WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

Saltash United 1 Shepton Mallet 1

THE absence of star striker Rikki Shepherd is having an effect on Saltash’s start to the season, with more frustration experienced at Kimberley Stadium on Saturday.

The Ashes earned their second successive home 1-1 draw thanks to central defender Elliott Crawford’s 35th minute strike which was cancelled out by Jacob Sloggett’s 54th minute equaliser.

Might it have been a different story had Shepherd, who has a knee injury, been leading the line for Saltash?

Maybe – but for the time being, with Shepherd expected to be out for several weeks yet, the Ashes need to find a short-term solution.

They went into last night’s match at home to Buckland Athletic still searching for their first win of the campaign, having found the net only three times in their first three league games without Shepherd.

Ashes boss Macca Brown said: “It was a fair result, but I am disappointed we’ve not taken all three points because I think the opportunity was there to do so, but we lacked a cutting edge and that’s been evident in our first few games really to be honest.

“I thought we started well, it was a pretty even game overall but I felt we deserved to go in at the break ahead, and with a bit more conviction in and around the box then maybe it could have been more than one.

“We had to defend well in the latter stages of the half after going ahead, but I did feel we probably edged that first period and played some good football.

“We had a fantastic chance at the start of the second half, after good work by Aaron Goulty setting up Jack Jefford, but he dragged his shot wide and that second goal would have been vital.

“Shepton Mallet certainly looked dangerous from both counter attacks and set pieces, and probably worked Jordan more than we worked their goalkeeper and Duffs made some cracking saves at times, and with those moments they could have easily taken three points as well.

“Their equaliser eventually came from an explosive counter attack and it was a great goal from their perspective, but really poor from ours and it’s not the first we’ve conceded like that this season, so it’s something we need to look at. 

“However, overall it’s a solid point, as was Brixham on the first game of the season at Kimberley.”

He went on: “You want to be winning your home games of course, but I think we’d probably lose both those games last season the way they played out so it’s a step in the right direction, we just need to have a little bit more conviction around the box to turn it from one to three points.

“People may point at Rikki’s injury and say he maybe the missing link at the moment and of course the pedigree he has in this league supports that and we hope he is the player that can turn draws into victories, but it’s not as if our strikers are missing chances at the moment, it’s more to do with the final pass or cross in order to make the chance happen.

“Strikers often make something out of nothing with their movements as well and that can be better, but either way we need to be clinical when it matters.”

SALTASH UNITED: Jordan Duffey; Tyler Yendle, Ethan Wright, Elliott Crawford; Ed Goodman (Jack Wood, 61), Tom Payne, Aaron Goulty, Josh Toulson (Kieran O’Melia, 68), Jack Kelsey; Joe Preece, Jack Jefford (Jake Curtis, 61). Subs not used: Hayden Greening, Laurence Murray.


Saltash United man of the match: Elliott Crawford.