Minehead 3-6 Yatton & Cleeve United

FREE-scoring promotion hopefuls Yatton took the lead after ten minutes when Gareth Gallop took advantage of a ricochet to fire home from fifteen yards.

Goalkeeper Toby Morris, normally a full back who boldly offered to play in goal with none of the clubs’ registered goalkeepers available, stood little chance.

Minehead had the ball in the net a few minutes moments later when Aaron Merry prodded home a cross come shot from Matt Trump which had beaten the keeper but was in an offside position.

In the next attack Olly Prescott cut inside his defender and curled an effort from the edge of the box inches too high that had looked destined for the top corner.

After half an hours’ play, with Minehead having looked likely to get back on terms, the visitors scored their second with from the penalty spot through Elliot Shipway, but The Blues came back well, and with the strong, cold wind behind them Ryan Wilkins appeared the last to touch the ball in a cluttered goalmouth from a corner to half the deficit.  

Known for their wily, streetwise style of play, Yatton edged further in front towards the end of the first half through a header from Cam Doddimead.

Launching an onslaught on The Blues defence at the start of the second half, Minehead struggled against the bitter swirling wind they were now facing, and the game was taken away from their reach by goals from James Bird, who headed home from a corner, Tommy Wellings, who burst through the centre of the defence to slot past the exposed keeper, then Bobby Archard used the strong wind expertly to beat Morris from 25 yards to make it six.

To their credit the hosts had another good spell during the final quarter and after the promising seventeen-year-old defender Bertie Harvey-Larmar had scored his first goal from the club with a well hit shot into the top corner from fifteen yards out, Guy Burns scored the third with a classy finish with his right foot.  

The Blues looked the most likely to score again, but the visitors had more than enough to win the game by a scoreline that maybe slightly flattered them.

Minehead: Toby Morris, Bertie Harvey-Larmar, Ryan Wilkins, Rob Vickers, Mike Graddon, James Browning, Matt Trump, Hubi Wejnerowski, Aaron Merry, Guy Burns, Olly Prescott
Subs: Dan Vickers (Used).

The man of the match was awarded to Guy Burns for Minehead.

Minehead have no game this Saturday, followed by an away game on Saturday 25th March.