WATCHET Town were again on the wrong end of high-scoring game when they went down 7-3 to high-flying leaders Ilminster Town in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Somerset County Football League at the Memorial Ground.

As opposed to the previous week the Red & Blacks had a good first half during which they held a 3-1 lead at one stage before falling away after the interval when they conceded four goals without reply.

After Billy Jones had made space for a shot early on which he put wide the visitors were gifted the advantage when they scored from near the halfway line for the second time this season at Watchet as a centrally taken free kick bounced in the area and ended up in the net with nobody getting a touch.

The Red & Blacks were soon back on level terms as the impressive Riley Willis cut through to play a one-two with Olly Prescott before tucking his shot wide of the keeper.

When the referee spotted an infringement following a home corner Billy Jones put his side in front from the penalty spot despite the keeper getting both hands to the ball.

It was 3-1 when an underhit backpass saw Jones win his duel with the advancing keeper and shrug off his attempts to pull him down - which resulted in a yellow card - before calmly finding the empty net from an angled distance.

A deflected free kick and another huge mix-up led to Ilminster drawing level at 3-3 after looking more than a little rattled before Jones went close again and Kieran Bailey had a volley safely held.

Once Phillips had made it 4-3 to the visitors after a swift transition following a free kick at the other end the confident tabletoppers never looked back. The same player headed a fifth goal as all the things Watchet had done well earlier in proceedings went out of the window.

Keeper Vinnie Jones clawed another effort away from the top corner onto a post and made two other fine stops - one with an outstretched boot - while Ilminster's keeper did well to turn away a deflected shot from Prescott.

The visitors showed their ruthless credentials by exposing some gaping holes in the Watchet rearguard to add two more as they turned things completely around to consolidate their league position and leave their hosts in trouble.

Watchet: Adam Jones, Josh Aspey, Charley Clausen, Ali Harrison, Jay Darrell, Kieran Bailey, Connor Jeromson, Olly Prescott, Harvey Henderson, Billy Jones, Riley Willis. Subs: Aiden Buller, Alfie Cox, Riley Pope & Tommy Robinson (all used). A & P Farmer MOM was Riley Willis.

*Watchet’s defeat - their 11th in the league this season - left them second from bottom with only seven points from 14 matches.