YOU would be hard pressed to find a performance that was as Jekyll and Hyde as that put in by Taunton Town in the FA Trophy on Tuesday night.

Initially it looked like we were in for a Hallowe’en horror show, as Wimborne went ahead inside five minutes and the hosts were quite frankly dreadful for the opening quarter of an hour.

They were able to win back possession on halfway well enough, but it was as if the opposition half was protected by some kind of wizarding charm which caused Taunton’s players to forget how to play football.

The front three didn’t have a sniff in that opening spell, as balls forward went astray or were cut out by the visiting defence without breaking sweat.

The crowd murmured, and there was a plea of “don’t get frustrated” from Jamie Price after another move broke down.

But the fans – and indeed Price – need not have worried, as patience paid off and the chances started to come.

Taunton were 4-1 winners in the end, and deservedly so.

Their performance over the last 70 minutes or so was terrific, full of powerful running, intelligent passing and deadly finishing.

The midfield of Ryan Brett, Ollie Chamberlain and Harry Kite stood out for me, as they kept the ball on the ground and fed the frontmen with increasing regularity.

Kite looks like a real talent – quick, tidy on the ball and with an eye for goal – so Taunton have done well to extend his loan from Exeter City until February 1, 2020.

Bristol City loanee Zac Smith is nearing a return from injury, and will bolster those midfield options further.

Boss Rob Dray is keen to have players who are versatile, allowing him to tweak the team’s shape from game to game – 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2... and all the variations in between.

Taunton showed great improvement to win this match, with quickness of mind and deed coming through in the second half.

The question now is whether they can keep on improving as we head into November, as they aim to keep climbing that league table.