Minehead face Ashcott in latest Somerset League fixture

With Ashcott arriving at The Recreation Ground on level points with the league leaders and having already beaten The Blues in the league meeting at their Coronation Playing Fields Ground back at the tail end of August, Minehead will have known they were in for a difficult match, writes Brian Walder.

Further exasperated by the departure of manager Craig Carr in midweek it took a rallying effort from the former manager’s assistant Lee Hardick and senior player Michael Nields to make the managerial decisions from the bench.

Two first half goals in a five-minute period from the visitors compounded the situation further. Firstly, from a hotly disputed top line corner at the Queens Road end, Rufeo Taylor got his head to the perfectly executed flag kick to open their account, then a few minutes later his strike partner Ollie Luce tapped home a square ball across the six-yard box from the left-hand side for the second.

Top scorer Luce nearly made it three for the rampant visitors shortly afterwards, but Greg Turner made an excellent block with his foot, and shortly afterwards it took another important save from Turner to keep the deficit at two goals.

With Ashcott now looking in control of the game’s destiny, Minehead managed to rally for a period later in the half, and some good incisive attacks gave them encouragement. Toby Waghorn put Guy Burns through, but his right foot shot was dealt with by Ashcott keeper Will Pope.

Then closer to half time two runs from Ollie Prescott proved that they were not looking to be over-run. His first run ended with a right footed shot being tipped around the post for a corner by Pope, then, possibly the best Minehead opportunity of the half fell again to Prescott’s less favoured right foot but his effort from just inside the six yard line was not strong enough to beat Pope, who made a miraculous recovery to pick himself off floor after saving a “goal all the way” shot from outside of the box by Minehead’s influential midfielder Matty Ronan.

To their credit Minehead took the game to their hosts in the second half, when they enjoyed as much of the play as the visitors had enjoyed in the first half, and were unfortunate not to get a point from the game.

Tempers raised for a period midway through the half when rash challenges went in from both sides.

Burns was replaced by Michael Nield after seventy minutes and then a minute or so later Minehead thought they were back in serious contention when another long range Ronan effort came back off the foot of the post, and Fin Harran reacted the quickest to net from a few yards out before Pope had time to recover, however the club linesman flagged for a hotly debated offside decision against Harran, which the referee upheld.

The game thereby mirrored the fixture at Ashcott earlier in the season, a deserved two nil victory by the Mid-Somerset side with both goals being scored in the first half, and Luce being the most influential part of both games with his first half goals, having scored both in the 2-0 home win, and once at The Rec.

Ashcott remain on level points with Portishead Town Reserves, who have a superior goal difference.