TABLE toppers Minehead made very hard work of winning 2-1 at basement club St George Easton in Gordano in the premier division of the Errea County league yesterday.

Minehead started the match looking for goals against a side who had conceded 33 times in their seven previous games.

The Blues went close in the opening minutes when Martyn Phillips connected with Luke Webber’s cross but the ball was directed inches wide with the home keeper beaten.

But the Minehead were not having things all their own way and shortly afterwards central defender Paul Smyth needed to head a goal-bound lob from Stu Packham off the goal-line.

Aaron Deeks guided the ball just over the bar from a Luke Bloys cross, but then Minehead keeper Kyran Wilkins prevented the home team from taking the lead when he blocked a close range effort.

Marauding defender Matt Cracknell needed replacing by teenage substitute Mike Graddon after a challenge had left the player hobbling with an ankle injury after just 23 minutes, then Deeks saw another effort come to nothing, this time when his shot was defected for a corner.

Then another chance went begging when a fine run by Webber including a slick one-two with Deeks left the winger through on goal but his first shot was parried and from the rebound the ball hit the outside of the post and went wide. Minehead did get the ball in the net in their next attack, but Deeks’ strike after a melee was ruled out for an offside infringement.

After 33 minutes Scott Jones saw red - and having taken two full blooded kicks at Luke Bloys’ body and then his head while he was on the ground - was dismissed for his actions.

Facing 10 men Minehead wrongly thought their task had become easier, and their play became more disjointed.

The unthinkable, but seemingly quite likely then happened when defender Paul Smyth gave keeper Kyran Wilkins a tentative back pass to deal with. The keeper's response was even more tentative when instead of clearing the ball from danger he attempted a cute pass back to the defender. The ball went under his foot allowing Gordano’s impressive striker Matt Lacey to latch onto the ball and slot into an empty net to put the ten man home side ahead.

Martyn Phillips managed to wriggle past two defenders but his shot was on target but well parried by Phillip Maulder in the home goal, who was increasingly becoming a thorn in the blues’ side. The half ended with another run from Webber whose shot on goal was diverted over the bar by a defender.

The second half saw Minehead playing up the slope, but largely failing to capitalise on the extra man, and at times you could have thought due to the extra effort and commitment being shown by the home team, that it was Minehead with fewer players. Another half chance came from another Luke Webber run, but the blues’ strike force kept firing blanks.

With 20 minutes remaining substitute Lee Todd came on for midfielder Ross Addicott as the Blues threw at least four into the attack, but still no equaliser appeared despite the ball coming back off the post following another melee from a corner. A Martyn Phillips run into the heart of the box appeared to have won the blues a penalty when he was upended but the referee was having nothing of it.

Throughout all the Minehead attacking, the home side still managed to threaten the Minehead goal with the pacey Matt Lacey being the biggest cause for concern, but then finally, with less than five minutes remaining, after another chance had fallen to Martyn Phillips, it was substitute Mike Graddon who shot home from 12 yards out to level the scores.

Then, from an inch perfect Mike Graddon centre, veteran striker Lee Todd swivelled to volley a superb left footed shot into the bottom corner, to salvage three points from a game that five minutes earlier was going to earn Minehead nothing.

The Blues must learn that being at the top of the league, they are the team all others want to beat, and that to stay there, far more consistency and composure in front of goal is required. The strikers will understandably say that they peppered the home goal with shots, but thank fully two substitutes saved the day.

Minehead: K Wilkins, C Newbold, M Cracknell, P Smyth, M Mullen, R Addicott, S Phillips, L Bloys, M Phillips, A Deeks, L Webber.

Subs: M Graddon (3,26), L Todd (6,70), R Hopkins, (Not Used).