WATCHET'S return to the bread and butter of league activity on Saturday saw them carry on their recent cup form by beating second-placed Cleeve West Town 2-1 at the Memorial Ground.

In energy-sapping conditions, the Red and Blacks kept their following on tenterhooks right to the end as they failed to take a number of chances - particularly in the second half - which would have provided a more comfortable winning margin.

Both teams deserve credit for their efforts and the football played on a heavy pitch which was always going to cut up, but Watchet generally had the edge and were worth the three points.

The visitors went home unhappy about the dismissal of their keeper midway through the second half for bringing down Robbie Hopkins in full flight, but the decision had little bearing on the final outcome.

Watchet had the first chance when Sean Kenny, back in for the injured Brian Hall, seized on some defensive hesitancy and, with the keeper out of his charge, tried his luck from 35 yards but was too high.

A quality move soon afterwards brought the home side the lead their early enterprise deserved.

Lee Nunn calmly sidestepped an opponent before picking out Hopkins near the edge of the area, he in turn supplied a penetrating first-time flick which Kenny latched onto, and this time the youngster made no mistake with a low shot into the corner from 12 yards.

Paul Raymond's angled drive was held by the keeper who also caught a header from Hopkins after Steve Wild had flicked on a cross from the left.

Wild's cross found Kenny at the far post, but he was off-target as Watchet couldn't find the reward of a second goal.

Steve Moore had had very little to do before Watchet's punishment arrived out of the blue with a Cleeve West equaliser.

There seemed little danger as the visitors broke on the right with few bodies in the area, but a speculative cross proved lethal as it sailed beyond Moore and dropped just inside the far upright.

Watchet looked distinctly wobbly for a spell before recovering sufficiently to regain the initiative and the lead prior to the interval.

Another well-constructed move ended with Kenny finding Steve Perkins inside the box to provide a toe poke finish to open his account for the season.

Early in the second half Watchet had a let-off when Mark Clausen's firmly hit backpass was well wide of Moore and struck the outside of a post.

It was the prelude to a string of chances which Watchet created — and missed — to put the issue beyond Cleeve's reach.

After Kenny had a firmly hit close-range shot well-saved, Wild might have recorded a hat-trick on a better day. Twice he screwed his shot wide of the goal and twice more he was thwarted by the keeper.

Following an altercation where Clausen was lucky to escape at the least a caution, came the sending off incident after Hopkins had gone through on his own from the halfway line.

Raymond burst through the middle only to fire over the top and a dangerous cross from Lawrence Monaghan went begging before the final whistle relieved home anxiety in near darkness, and at least Watchet had made the most of other postponements by moving up three places in the league table.

Watchet: S Moore, N Criddle, M Clausen, P Dorrington, L Monaghan, P Raymond, S Perkins, R Hopkins, L Nunn, S Wild, S Kenny; subs, D Allen, D Spence, D Ruddy.