WATCHET Town completed the season's double over lowly Castle Cary with a 5-0 home win in the first division of the Uhlsport Somerset County Football League at a windswept Memorial Ground.
The relegation-threatened visitors did not help their own cause by having a player sent off early on when the score was already 1-0.
The home side had not created much before taking the lead when the Cary keeper hesitated in coming off his line to meet Aerron Clausen's pass forward and Billy Jones took advantage to take the ball around him and put the ball into the empty net. Watchet's main threat in the first half came from Riley Willis on their left, but they were unable to make the best use of his good work on more than one occasion.
Experienced midfielder Brad Pike then gave his team a mountain to climb when his over the top tackle on Eben Harding led to the referee showing him a straight red card. Watchet lost their way for a while after this but increased their lead when Brandon Walsh stole into the area to beat the keeper with an angled ground shot into the far corner. It was 3-0 when Jay Darrell advanced to try his luck and when his sliced effort caught up in the wind Alfie Cox returned it into the goalmouth for Jones to lunge in and score with a header. Cox then had a shot cleared off the line before sending a good chance over the bar before halftime arrived.
The second half was a bit of a formality with home keeper Adam Bishop virtually a spectator with the wind at his back and Cary seeking damage limitation. When Adam Jefferies directed the ball back across the six-yard box Cox tapped in to make it 4-0 and after missed chances Jefferies completed the nap hand with a 20-yard free kick arrowed into the top corner.
Fellow-substitute Josh Aspey had three one-on-one opportunities only to send the first wide, have the second blocked by the keeper and then struck the base of the far post before Jefferies, Eddie Townsend and Charley and Aerron Clausen were also off-target as the final score remained 5-0 and the Red & Blacks stay second in the table having stretched their unbeaten run since before Christmas to 14 matches - a record which has kept them in the title race.
Watchet Town: Adam Bishop, Aerron Clausen, Charley Clausen, Eben Harding, Jay Darrell, Kieran Bailey, Brandon Walsh, Eddie Townsend, Alfie Cox, Billy Jones, Riley Willis. Subs: Adam Jefferies, Josh Aspey, Connor Jeromson, Lewis Rogers, Ali Harrison (all used).
Watchet's A & P Farmer man of the match was Eddie Townsend.