23rd July 2019

Approaching the end of preparations before the 2019/20 season begins, the opening 45 minutes provided little action of note in front of goal as both defences reigned supreme. 

Stuart Nelson was called upon early on before Ryan Seager went close at the other end just before the break.

Lacking quality in the first half, it was provided on 47 minutes when Rhys Murphy opened the scoring with a pearler of a strike before he doubled his tally for the evening 20 minutes later to record a comfortable victory along the A303.

In action for the penultimate time in pre-season, Darren Sarll opted to start with a virtually full-strength side at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium. 

Captained by Lee Collins, four of the summer recruits were in evening action whilst only two trialists were on display down the road from Huish Park.

After the hottest day of the year so far, both sets of players still faced searing temperatures in Costa del Somerset but it was the Pheasants who were quickest to warm-up.

Enjoying some good territory in the opening 10 minutes, captain Matt Wright looped a header onto the roof of the net before Andrew Neal forced a fine reaction save from Nelson after latching onto Jamie Short’s whipped delivery.

Continuing to test the back three of the green and whites the trio of Albi Skendi, Tom Bradbury and Collins had to stand firm against a lively attack and managed to stop Nelson being called into action further as the half-an-hour mark came and went with Taunton held at arm’s length.

Plateauing into a midfield battle, neither side came close to threatening the scoreline until five minutes before the break when Nestor Shako’s reverse delivery found the run of Ryan Seager whose strike from the angle was palmed over the bar by Lloyd Irish. 

A rare attempt on goal, it took only 60 seconds after the restart for the deadlock to be broken by a moment of quality.

Having taken a free-kick quickly, Alcock’s neat pass to Murphy gave the striker all the invitation he needed as he chopped onto his left foot and curled an unstoppable strike into the top corner from just inside the area.

Coming out reinvigorated for the second 45, Sarll’s side produced some flowing football with Seager and Murphy now fully involved as the latter had an acrobatic volley blocked from six yards. 

Looking like adding to their lead with every attack they eventually did so on 68 minutes through the same goal scorer. 

Winning a 50-50 in midfield, Craig Alcock fed the ball out wide for the unnamed trialist whose inch-perfect delivery was emphatically glanced into the back of the net by an in-form Murphy.

Trying to get amongst the goals himself after turning provider, the unnamed trialist drilled a venomous strike just wide from 20 yards before the substitutions dominated the final quarter-of-an-hour. 

With another pre-season win wrapped up, the Glovers returned to BA22 with another 90 minutes under their belt and an encouraging performance to match. 

Taunton Town: Irish; Mitchell, Hall (Manley 83′), Price, Palmer, White, Chamberlain, Short (Grant 58′), Wright, Sullivan (Rice 74′), Neal.
Subs not used: Diallo, Coppin, Sleaman-Keane.

Yeovil Town: Nelson; Skendi, Collins, Bradbury; Alcock, Worthington, Whelan (Trialist 86′), Trialist (Duffus 82′); Shako (Ojo 78′); Seager, Murphy.
Subs not used: Rogers, John.