TAUNTON Town added another three points towards their Southern league promotion ambitions with 3-1 victory at home to Clevedon Town on Saturday.

Although not reinforcing a comfortable interval lead during the second half, a late penalty for Town settled the outcome after an earlier spot kick had reduced the arrears for Clevedon.

With various players still out injured, Town fielded an unchanged side from their last game at Didcot, and applied pressure on Clevedon from the first whistle.

A Steve Kingdon throw found Steve Murray whose shot was fumbled by Kane Mannings but gathered at the second attempt.

Indecision between Mannings and Kye Thomas over who ought to deal with Craig Herrod’s cross should then have yielded the opener, the loose ball falling to Aaron Ward-Baptiste but with the goal yawning he shot over the bar from seven yards. Disappointment didn’t last long though as Taunton made the breakthrough on 11 minutes.

Murray sidestepped a defender to crash a shot off the underside of the crossbar and when the danger wasn’t properly cleared, Jamie Short made inroads from the right flank into the box before slotting the ball home at Mannings’ left hand post.

Murray snatched at another chance, his lob from the edge of the area being too high after he had latched onto Graham Mercieca’s punt forward, before appeals for what looked a cast iron penalty after Murray was felled were waved away by referee Robert Dabbs.

The Seasiders increasingly began to get a foothold in the game but created little with the possession they had, Lloyd Irish’s regulation save from a Ben Bament effort being the sum total until the closing stages of the half produced conflicting fortunes at either end.

Mercieca’s strike from outside the box saw Mannings shape to cover his right before a deflection off Kaine Gazzard wrong-footed the Clevedon keeper as it hit the net to his left to double Taunton’s lead on 45 minutes.

Omarii Sims then got free on the right before blasting a shot off Irish’s near post as the half concluded.

The second period developed into a rather fragmented affair which began with Jamie Price forced off with a dead leg, being replaced by youth team captain Lewis Waldy.

Short launched a drive into the trees at the Fire Station end from a promising position following a forceful run from Murray before the visitors were handed a lifeline on 59 minutes.

Mercieca’s challenge on Bament won the ball but the referee decided otherwise and pointed to the spot, allowing Joe Swift to convert easily.

Town continued to press to try and engineer a further strike to kill the game, Short winning the race with Mannings to a stray back pass but his nudge towards the net not having the legs or direction while his centre flew across the face of goal as it begged for a touch.

Rodney Marsh, who had replaced Murray, then laid a pass off to Kingdon who flashed a shot into the side netting. Another penalty with eight minutes remaining provided the opportunity Town were looking for to seal victory.

Clevedon centre back Gary Saunders, who played five games for the Peacocks two seasons ago, was adjudged to have brought down Short and Ward-Baptiste was quick to grab the ball and beat Mannings from the spot.

Yet another penalty shout at the opposite end was dismissed, Aron Robbins receiving a yellow card for diving instead, as Town delivered their 13th game unbeaten, a fine run which stretches back to the end of October. Manager Leigh Robinson said: “I’d say this was a functional rather than a spectacular win.

“You could argue that we made hard work of it but on the other hand we did have plenty of players playing out of position in the second half and the pitch wasn’t the easiest.

“It was a game that lacked tempo throughout as the ball seemed to constantly be out of play but we still managed to create plenty of chances and certainly did enough to win.”

Taunton: Lloyd Irish, Jamie Price (Lewis Waldy 48), Steve Kingdon (captain), Owen Irish, Ben Mammola, Brett Trowbridge, Graham Mercieca, Jamie Short, Steve Murray (Rodney Marsh 66), Aaron Ward-Baptiste, Craig Herrod (Josh Wadham 90+2). Unused sub: Tom Hopkins. Match Sponsor: Steve Raybould Construction. Matchball Sponsor: Cotford Car Sales. Attendance: 329.