Recap

Report

Town recorded a comfortable victory over their near neighbours and Player Pathway partners although it was not as convincing as some might have envisaged against a Lydeard side who can be well satisfied with their performance. More importantly the game gave Nick Grimes and Jake Wannell their first action of pre-season after being out with Covid.

Bishops’ keeper and former Peacock Nathan Whatley was soon called into action after two minutes, tipping over Joe Guest’s cross before he gathered Dan McBeam’s shot at the second attempt. Further opportunities arose when Zac Smith’s effort was deflected into the side netting and Whatley made a smart save to touch over Gethyn Hill’s strike while the visitors played some tidy football of their own, driven on from midfield by ex-Town player Douglas Camilo who stung the hands of Peacocks’ keeper Marco Radovanovic with a 20 yard drive.

Toby Holmes was close to opening the scoring when he received Hill’s pass and rolled the ball past Whatley, but the finish lacked the power to cross the line and was cleared. However the home side eventually broke the deadlock on 29 minutes when Lee Lucas cut in from the right and when Whatley failed to hold his shot Nick Grimes was on hand to slot home. Lucas had another effort soon after, a dipping strike from just outside the box and Smith again found the side netting as Town ended the half with a single goal advantage.

The failure to turn possession into goals in the opening half was forgotten when Town added two more to the score early in the second period. The Peacocks had made three changes at the break and two of the substitutes made a rapid impact, Smith threading a ball through to recent signing Jared Lewington who took a touch before firing into the corner of the net on 48 minutes. Then four minutes later a Lucas corner was glanced home at the near post by another interval sub Jack Goodall for his first goal in claret and blue.

Lewington tried his luck with an acrobatic overhead kick before his far post header was nodded off the line while trialist Joe Charles flashed a shot narrowly wide, but Lydeard always gave Town something to think about. Luke Boyle drilled wide of the far post and then forced a tip over save by sub keeper from Bridgwater College Shay Allen who gave an assured display when he appeared just after the 70 minute mark.

The final goal came on 85 minutes, Charles feeding Lewington who was pulled down in the box, and the striker got to his feet to confidently convert the penalty for his second of the evening.

Line-Ups

Taunton: Marco Radovanovic (Shay Allen 72), Joe Guest (Jack Goodall 45), Ross Staley (trialist 45), Zac Smith, Nick Grimes (captain), Jake Wannell, Dan McBeam (Ollie Chamberlain 56), Lee Lucas (trialist 72) Toby Holmes (Jared Lewington 45), Dan Sullivan (trialist 72), Gethyn Hill (Toby Holmes 72)

Bishops Lydeard: Nathan Whatley, Mark Cornish, Dave Richardson (Luke Boyle 45), Ross Edwards, Luke Bryant (captain), Harry Scatchard (George Sinnott 45), Mario Franco (Charlie Purvis 67), Sam Mockridge, Rhys Ford (Luciano Alves De Jesus 67), Douglas Camilo, Paolo Borges (Zak Ryder 45). Unused sub: Amauri Ruiz

Officials

Referee: Craig Scriven (Burnham-on-Sea)
Referee’s Assistant 1: Richard Lawrence (Corfe)
Referee’s Assistant 2: Jack Bromham (Glastonbury)

Attendance

223

Reaction

“It was a really good game for us tonight…clean sheet, scored four, should have scored more…” see Rob Dray’s match reaction on Peacocks TV HERE

Highlights

Match highlights on Peacocks TV HERE

Photos

Match photos on Taunton Town FC Flickr HERE