Timsbury Athletic produced one of their most resilient performances of the season in the Uhlsport Somerset County League Premier Division with a 4-1 home win against close rivals Wells City Reserves. It was an entertaining game between two good sides who defied the heavy conditions on a pitch that had miraculously survived the week’s monsoon weather.
Against a side that had often been Timsbury’s nemesis, the home team made an excellent start and were two up after just 12 minutes. First Liam Watson ghosted in at the far post to head home Rico Sobers’ cross and then Wells defender Joseph Grant contrived to divert a testing cross from Nathan Flynn into his own net.
Both sides were looking dangerous and after 16 minutes the visitors pulled a goal back when Alex Stevens finished clinically after a fluent team move. The lively Flynn shot over the top from distance and Watson came close to grabbing a second goal, this time striking the crossbar. After 38 minutes Flynn made it 3-1 with an excellent finish and Timsbury could easily have added a fourth when Rhys Cook found Ellis Hancock close to goal. But he lost his footing on the tricky surface and the chance was gone. It was far from one way traffic, however, and just before half-time home keeper Reuben Hobbs was forced to make a fine save from Wells captain Oliver Bryant.
Straight after the resumption Timsbury should have been out of sight but Sobers failed to convert a Cook cross with the goal at his mercy. It was end-to-end play and after Will Reilly had seen a free-kick go over the Timsbury crossbar Jacob Mckenna in the Wells goal turned a Flynn shot round the post. Midway through the half the home side effectively put the game to bed with the best goal of the game, a cracking shot from Cook from distance that hit the net before Mckenna could move.
The game continued to flow although players on both sides began to feel the effects of the heavy surface. Mckenna did well to save a crisp shot from Sobers and at the other end an effort from Reilly went just past the post. Hobbs who has scored vital goals for Timsbury this season proved a more than capable deputy between the sticks and in the closing minute made another timely save from Nick Fowler.
After being beaten earlier in the season in both the league and Somerset Senior Cup it was a satisfying return for the village team and maintains their third place in the division with Wells one place below.
Malcolm Tucker