By Kevin Marriott

WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

Saltash United 0 Clevedon Town 2

MANAGER Macca Brown believes his Saltash side will go into their last four league games of the season with confidence despite two slender defeats in a week against promotion-chasing Clevedon.

Saturday’s result at Kimberley Stadium followed last week’s 1-0 setback in Somerset – and in both games the Ashes more than held their own.

Goals from Joe Teall (12 minutes) and Sam Beresford (70) sent the second in the league team home happy. But it said everything about the Saltash performance that goalkeeper James Dunn was named Clevedon’s official man-of-the-match.

Rikki Shepherd.
Frontman Rikki Shepherd on the ball. Picture: Daz Hands Photography (Daz Hands Photography)

Ashes boss Brown said: “Overall I was really pleased with our performance. We’ve played Clevedon twice in seven days and I’ve been left dumbfounded at how we’ve come out of it with absolutely nothing.

“On Saturday we were better than we had been a week earlier and I think we did enough to win the game.

“Rikki Shepherd and Deacon Thomson had some outstanding chances but their keeper was outstanding and kept us out.

“They sucker-punched us with the first goal after we had made an excellent start; it knocked the stuffing out of us slightly and we needed to lift the players at half-time.

“Although we were 1-0 down we told them that they could be three or four ahead against a second in the table side.

“In the second half we were much better, creating chances and plenty of problems for them. Fin Wilkes had a good opportunity but again their keeper smothered the danger.

“If you could guarantee us getting those sort of chances in any game, I’d snap your hand off.”

Hayden Greening.
Centre-half Hayden Greening advances forward. Picture: Daz Hands Photography (Daz Hands Photography)

Brown continued: “We have four games left which are very winnable so we are aiming to finish the season on a high.”

Three of the four are away – Wellington on Saturday, Street on April 12 and Torpoint on Good Friday April 18 – with the last match at home against St Austell on April 21.

How different last Saturday’s game might have been if they had buried two glorious opportunities in the opening eight minutes.

Winger Kieran O’Melia used his pace to get away from his full-back in the sixth minute before his cross found Shepherd, whose header was brilliantly saved by Dunn.

Two minutes later Thomson was played through but in a one-on-one with Dunn, but the Clevedon stopper came out on top with another well-judged save.

Macca Brown.
Macca Brown issues instructions to his players. Picture: Daz Hands Photography (Daz Hands Photography)

The sucker punch which Brown talked about came in the 12th minute when a Freddie King free-kick found Teall unmarked and his glancing header beat Tyler Coombes.

Just before the break Wilkes burst clear and as Dunn came out, the ball was switched inside to O’Melia who lifted his shot over the bar.

Wilkes himself was denied by another fine stop from Dunn in the 57th minute and five minutes later a Shepherd volley was kept out.

Clevedon made sure of the points in the 70th minute when a defensive lapse let in Freddie King and his pass allowed Beresford to make it 2-0.

SALTASH UNITED: Tyler Coombes, Tom Badcott (Laurence Murray, 78), Ben Goulty (Tom Huyton, 89), Alfie Wotton, Hayden Greening, Fin Wilkes, Kieran O’Melia (Aaron Goulty, 67), Jack Wood (Joe Preece, 86), Rikki Shepherd, Tom Payne, Deacon Thomson (Jack Jefford 63).

Ashes’ man-of-the-match: Fin Wilkes.