Timsbury Athletic made a flying start to 2024 in the Uhlsport Somerset County League Premier Division with a 6-1 home win against Nailsea United on a pitch that was in remarkably good condition after the wet start to the new year . The game was closer than the scoreline suggests but the deciding factor was the clinical finishing of the home side and the suspect defending of the visitors.

Nathan Flynn had two early chances for the home shooting wide and then forcing Nailsea keeper Rob Brown to save well. At the other end Elliot Moore shot over the Timsbury bar. The visitors were then stunned by three goals in the space of five minutes. First, an excellent cross from Pele Sobers was headed past Brown by Ellis Hancock and then in an action replay Hancock met Flynn’s centre with a second successful header. Within two more minutes Rico Sobers found himself in acres of space before firing past Brown to make it 3-0 with just twenty minutes showing on the clock. The visitors briefly threatened at the other end with Charlie Parsons just wide from distance and Moore lining up a free-kick in a dangerous position which was comfortably held by home keeper Jack Scrivens. Just before the interval Rhys Cook raced clear for the home side only to shoot wide but right on half-time he made no mistake with a similar opportunity calmly stroking the ball home to put Timsbury 4-0 up.

Any hopes of a Nailsea fight back were extinguished within five minutes of the restart. A fluent move involving all three of the goal scorers Hancock, Cook and Sobers ended with a Sobers shot with slipped through Brown’s hands and trickled over the line. Almost immediately Cook set Hancock up and the latter made no mistake with a confident left foot shot to give him his hat-trick. To their credit the visitors battled away and after sixty nine minutes pulled a goal back through substitute Nathan Shipway but it was a lost cause and both Cook and Toby Neilson had late chances to add to the home side’s tally.

M Tucker