WATCHET Town’s struggles continued when they were beaten 4-1 by Stockwood Wanderers in the Premier Division of the Uhlsport Somerset County League at the Memorial Ground.

As a result the Red & Blacks have slipped back into the bottom three with an upturn in performances and fortunes required sooner rather than later.

Stockwood gave early indications that they were a stronger outfit than the one which Watchet knocked out of the Senior Cup at the beginning of September and they took the lead when Jay Darrell's challenge inside the box was deemed to be unfair and returning keeper Vinnie Jones went the wrong way from the spot kick.

Parity was restored when another Red & Black back in action, Charley Clausen, flicked the ball on for Josh Aspey to supply the pass which freed Billy Jones to apply a clinical finish with an angled left foot shot out of the keeper's reach.

This seemed to breathe a degree of confidence into the home side only for it to be dented again when the Bristol side went back in front. The visitors posed problems with some well-delivered corner kicks throughout and an inswinger from the right was powerfully headed home from inside the 6-yard box with keeper Jones appealing in vain that he had been impeded.

A visiting player then missed an absolute sitter with a completely open goal gaping from point blank range before the interval arrived with Watchet feeling they were still well in the hunt.

It never really proved to be the case, however, as their second half showing was not much better than the previous week and the visitors squandered three reasonable opportunities to put the issue to bed before the hour mark with Watchet in disarray.

The home side were also finding it difficult to create anything going forward and when Stockwood did find the net with another header from a right wing cross it was virtually game over. Apart from a couple of long range efforts which went straight to the keeper Watchet failed to muster much in reply.

They did appear to have justifiable claims for a penalty of their own turned down, however, when Billy Jones was taken down inside the area, but the referee saw it otherwise and a chance to make the later stages interesting did not materialise. To add salt to Watchet's wounds a fourthh goal from Stockwood gave the final scoreline an emphatic slant with a third headed goal, to leave the home side with more questions than answers.

Watchet Town: Adam Jones, Lewis Rogers, Ali Harrison, Eben Harding, Jay Darrell, Kieran Bailey, Charley Clausen, Olly Prescott, Josh Aspey, Billy Jones, Alfie Lyons. Subs: Riley Willis, Harvey Henderson, Alfie Cox and Riley Pope (all used).