WATCHET notched up their first away win of the season on Saturday when two first half goals without reply gave them victory over Welton Rovers Reserves.
Before the interval Watchet produced some of their best football of the season to date, even if they had to defend in numbers for much of the second half.
The fact that Welton only included two or three of their Western League line-up in their squad was offset by the absence of captain Mark Clausen, who was serving a seven-day suspension, and Steve Wild, on shift, from Watchet's side.
It therefore required a fine, battling team performance from the visitors which deservedly secured all three points.
The Red and Blacks began with urgency and were soon pressing down the slope with some neat attacking moves, with Dave Ridge heavily involved.
They received the tonic of an early lead when Ridge and newcomer Darren Lyons combined to charge down an attempted clearance, allowing Ridge to break clear and shoot low past the advancing keeper.
Further Watchet goals might have followed with Lyons showing his pace to burst free, only to shoot off-target, and then Nick Criddle's first touch from Ridge's telling pass took the ball too far away from him, allowing the keeper to come off his line and smother the shot.
Robbie Hopkins' instinctive stab shot was saved before Watchet struck for a second time in similar fashion with Lyons the beneficiary of sloppiness in the home ranks, and he marked his debut with a well-taken goal.
Lawrence Monaghan stepped forward from his defensive role to strike a crossfield pass which Criddle this time controlled admirably, but the keeper was equal to his sidefooted shot with a diving save.
Having been partially let off the hook, Welton came much more into it up to half-time, forcing a few scrambles from corners, and they almost benefited from some misunderstanding in Watchet's defence.
The nearest they went to reducing the deficit was when Steve Moore plunged full length to turn away Minall's curled free kick from the edge of the box.
Twice Welton went close to turning in crosses at the start of the second half and they proceeded to waste a couple of other chances with some questionable finishing as Moore rushed off his line to hurry them.
On the break Ridge went within inches of making it 3-0 when his 20 yarder beat the keeper but went behind off the outside foot of the near upright.
It was a brief respite for Watchet as the home team stepped up the pressure and were encamped in their opponents' territory for long periods.
Well-marshalled by Monaghan, with Dave Spence, Dave Ruddy and Pat Dorrington winning more than their share of duels and Paul Raymond and Sam Lobley working hard in tracking back, Watchet soaked up everything Welton could throw at them in their determination to hang on to three very welcome points.
Watchet: S Moore, S Lobley, D Spence, L Monaghan, D Ruddy, P Dorrington, P Raymond, N Criddle, D Ridge, D Lyons, R Hopkins, subs, W Merrick, B Saddington, N Sully.
l Tomorrow Watchet begin another sequence of home games when they are hosts to third-in-the-table Backwell United Reserves (ko 3 p.m.).