused subs: Jamie Edge, Pierce Mitchell, Tom Sharpe
Officials
Referee: Iain Parsons (Salisbury)
Referee’s Assistant 1: Jonathan Batteson (Bristol)
Referee’s Assistant 2: Daniel Bugg (Churchill)
Attendance
660
Reaction
“Certain parts of our play weren’t good enough today in a lot of respects…but we won….” watch Rob Dray’s Match Reaction on Peacocks TV HERE
Highlights
Match highlights can be seen on Peacocks TV HERE
Photos
Match photos from Club Photographers Ashley Harris can be viewed HERE and Colin Andrews HERE
Albert Goodman MOM
Ben Adelsbury receives the Taunton Town Man Of The Match award from Peacocks supporter Callum Clifton