FOOTBALL: Short rescues a point for Taunton Town (From This is The West Country)

FOOTBALL: Short rescues a point for Taunton Town

8:52pm Sunday 24th February 2013 in Sport

A FINE equaliser from Jamie Short nine minutes from time gave Taunton Town a 1-1 draw with Abingdon United at Wordsworth Drive yesterday in a contest which did little to warm the crowd on a bitterly cold afternoon, writes Andy Power.

With influential wing man Craig Herrod having failed a fitness test, Jamie Beasley reverted to a wide role, allowing a debut to former Torquay United midfielder Clay Bond who has signed from Teignmouth, and it was Bond who had the clearest chance during a totally forgettable first half.

After Simon Ingram’s attempted angled chip had earlier been held, the Taunton captain delivered a cross from the right which Bond headed over from a decent position.

Grant Fisher at the opposite end had little to do apart from gather a free kick before Mark James could pounce.

Town were caught napping five minutes into the second period when Toby Nowell was allowed too much space down the left and from his cross, Aaron Woodley converted from close range to give Abingdon the lead.

Shortly after, Matthew Biddle took advantage of a defensive slip by Owen Irish to advance but hammered his shot across the face of goal and wide.

Taunton then began to thaw out as they tried to get back on level terms. Attacking the Town end, an Ingram free kick was saved by James Foster who also denied Carl Cliff Brown from six yards after he had been played in by Rodney Marsh.

When Irish’s header from Ingram’s free kick smacked against the crossbar and flew over, it appeared it was not going to be Town’s day but they huffed and puffed and eventually blew the Abingdon front door down, but not the house. Moments after Marsh had fired across the area with no-one able to apply a finishing touch, Short arrowed a dipping volley over Foster from outside the box to notch his third goal of the season on 81 minutes.

Taunton could not make a further breakthrough and with Andy Robertson prominent at the back for Town, the visitors offered little after they scored.

The game ended on a sour note when United’s Chris Baker was shown a straight red card during stoppage time after a lunging challenge on Shane Kingston.

However there was no time to take advantage of the extra man as the Peacocks missed out on the opportunity of overhauling the Oxfordshire outfit in the table.

Taunton: Grant Fisher, Jamie Short, Alex Jeannin, Owen Irish, Andy Robertson, Shane Kingston, Clay Bond (Ed Weeks 77), Simon Ingram (captain), Carl Cliff Brown, Rodney Marsh, Jamie Beasley (John Harris 53). Unused subs: Rob Norrish, Craig Herrod, Raith Plant Abingdon: James Foster, Chris Baker, Paul Taplin, Mark James, Gareth Thomas (captain), Tom Melledew, Toby Nowell (Nicky Christodoulou 77), Gianluca Riccio (Carl Evans 61), Aaron Woodley, Matthew Biddle, Stephen Davis . Unused sub: Sam Tucker.

Referee: Tony Cloak (Barnstaple).

Assistants: Philip Milton (Watchet), Michael Curtis (Bideford).

Attendance: 165.