IN AN effort to catch up on games, Minehead travelled to Wellington for the second time this season for a reversed fixture and came away with an 8-1 victory to maintain their unbeaten record in the Under 16 section of the Somerset Girls Football League.

In an evenly contested opening 20 minutes, the game remained tight, and Minehead rarely broke through. It was evident that Wellington were growing in confidence; however, a sucker punch in the form of a jinking run followed by a powerful shot into the top corner from skipper Erin broke the deadlock!

Minehead, in their elation of finding a goal, then seemingly switched off as immediately a long ball caused problems in the Minehead box, which allowed the Wellington striker to nip in and equalise.

This in fact galvanised the Blues as they ramped up the gears and took the game to Wellington. With Lilly orchestrating the play from midfield, it looked inevitable Minehead would regain the lead. After a looped ball from Lilly, she found Erin on the left. This allowed for a rehearsed play to come to fruition. Jaz lurking on the edge of the area patiently waited for a ball from Erin. Once found, there was only one outcome in her current form. A perfectly placed shot underneath the crossbar gave Minehead the lead.

Supporters then would soon be forgiven for experiencing déjà vu as the ball fell to Jaz once again. The outcome was exactly the same as Jaz bagged her second of the game. Near half-time, striker Mabel routinely got her name on the scoresheet as the whistle sounded with Minehead leading 4-1.

The second half started in complete contrast to the first; Minehead now totally dominant with Bontia, Izzy, Lucy, and Alana solid in defence with Lilly and Charlotte working hard in the midfield, linking brilliantly with the forwards. Chance creation was now in free flow for Minehead as they overwhelmed the Wellington defence time and time again.

It was Mabel who fully took advantage of this spell for Minehead as the prolific striker bagged her fifth hat-trick of the season with two quick-fire goals. Mabel time and time again split the defence with her pace and finished brilliantly to give Minehead a resounding lead.

The game at 6-1 was effectively over as the match entered its final stages. Emily deputising in goal did a great job in collecting through balls from Wellington to keep her team’s strong defensive record intact. There was time for two more special moments in the game, and they belonged to Minehead.

Firstly, Mabel got her 4th of the game after displaying unbelievable strength, balance, and power as she battled her way through to produce a cultured toe-poke finish inside the near post. Following this, the emphatic victory for Minehead was signed, sealed, and delivered by Evie. In typical fashion, the winger showed no signs of fatigue after a trademark hardworking performance on the right.

After a through ball, Evie found herself powering down the right wing. As she approached the box, she’d have been forgiven for trying to get closer to simplify the finish. Evie had different ideas and struck the sweetest of strikes into the far top left corner, leaving supporters and her teammates in utter astonishment! A rocket for a goal to break through the 70-goal barrier for Minehead this season.