FOLLOWING on from their victory over the leaders Portishead at The Rec the previous weekend, Minehead comfortably beat Clutton 5-0 at home in the first division of the Uhlsport Somerset County Football League.

Clutton would have been rocking from a 9-0 reverse inflicted on them by Sporting Weston the previous Saturday; they would have been keen not to concede as heavily again, but Minehead started on the front foot, determined not to let them make their trip to the seaside a joyful one.

As early as the third minute Matty Ronan appeared to have been felled in the box as he went past a defenders’ outstretched leg, but the referee, who had appeared to have a good view of the challenge, ignored the appeals for a penalty.

With Ronan and Olly Prescott both influencing play from the outset the first real attempt on goal came from Blues’ top scorer Toby Waghorn, whose pace took him past the visiting backline but his shot from just inside the eighteen-yard box saw Clutton keeper Curtis make the save look comfortable enough.

In the eighteenth minute a curling left footed cross from Toby Morris found Olly Prescott at the far post to open the scoring with a confident strike and with Minehead attacking relentlessly the lead was increased less than ten minutes later when defender JJ Knight scored from another perfectly executed centre, this time coming into the box from Will Singleton Voss from the other flank.

A carbon copy of Morris’ first left footed curling assist for the opener, then created Minehead’s third just two minutes later, this time finished off by Stefan Phillips to realistically end the game as a contest.

With the rain becoming more persistent during the second period, and with the game already in the bag, manager Lee Todd took the opportunity to rest some legs, and to get important game time into all five of the players on the bench, whiest resting key players at the same time.

Two of the substitutes, Bertie Harvey-Larmar and Josh Elston notched goals, leaving the score at five nil, and within a point of third placed Combe St Nicholas. However four of the top six placed sides have games in hand.

Minehead: Greg Turner, JJ Knight, Harvey Lovell, Louis Burge, Sam Jackson, Will Singleton-Voss, Stefan Phillips, Matty Ronan, Toby Waghorn, Olly Prescott, Toby Morris. Subs: Josh Elston, Sam Heath, Bertie Harvey-Larmar, Declan Green, Fin Harran (all used). Man of the Match: Matty Ronan.

Elsewhere, only two other matches were played in the first division because of the bad weather. Star performers of the day were bottom side Bishop Sutton who won for the first time in the league this season, winning 3-2 away to Glastonbury who have also been struggling this season.

Victory enabled Bishop Sutton to move above Keynsham Town Reserves who went down 5-2 at home to Westfield who are up to seventh in the table.

Peasedown Miners Welfare were in Premier and First Division Cup action, beating Combe 5-3 on penalties after the sides had fought out a 1-1 draw.

Meanwhile, Minehead travel to the outskirts of Bath ont Saturday, December 5, to play Peasedown Miners Welfare, who like Clutton, first locked horns with The Blues more than 100 years ago. All three clubs still play their home games at the same grounds where those historic matches were played.