MINEHEAD made one of their longest journeys of the season to Westfield, near Radstock, in the first division of the Uhlsport Somerset County League, and with their luck failing them once again, came away from the Jerry Colbourne Ground without any points following a 1-0 loss, writes Brian Walder..

This defeat also leaves them just two places above bottom position and thus in the relegation zone.

After the North Somerset hosts had started keenly, forcing three corners in quick succession in the opening five minutes, Minehead’s first attempt on goal was an Olly Prescott effort, after running on to a precise through ball from Adam Jefferies, which took a good save from the home keeper Billy Barter to stop The Blues taking an early lead.

Soon afterwards however it was Westfield who looked likeliest to score, but three half chances were spurned by their forwards.

The first half then became a fairly even midfield tussle, with there not being much else to report on apart from a professional foul by Minehead’s Will Singleton-Voss, when he pulled an opponent’s arm to stop him progressing further up the pitch, after he had got past him.

The second half did see more goalmouth action than the first half, and ten minutes after the re-start Sam Jackson was unlucky not to put the visitors in front when he spotted Barter off his line, but his thirty-yard chip up the slope went a foot over the bar.

Ten minutes into the second period Westfield brought on their first two substitutes, which added some impetus to their game and their attacks became more of a threat, and after forcing a couple of corners themselves, they then took the lead through Morgan Jones, who side footed home an accurate cross.

More fresh legs were introduced, and Westfield almost went further ahead when an effort hit the post.

The last quarter of an hour Minehead found another gear, and they rallied hard, and with less than ten minutes left they appeared to have equalised when a good move which featured Cullum Barnfield and substitute Lee Hardick appeared to beat Barter whose left hand clawed the ball out of the goal from what looked a fair distance over the goal-line.

The linesman was not in line and did not flag for the goal, stating that it was not his job to do so. With the referee being within the centre circle he was not in position to see, so the game ended pointless for The Blues.

While their current league position, in my opinion, is somewhat cruel based on the quality of much of Minehead’s play and endeavours this season, the over-riding statistic of having only scored in three of their seven games to date would appear to give a major pointer to the underlying reason. There is certainly quality in all of the players, but the ability to be clinical in front of goal has hampered their results so far in this campaign, having played well for sustained periods in all of their opening games.

Fortune does have a way of levelling itself out over the length of a season but you cannot rely on good luck.

Minehead: Carl Paige, Luke Badcock, Cullen Bruford, Louis Burge, James Knight, Lewis Smith, Olly Prescott, Adam Jefferies, Sam Jackson, Will Singleton-Voss, Toby Waghorn. Substitutes: Harvey Henderson, Lee Hardick (both used)