Evo-Stik Southern League West
Taunton Town 5, Larkhall Athletic 2

TWO goals apiece from Dan Sullivan and Craig Veal, and another from Les Afful, were enough for Taunton Town to see off a dogged Larkhall Athletic side and move 13 points clear at the top of the league standings.

The visitors more than played their part in an end-to-end contest at the Viridor Stadium on Saturday, with the final score somewhat flattering the Peacocks, who will have certainly known they were in a battle.

Josh Nelmes and Toby Down came into the hosts' starting XI, with Keith Emmerson on holiday and Pierce Mitchell fit enough only for the bench, while Veal kept his place after scoring at Barnstaple on Tuesday.

The last league meeting between the sides at the Viridor Stadium finished 10-2 to Taunton, and they only took two minutes to open the scoring here.

Skipper Matt Wright flicked the ball on, Veal raced away down the right, and his cross evaded a couple of defenders before Sullivan took a touch and coolly found the bottom corner.

But the visitors were not going to lie down, and they enjoyed a spell of pressure that saw them win three corners in quick succession, but there was no end product.

Larkhall looked a better side than their 14th position in the league would suggest, with Aysa Corrick a constant menace up front, but both sides could only create half-chances, largely tame shots that the goalkeepers easily gathered.

Veal and Sullivan were linking up well for the hosts, while Wright found Ollie Chamberlain with a clever outside-of-the-boot pass, but the shot was just wide.

The visitors always looked dangerous though, and the Peacocks were punished for not finding a second goal when the Larks equalised on 38 minutes.

Right-back John Elliott surged forward from inside his own half, skipped past Down's challenge, and fizzed his shot low across Lloyd Irish and into the bottom corner.

The away side ended the first half on top, and they should have taken the lead at the start of the second, as Corrick and Greg Peel broke two-on-one with only Ben Adelsbury back for Town.

But Corrick was unselfish when he probably should have shot, passing to Peel, whose poor game in front of goal was never more obvious than it was here, as he shanked his effort wide.

If that was a potential turning point, it was followed by a bolt from the blue from Sullivan, who collected Nuno Felix's throw-in, turned and hit a blistering effort into the top corner from 25 yards in the 63rd minute.

Afful and Matt Buse had been introduced just before Sullivan's strike, and the former wasted a good chance, poking tamely at Shaun Semmens from just a few yards out.

But he made no mistake on 74 minutes, as he got onto Ryan Brett's free-kick, had several bites at the cherry, but eventually slid the ball home.

That was the first of three goals in just five minutes, as Mike Baker headed home a free-kick at one end to pull one back for the visitors on 77 minutes, but from the kick-off the Peacocks went on the attack and Veal tucked in Sullivan's cross in the 79th minute.

Larkhall, to their credit, didn't give up, but several long-range efforts came to nothing, and in the 88th minute the hosts broke well, Buse winning the ball and Sullivan finding Veal, who cantered through the middle, rounded Semmens, and slipped the ball in for his second goal.

There was still time for away substitute Alex Lambert to hit the post, but the 5-2 win saw the Peacocks stretch their lead at the top of the table to 13 points, with nearest challengers Salisbury being pegged back by a last-minute equaliser at Bideford.

Next up for Taunton - now 25 league games unbeaten - is the visit of Wimborne Town on Tuesday (ko 7.45pm).

Taunton Town: Lloyd Irish, Shane White, Nuno Felix, Ben Adelsbury, Josh Nelmes (Les Afful 58), Toby Down, Ollie Chamberlain (Matt Buse 58), Ryan Brett, Matt Wright (c) (Alpha Sow 90), Dan Sullivan, Craig Veal.
Substitutes (not used): Pierce Mitchell, Michael Meaker.
Attendance: 555.