Willand Rovers 5 - 1 Paulton Rovers: A somewhat depleted Rovers team conceded five goals for the second away game in a row as they succumbed to Willand Rovers in incredibly windy and wet conditions on Saturday afternoon. In several games in recent weeks, Paulton have conceded an early goal but nobody was quite ready for how early the first came in this match. In somewhat controversial circumstances, Willand won an early corner although it had appeared one of their players was offside in the build-up. However, the corner was swung in and seemingly moved in the wind catching out Frankie Phillips in Paulton's goal. What then happened was slightly confusing as there were calls that the ball had crossed the goal-line straight from the corner but ultimately, Willand's Alfie Moulden was credited with heading the ball into the net. Despite the early set-back Rovers responded well and in the third minute the previous match's hero, David O'Hare, struck a sweet shot that George Burton in Willand's goal scrambled to push away. But Willand quickly took control of the game again and started a procession of chances that lasted the whole of the first half. Paulton struggled to get any sort of foothold and somewhat against the run of play, in the 16th minute, a free-kick taken from deep that was pumped into the Willand box was headed directly upwards by Ross Edwards which gave Kyle Tooze the chance to muscle himself into position, spin and volley the ball into the net. But it was only minutes later that Willand forced a corner from which Ross Edwards made up for his earlier error and easily turned the ball in. Willand were in almost full control by this time but Rovers kept working and did create a couple more chances that should have put them back into the game. In the 28th minute, Ed Butcher charged down a pass and moved down the right squaring the ball to a free Kyle Tooze on the edge of the box. But he appeared to lose his footing on the heavy pitch just at the wrong moment and he was blocked from shooting. This was followed in the 39th minute with a great team move around the pitch, culminating with Josh Crispin crossing from the right to an unmarked Dan McBeam in the box. It seemed inevitable that he'd equalise but he mistimed his shot and the ball bounced harmlessly away. But, all the while, each time Willand moved forward it looked like they could score. Just seconds after Dan McBeam's chance, they again forced a corner from which an unmarked Josh Ford gleefully pounced to easily slot in. Although Willand ended the half well on top and deserved the lead, it was very frustrating to see three goals given away so easily from corners. Paulton were not out of the game though, and the second half began with a new momentum for the visitors. Suddenly they were first to the second ball and started asking some questions themselves. An early chance for Kyle Tooze was just tipped away by the keeper after he was sent through clear by Fin Haines. Despite the protests, a goal kick was given. The game was much more level in the second half and while clear cut chances were rare, Rovers were applying more pressure than they had in the first half. Maybe just stealing a goal back would have made Willand worry a little more. But, it didn't come and it was in the 57th minute that Willand extended their lead after a good team move allowed Douglas Camilo sweep the ball in. He added to his tally six minutes later with another well taken goal. Paulton never gave up and further chances fell for Kyle Tooze and Fin Haines before the end of the game. Although Paulton were a much better team in the second half, they still looked second best and with the rain lashing down, the final whistle came as some relief to the supporters. The last four games have seen two wins and two heavy losses so the team needs to get more consistent quickly with a run of tough fixtures coming up. Next game: Mousehole at The Winterfield Stadium. 6th January. 3pm kick-off.

Jon Green