WATCHET made a shocking start to their new campaign when they were handed a footballing lesson from the university students of Team Bath with a 5-1 drubbing.

On a hot opening afternoon the Red and Blacks were outplayed by their youthful opponents who were quicker, more comfortable on the ball and very well drilled in an impressive showing.

As in last season's corresponding encounter the only real surprise was that the scoresheet remained blank at the half-time interval as Team Bath enjoyed the lion's share of the possession without creating more clear chances.

Watchet struggled to put more than a couple of passes together in any one move and did not knit closely enough as a unit.

It was abundantly obvious that Bath had worked hard in their leisure hours on set pieces and they caused the visitors numerous problems from a host of corner kicks.

Watchet survived some narrow escapes as a result of some wasteful finishing, a long range drive being tipped over at full stretch by Steve Moore and Mark Clausen making an important last-ditch tackle.

Watchet threatened when a cross-shot from Robbie Hopkins went past the far post and the same player crossed low into the area just too far ahead of the incoming Wayne Merrick.

Right on half-time the Red and Blacks almost took the lead against the run of play following a corner, when the home keeper let a routine effort from Richie Rich slip through his hands and onto the bar before being cleared.

Two sloppily conceded goals inside as many minutes soon after the restart put the students firmly in control, but Watchet could have few complaints at their demise.

When they failed to clear their lines following a corner the ball was scrambled home and then a shot from the edge of the area took a wicked deflection over Moore and dropped into the net.

Hopkins clipped another angled shot inches wide of the far upright after a pass from Steve Wild found him inside the penalty area before the Bath side made it 3-0 with less than an hour gone when a left wing cross was flicked on and forced in at the far post.

Within minutes Watchet had reduced the deficit when Matt Cox challenged for a monster throw-in by John Harris and Wild hooked a volley on the turn into the corner of the net from 12 yards.

Wild and Rich combined but good defending denied Hopkins, and Mike Jones was also unable to get in a clean strike after showing good control as Watchet briefly shaped to get back into the game before normal service was resumed.

A Watchet free kick was cleared straight back into their own half and they were caught out by the sucker punch as Bath comfortably regained their three-goal advantage.

The home side continued to switch play and find team-mates with consummate ease, and the pace of their movement ripped Watchet apart at will.

A visiting upright was struck before the scoring was completed just before the end when a student had all the time in the world to pick his spot with a curler into the corner of the net from 20 yards.

Watchet: S Moore, D Spence, M Clausen, G Trunks, J Harris, W Merrick, M Jones, M Cox, R Rich, R Hopkins, S Wild; subs, B Saddington and N Sully.

l Matt Cox joins Andrew Woodward, Nick Criddle, Lawrence Monaghan and long-term injury victim Paul Raymond on Watchet's unavailable list for tomorrow's much shorter trip to Winscombe.