Toolstation Western League
Premier Division
Wellington AFC 2, Hengrove Athletic 1

SAM Towler’s brace earned three valuable points for Wellington at home to Hengrove Athletic on Saturday, pulling them up to 15th spot in the Premier Division table.

Towler struck once in each half to claim the win, with Lewis Dunn pulling one back for the hosts late on.

The result saw the Tangerines leapfrog their opponents in the standings, and move 12 points clear of the bottom two.

This Saturday brings a serious challenge, as league leaders Street visit the Playing Field (ko 3pm).

Wellington acquitted themselves well enough in the reverse fixture back in September, losing 2-1, with Connor Pengelly on the scoresheet for the Tangerines.

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Toolstation Western League
First Division
Bishops Lydeard 3, Bishop Sutton 3

BISHOPS Lydeard threw away a 2-0 lead but then scored a late equaliser to share the spoils with Bishop Sutton on Saturday.

Hosts Lydeard were 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes, as Ben Hebditch lobbed the keeper from 18 yards and Jake Quick half-volleyed in the second.

But lapses of concentration in defence cost the home side dear, allowing their opponents to pull one back before half time through Adam Young, and then equalise on the hour courtesy of Mason Daggar.

Another mistake saw the hosts fall behind with 15 minutes to go as Ben Snell profited, but Hebditch stroked in his second goal to earn a point.

Lydeard sit 12th in the First Division table, and this Saturday they welcome Welton Rovers, who are fifth, to Cothelstone Road (ko 3pm).

In the Somerset Junior Cup quarter-finals, meanwhile, Bishops Lydeard Reserves triumphed 4-2 on penalties after a 4-4 draw at home to Chard Town Reserves.

The hosts led 3-1 on 70 minutes thanks to Luke Nicklin's brace and another from Wayne Harding, only for Chard to level at the death, forcing extra time.

An own goal moved Chard ahead, but Lydeard skipper Patrick Sherwood scored to take the tie to penalties, with Nicklin, Cooke, Kelly and Sherwood keeping their cool from the spot.

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Somerset County League
Premier Division
Staplegrove 1, Nailsea & Tickenham 7

STRUGGLING Staplegrove received no mercy from third-placed Nailsea & Tickenham on Saturday, losing 7-1 on home turf.

Josh Martin scored for the hosts, but his red card with the score at 2-1 proved the catalyst for the away side to run away with it.

Scott Pilgrim bagged a hat-trick for the visitors, with Gary Freeman and substitutes Wesley Bracey (2) and Christopher Gale.

Grove lie second from bottom in the Premier Division standings, albeit only two points behind third-bottom Clutton and five points off 11th, ahead of this Saturday’s game at seventh-placed Shirehampton (ko 2pm).

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Somerset County League
Premier Division
Watchet Town 2, Stockwood Green 0

A SECOND-HALF brace from the penalty spot by defender Jamie Milton helped Watchet to all three points at the Memorial Ground on Saturday.

The Red & Blacks always looked the more likely scorers and it needed a few good saves from the visiting keeper and some desperate defending to keep the scoresheet blank at the interval.

The breakthrough came five minutes into the second half, as the referee deemed a block from close quarters by a Stockwood defender on Bailey’s shot to be a deliberate handball, and Milton sent the keeper the wrong way with his penalty.

Chances kept coming for the hosts, but it was another spot-kick which sealed the win, as Tom Sparks was tripped and Milton again did the business.

The Red & Blacks face a difficult away game this Saturday, as they visit third-placed Nailsea & Tickenham, who were 3-1 winners at the Memorial Ground last month.

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Somerset County League
Division 1 West
Minehead AFC 2, Clevedon United Reserves 1

On a cold but dry afternoon the Irnham Road crowd were treated to a highly entertaining, competitive and tense match.

Though the home side created the majority of the goal-scoring opportunities, the visitors completely belied their lowly league position and their ardour and enthusiasm was finally beaten with the last meaningful attack of the afternoon.

Both teams clearly demonstrated a strong desire to play attractive, flowing football and the quality throughout was a credit to the County League.

Slowly but surely, however, the Blues were more and more able to dictate the play and top scorer Guy Burns went close when his shot from 20 yards went just wide.

Matty Ronan, making his first start for several weeks and slotting effectively into a central midfield position, jinked past a couple of defenders to create an opening for himself and slammed the ball towards the far corner from the edge of the box, only to see the impressive visiting keeper Josh Selway parry the shot away for a corner.

Continuing to attack effectively along both flanks and directly through the middle the opening goal had to come, but a brave header by the last defender diverted a fine centre from Burns away for a corner with Luke Bloys poised to head home at the far post.

Attempts on goal were coming from all angles and Selway was proving to be the biggest obstacle.

After a perfect pass from Stefan Phillips it was Burns again who raced on to shoot past Selway but also just wide of the goal frame.

Following a few more near misses Minehead finally went ahead in the 25th minute when a defence splitting deft flick from Mike Graddon allowed Luke Bloys to fire an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Within a minute, however, the visitors were back on terms - Dan Fowler reacting expertly to a lofted pass by lobbing stand-in home keeper Darren Sherring from over 30 yards out.

Minehead re-applied the pressure and another subtle flick from Graddon saw Burns in another one on one with Selway, but this time his effort went fractionally high.

Early in the second half it was role reversal with Burns creating the opening for Graddon who fired another shot past the foot of the post.

Burns then found Bloys overlapping, but Selway was on this occasion too good, competently saving the midfielders’ effort.

The busy keeper then made an exceptional point blank save from Graddon’s powerful header after Burns had supplied the perfect cross.

With 20 minutes remaining and Minehead chasing all three points they sacrificed wide man Branden Simsek, another player to impress in his first start for several weeks, for the aerial power of Max Smith who had scored 11 times in three appearances in the reserve team.

Eventually Selway was beaten when a trademark Callum Barnfield run saw him draw the keeper out but his cross towards the waiting Graddon saw captain Nathan Price come to Clevedon’s rescue, heading over his own crossbar.

A piledriver from Burns cannoned off Selway’s chest as the visiting defence somehow stood firm, and with the game entering injury time Selway blocked another chance before Smith’s pass found substitute Rob Vickers, whose snap shot from close range was too high.

With Minehead pushing up, two late counter attacks saw Fowler miss half chances which could have given the visitors the points, but in the dying seconds Barnfield got behind the Clevedon defence yet again.

With Selway drawn out of his goal, it was Graddon who stole in at the far post to prod home from close range and finally break the visitors’ impressive resolve.

Minehead: Darren Sherring, Callum Barnfield, Matt Cracknell, Mike Mullen, Chris Newbold, Matty Ronan, Luke Bloys, Stefan Phillips, Mike Graddon, Guy Burns, Branden Simsek

Subs: Max Smith, Rob Vickers (both used), Grant Hodgson.

Gerry Hatrick Man of the Match: Callum Barnfield

Minehead, whose unbeaten run since mid-November now covers eight games including seven wins, face their stiffest test of the season to date on Saturday with a visit to league leaders Somerton.