MINEHEAD Under 12 Blues played away to Staplegrove - and put up a spirited fight before losing 3-0.

Minehead began the brighter of the sides, moving the ball forward with intent. Early on, forward Oaklen drove through midfield but couldn’t get enough power behind his strike. Midfielder George soon followed with a positive run, though the move fizzled out before a clear chance developed.

Staplegrove, playing with the bare nine after several players were ruled out that morning due to illness, showed resilience. A dangerous run at goal forced Minehead keeper Lou into a perfectly timed charge from his line to smother the effort. Shortly after, defender Henry was perfectly positioned on the line to clear away another Staplegrove attempt.

At the other end, Oaklen produced a superb through ball that midfielder Finley agonisingly failed to connect with. George tested the keeper again, and another pass just eluded Finley. Staplegrove responded with a driven effort that went wide. Midfielder Leon weaved brilliantly through midfield and slipped a pass to Oaklen, only for the flag to halt the attack for offside.

Leon threatened again before the break, but the final ball wouldn’t fall kindly. One last through ball before half-time saw the Staplegrove keeper just beat the Minehead forward to it, leaving the score 0-0 at the interval.

The second half told a different story. Staplegrove’s lightning-fast number 11 latched onto an overhead ball, burst clear of the Minehead defence and slotted home for 1-0. Shortly after a defensive mix-up gifted Staplegrove a second. Minehead pushed back hard—Henry finding himself in space in the box, George slipping at a crucial moment, and Oaklen seeing a goal bound effort blocked.

As Minehead committed forward, gaps appeared, leading to a Staplegrove penalty which they converted to seal a 3-0 victory. Minehead Parents player of the match: Lou; Coaches player of the match: Riley