Taunton Town 0-2 Royston Town
TAUNTON Town will go in to the second leg of the Southern League Cup Final after losing the home leg earlier this week 0-2 against Royston Town.
After the match, manager Rob Dray slammed the Pitching In Southern League for forcing a two-leg final in the middle of a very important part of the season.
"To be quite honest about it, this is not our priority, even though it is nice to be in a cup final and the crowd was incredible tonight, it was not our priority.
"We haven't got 20/21 players like some of these bigger squads with these bigger resource centres.
"We tried to get a one-legged final, it has made it very very difficult, it is like the league want to hamstring you.
"To play a two-legged final, who's ever heard of that?"
There was heavy rotation within Taunton's team for this match, a number of players were rested and also a few are still out with injury.
Taunton started the match fairly well but they were hit on the counter in the fifth minute and Brooklyn Ilunga blasted home a shot into the top corner of Conor Sidley-Adams net to make it 0-1 to the visitors.
The Peacocks were flattened by the goal and for the minutes that followed they struggled to create many chances themselves.
Jared Lewington came closest to scoring when he shot from the edge of the box and forced a save from the Royston keeper.
In the 36th minute, star man Ross Stearn went down injured and was screaming in agony on the pitch; he was replaced by Gethyn Hill and was then taken to hospital for treatment on a dislocated shoulder.
Then in the final minutes of normal time in the first half, Royston broke away again and Matthew Bateman this time finished in the top corner to make it 0-2.
In the second half Taunton pressed higher up the pitch and were back in control of possession.
For the rest of the game Royston defended stubbornly as Taunton pushed for goals, they created chances through Gethyn Hill, Lewington and Lloyd James.
But the visitors had completed their job of travelling in the first leg and getting a result.
The two away goals make things seem bleak for Taunton in the second leg - which is set for next Tuesday night in Royston, kick off is 7.45pm.
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