DESPITE being well below their best, Watchet chalked up another three points on Saturday when they defeated Peasedown Athletic 3-1 at the Memorial Ground.

The visitors had the game's better chances and but for some fine saves from Steve Moore and weak finishing, the outcome might have been different.

For the second home match running Watchet's passing left much to be desired and a scrappy encounter ensued.

Having held tabletoppers Welton Rovers Reserves to a draw the week before, Peasedown were never going to be easy opponents, but the home side did not do much to help their own cause.

The visitors' direct style posed problems throughout for Watchet's defence, and Moore was called into action before standing his ground well when confronted by a Peasedown forward who was clean through and then making an important save which Watchet capitalised on by going straight to the other end to take the lead.

There seemed little danger when Lee Nunn broke down the middle, but once he had blocked an attempted clearance he made the most of the opportunity to score his first senior goal for Watchet with a perfectly struck 20 yarder low into the corner of the net with the keeper rooted to the spot.

There were more timely saves from Moore in similar situations to his first, and Peasedown also struck the top of the bar with a long range effort prior to the home side adding a second goal before half-time.

The busy Robbie Hopkins sprung Peasedown's massed attempt at an offside trap by pushing the ball through for Nunn to outpace his marker and calmly cross inside for Paul Raymond to apply another decisive finish with a first time shot from ten yards.

The Watchet goal survived some more narrow escapes either side of the interval as the home team seemed reluctant to stamp their authority on the game.

Steve Perkins curled a shot narrowly wide before Peasedown squandered two reasonable chances to cut the arrears with tame efforts on goal, and then Moore thwarted them once more.

Midway through the half the almost inevitable happened when the visitors finally found the mark from close range as Watchet failed to clear a free kick from the left.

This set up a nerve racking finale for the home support, but at least the Red and Blacks were defending better this half.

Steve Wild shot tamely at the keeper and substitute Gary Parsons twice went close to scoring as Watchet were unable to give themselves any breathing space by regaining their two-goal cushion until the final minute of the match.

It was Raymond who made an incisive run into the box to collect a weighted pass inside and his backheel set up Wild for a shot which spun into the net off the keeper's body to ensure the three points which take Watchet a few places up the league table.

Watchet: S Moore, L Monaghan, D Spence, A Milton, P Dorrington, L Nunn, R Hopkins, P Raymond, S Perkins, S Wild, S Kenny, subs, N Criddle, G Parsons, N Sully.

l Watchet's consistency level will be tested again tomorrow when they visit high-scoring Long Sutton.