Evesham United secured a vital win against an out of form Taunton Town on Saturday. Three first half goals gave them a comfortable victory in the end, writes Simon Purfield.
The match began with controversy when Taunton defender Jamie Richards was only shown a yellow card after handling the ball and impeding Levi Steeles’s run on goal.
In the 14th minute, Liam Hutt’s cross found Andre Wright, whose close-range shot was parried by Taunton goalkeeper Frankie Phillips. Steele followed up to score, but the goal was ruled offside.
Evesham eventually broke the deadlock in the 27th minute.
Amer Awadh found Owen Foye, who was named player of the match, and his cross to Wright was cleared only as far as Josh Barlow. Barlow’s precise strike from the edge of the box nestled in the bottom left corner, giving Evesham the lead.
Just two minutes later, Barlow turned provider with a lofted pass to Steele. Holding off Jamie Richards, Steele finished confidently into the bottom left corner to double the hosts’ advantage.
The third goal came in first-half stoppage time.
Wright’s accurate through ball set Hutt free on the right, and he sprinted towards goal before calmly placing his shot into the left corner.
Taunton’s best chance of the half came moments later, but Ben Seymour was unable to convert from a promising position.
Early in the second half, Tom Purrington had an opportunity for the visitors, but his shot inside the box was sliced high and wide.
Midway through the half, Wright beat his marker and delivered a low cross, but Awadh’s effort was well saved by Phillips.
Shortly after, Barlow unleashed a powerful shot from 25 yards, which Phillips parried, but Ioan Richards was unable to capitalise on the rebound.
Throughout the second period, Evesham goalkeeper Alex Harris remained largely untested, as the home defence dealt effectively with Taunton’s attacking efforts.
With this result, Evesham United stay in 11th position in the league table. The Taunton manager Richard Luffman resigned after the match. The Robins next fixture sees a trip to Basingstoke Town on Saturday.
