Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West

Larkhall Athletic 3, Taunton Town 0

TAUNTON Town saw their 11-match unbeaten run ended in comprehensive fashion on Saturday as they fell to a 3-0 defeat to mid-table outfit Larkhall Athletic.

Boosted by the return to the squad of Craig Duff and Matt Wright, Taunton would have been confident of continuing their recent good form but were on the back foot from the first whistle.

Larkhall dominated the early stages without creating any clear-cut chances, and it took the Peacocks 22 minutes to force an opening of their own when Duff saw his effort saved.

The game then swung the hosts' way on 42 minutes when influential Town defender Owen Irish was sent off, and the Peacocks reached the interval knowing they would have a challenge on their hands to earn a result in the second half.

Any hopes they had of keeping things tight were dashed within minutes, as a quickfire double by Joe Raynes left Taunton with a mountain to climb.

Greg Peel added gloss to the scoreline for the hosts late on as the Peacocks fell to a surprising defeat against a side they had beaten 10-2 at the Viridor Stadium in January.

Town stay second in the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West despite the defeat, with Tiverton closing the gap to two points after they beat fellow promotion-chasers Salisbury.

Taunton Town: L Irish, Mitchell, Staley, O Irish, E Palmer, Hoyle, White, Trowbridge (Buse), Duff (B Palmer), Veal, Chamberlain.