Report courtesy of Gloucestershire Echo
Hallowe’en came two weeks early to Evesham as a defensive horror show saw them slip to their third league defeat in a row against Taunton.
The ease with which Taunton scored their three first-half goals would have been enough to give Evesham boss Paul Collicutt nightmares and his side lacked a cutting edge going forward with the visitors happy to stick with what they had after the break.
Both these sides were expected to be fighting for the Southern League Division One South and West title before the season began, but on this evidence only Taunton look like living up to that billing with Evesham now already 11 points adrift of league leaders North Leigh.
Evesham’s cause wasn’t helped before kick-off as midfielder Nick Stanley was ruled out with illness and they clearly missed captain and centre-back Matt Sysum, who was suspended.
It was a cagey start from both sides but Ashley Williams, playing at the heart of the Evesham back three in Sysum’s absence, was in the thick of the action. Firstly he made a timely tackle to deny Craig Veal after Jamie Short sent the Taunton striker through and then headed over the bar on the stretch at the other end when left unmarked from a George Washbourne corner.
Washbourne tried his luck from range with a shot that dipped late but not far enough and Lance Smith headed over from Adam Mann’s cross but Evesham fell behind after being undone by some route one football by Taunton.
Jordan Rogers flicked on Lloyd Irish’s goal kick and Craig Veal was left to play a simple pass across to Ryan Broom, who fired low past Kevin Sawyer from 10 yards.
Taunton doubled their lead nine minutes later when Rogers met a Ben Carter corner at the near post and flicked the ball in with the back of his heel.
It got worse for the home side one minute before the break and the goal was once again so simple in its execution, with Broom arriving in the six-yard box unmarked to convert Short’s low cross from the right.
Collicutt responded by making a double change at the break, hauling off wing-back Washbourne and midfielder Dan Macdonald and bringing Clayton Green and Carl Brown.
Within seven minutes Evesham came closer than they had all afternoon to scoring when the ball broke to Louis McGrory from a corner, but the angle was always against him and he hit the post.
Evesham never troubled the Taunton goal after that though despite having more possession with the final ball often lacking and only a late intervention by Will Wellon stopped Veal making it 4-0 late on as his deflected shot went wide.
Evesham United: K Sawyer, L McGrory, W Wellon, L Harding, A Williams, L Dovey (c), G Washbourne (C Green, 46), D Macdonald (C Brown, 46), A Mann, L Smith (K Slack, 68), J Sloggett. Sub not used: L Binns.
Taunton Town: L Irish, J Price, N Felix, O Irish, R Farkins, D Evans, J Short, B Carter, J Rogers (J Klein-Davies, 78), C Veal (C Hitchings, 87), R Broom (J Searle, 80). Sub not used: A Chainey.
Referee: Neal Templey (Witney).
Attendance: 255.
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