MINEHEAD’S hopes of staying with the leaders in the first division of the Uhlsport Somerset County Football League suffered another blow when they lost 2-0 at home to Imperial.

Minehead had to play for 65 minutes without centre back Louie Burge who was sent off for what was deemed a rash challenge by the referee.

It meant Minehead were up against it for much of the game although Imperial also had a player sent off with about 20 minutes remaining.

It was Minehead’s third successive 2-0 loss under new boss Lee Todd and they dropped to seventh in the table with teams around them having matches in hand.

Todd said afterwards: “It was a disapponting result to be honest. It doesn’t help, of course, when you have a player sent off. It was not a good day.”

Todd admitted: “I think I got the formation wrong. I eventually changed it back to what it was. We had plenty of the play towards the end but couldn’t score.”

Minehead: Turner (capt), Jackson, Burge, JJ Knight, Harvey-Lamar, Ronan, Voss, Phillips, Prescott, Waghorn, Barnes. Substitutes: Elston, Green, Haron, Lovell, Morris. Man of the Match: JJ Knight.

Elsewhere, Peasedown Miners Welfare produced the performance of the day to beat leaders Portishead Town Reserves 5-3 at home and to move alongside their rivals in the table.

Combe St Nicholas, in third place, maintained their unbeaten record with a 2-0 home success against Winscombe.

Results: Combe St Nicholas 2, Winscombe 0; Glastonbury 3, Keynsham Town Reserves 2; Minehead 0, Imperial 2; Peasedown Miners Welfare 5, Portishead Town Reserves 3; Sporting Weston 2, Westfield 1.

*Minehead now find themselves without a fixture for a month which Todd describes as ‘terrible.’ He added: “I don’t know how the fixtures can pan out like this.”