MINEHEAD Falcons Under 12 footballers made the trek to Wedmore to take on a team which has always provided tough competition - and came away with a 4-0 victory to top Division One in the Taunton Youth League.
Wedmore dominated play early on and kept Minehead penned in their own half, gaining a number of corners. With the home team having a greater physical presence, and with the pitch being a substantial size Minehead knew they were in for a tough match.
Wedmore kept the Minehead keeper Jack Lomax on his toes and he had a make an outstanding save to keep the visitors on level terms. However, with a very solid and convincing display from the defensive line of George Gardener, Olly Hill and Oscar Cox the Falcons still looked comfortable as the game progressed. All three were solid in the tackle and weren’t beaten by the player they were marking throughout the game.
Then half way through the first half Minehead had a breakaway opportunity which led to a great cross from Seb Matcham which was very neatly dispatched with a first time finish from Jake Ely to break the deadlock and put the visitors ahead.
This goal seemed to settle Minehead and they grew into the game, with an excellent and energetic performance in the middle of the park by Barney Langdon and Charlie Ely, who started to dictate the game and generate a flurry of chances.
A free kick led to a great strike from Charlie Ely that was initially saved by the keeper but Seb Matcham was on hand to tuck the ball into the net and make it 2-0 to Minehead, which was how it remained at the interval.
The second half saw Minehead keep more structure and move themselves far higher up the pitch. Great work down both wings by Jack Sewell and Arthur Hill provided Minehead with greater opportunities to pinch another.
In the end Minehead gained their rewards as a lovely sweeping four-pass move from one side to the other, started with Jack Sewell and led to Roman Davis dispatching a great finish and giving Minehead a comfortable 3-0 lead.
In the last five minutes Olly Hill went on a strong and skilful run which led him to a goal scoring opportunity which he finished from the edge of the box with a great strike to make the final score 4-0, making it four wins out of four in the league this season.
Despite some fabulous saves from Jack Lomax in goal, man of the match went to Oscar Cox for his very impressive performance at the back. Minehead: Jack Lomax, Olly Hill, George Gardener, Oscar Cox, Jake Ely, Charlie Ely, Barney Langdon, Roman Davis, Arthur Hill, Jack Sewell, Seb Matcham.