Taunton Town VS Godalming Town

11 January 2008

Saturday the 29^th of December – Taunton Town VS Godalming Town

It was a bleak December afternoon at Wordsworth Drive. The pints downed, we made our way to our seats to take in the action from this ‘Southern League Division 1 South & West’ fixture.

The Peacocks started the match rather brightly, and missed a clear-cut opportunity early on. However, Taunton were rewarded for their perseverance with a goal scored by Darren Stone, following an error from the Godalming right-back. Taunton enjoyed the vast majority of possession for the rest of the half.

The Godalming goalkeeper got injured midway through the first-half, which led to his replacement keeper – whose name I cannot recall. Just as well really, as this gentlemen seemed to share a stomach with Neville Southall AND Bruce Grobbelaar – which, of course, the Taunton faithful instantly pointed out. Chants of “Who Ate All The Pies” and less kindly refrains filled the ground. Much enjoyment was had when, one more than one occasion, this goalkeeper slipped over when taking free-kicks and goal-kicks. Who would  be a goalkeeper?

As half-time approached, we were all sitting rather comfortably, considering how many burgers (if any) to buy during the half-time break. However, our cockiness was short-lived, after some sloppy defending led to a scrambled Godalming goal, moments before the interval. Obviously, this dampened our spirits somewhat, but we remained optimistic.

Our optimism was then completely dashed as Shaun Elliot looked up from 25 yards out, and curled the ball into the far top corner of the Taunton goal. 2-1 to Godalming. Blink, and you would’ve missed it.

As the half-time whistle blew, we headed off to get our burgers, which were actually rather good, so good in fact, I went and bought a second. Moments later, the attendance was announced to be 204, which meant that our group of 8 was able to take the attendance at Wordsworth Drive past the 200 mark.

The second half kicked off with Taunton, yet again, dominating. After 10 minutes or so of pressing, Taunton were awarded a (generous) penalty, which Tom Collett was able to convert. The scores level, Taunton went for it again. Unfortunately, any chance that fell the home sides way was wasted. The final whistle blew, signalling a 2-2 draw on a bitterly cold afternoon at Wordsworth Drive.

Gone are the days of Anthony Lynch and Ellis Laight driving Taunton forward, with Russell Musker at the helm. I can still remember that fateful day at Villa Park in 2001 when Taunton beat Berkhamstead 2-1 in the FA Vase final. That day seems decades away now as Taunton struggle to seat any more than 200 fans on a Saturday afternoon. It is certainly sad to see that Taunton Town are not the side they used to be. However, after Gary Domone left the club, the manager’s job is available. Maybe I should spread my wings a little…

Sam Mabley