TAUNTON Town have extended their unbeaten league run to 21 matches and their lead at the top of the Evo-Stik Southern League West table to 13 points.

It means that the current Peacocks outfit have inched past the FA Vase-winning team of 2000/2001, who went 20 league games without loss.

They still have a bit to go to pass the record of the previous season, as Russell Musker's side went 23 games unbeaten in the 1999/2000 Western League.

Last Saturday saw Town edge past Swindon Supermarine 1-0, and on Tuesday night they shared the spoils with Bideford after a 1-1 draw.

The hosts were without Ben Adelsbury, Les Afful and Pierce Mitchell for the latter match but still they could well have won it, as Dan Sullivan gave them the lead.

But several good opportunities were squandered, captain Matt Wright seeing two headers come back off the woodwork, and Ben Seymour levelled for the visitors with a penalty.

Manager Leigh Robinson said: “We were leading and on top, and if we’d made it 2-0 then it’s a different game, but then a mistake lets them back in.

“It was frustrating given the chances we missed.”

Regardless of whether it was two points dropped against Bideford, the league table registers it as a point gained, as it was a game in hand over second-placed Salisbury – so the gap between them is now 13 points.

“It was a bonus game for us, with a lot of games still to play,” said Robinson.

“It keeps our unbeaten run going, which is a big positive.”

They will look to stretch that proud league record to 22 tomorrow, with a trip to Oxfordshire side North Leigh (ko 3pm).

Robinson expects Adelsbury to be fit for the weekend after an ankle injury, with Afful also returning after being unavailable on Tuesday.

Mitchell is likely to remain sidelined after suffering a groin strain against Supermarine.

Hosts North Leigh are way down in 19th, fourth from bottom, following six straight defeats, but the Peacocks will need to be wary.

They lost 1-0 in their final league match of 2016/17, as Roger James’ goal consigned Taunton to an away playoff semi-final at Tiverton Town, where their promotion dreams ended.

Taunton and North Leigh met at the Viridor Stadium back in September, and the Peacocks won 1-0 as Adelsbury scored one penalty and missed another.

Robinson said: “North Leigh are always a very good team, so I’m not sure what’s happened this season [with results].

“They play good football and on their day they’re a team who can hurt you.

“We will approach it as we would any other game.”

On Tuesday, February 27, the Peacocks travel to face another one of the league’s strugglers, Barnstaple Town (ko 7.45pm).

The match against the Devon side, currently 21st in the table, was postponed from January 20 due to a waterlogged pitch.