WELL, it was nice while it lasted.

Taunton Town held top spot in the Premier Division South table from Saturday night until Tuesday, thanks to their win over Gosport Borough.

But while James Forrest was tearing up trees for Eck McLeish’s Tartan Army on Tuesday evening, Weymouth had the temerity to come from behind and beat Salisbury, leapfrogging the Peacocks.

Ben Thomson’s late winner for the Terras leaves the top three very nicely poised ahead of Salisbury’s visit to the Viridor Stadium next Wednesday.

Just three points separate the league’s leading trio, and should Hendon, Merthyr Town and Harrow Borough win their games in hand, it will be even tighter at the summit.

I’m sure Taunton fans will have been devastated to read about Tiverton’s 5-1 loss at Merthyr on Tuesday night; the Welsh club are serious play-off contenders.

As are Poole Town and Metropolitan Police, despite them being 10 points behind the Peacocks.

They both hold three games in hand on the top three teams, and both have recorded wins over Taunton this season.

It’s just as closely-fought at the bottom of the division, with Dorchester Town dropping into the relegation zone but only five points away from mid-table.

Rob Dray loves to say “there are no easy games in this league”, and he’s right: every team, on their day, can trouble any of the others.

So the addition of Steve Perkins to the Taunton coaching set-up, to work on those ‘marginal gains’, could well prove a smart move.

If he can get an extra few per cent out of the players, it could well prove the difference between gaining a play-off spot and just missing out.

What might also help, with big home games with Salisbury, Tiverton and Weymouth on the horizon, would be bigger crowds cheering the Peacocks on.

The atmosphere for the Billericay FA Cup tie was fantastic, but otherwise the attendances could certainly have been better, especially given the attacking football the team is playing at the moment.

A big turnout this coming Wednesday would be a good place to start.