Somerset Division Two West

Highbridge Town 0, Combe St Nicolas 1

HIGHBRIDGE Town manager Matt Pitt says his players will come back stronger next season after they secured a fifth place finish in Division Two West, despite Saturday’s defeat at champions Combe St Nicholas.

Pitt believes a slow start to the season cost his side any real chance of mounting a promotion push – but hopes his players will learn from their first season in the County League.

“The boys done themselves proud with that display against the champions and more then deserved a point from the game - and maybe on a different day with the chances missed we would have won the game,” he said.

“Combe are a very good, big strong side and we matched them all over the park.

“We have finished fifth this year, which is not a bad return for our first season in county football and I am 100% positive if we keep the boys together and add one or two more we will go on and win this league next year.

“It’s been a big learning curve but our start to the season of one win in our first eight league games has ultimately cost us on really mounting a promotion push.

“The set of players I have now are a much stronger side then I had at the start of the season and I really hope they stay together over the summer and we come back strong next season.”

The opening 10 minutes showed two very good sides competing for every ball and it was Town who should have gone in front with Chris Taylor finding himself clean through on goal but to drag his shot wide of the post.

Combe were also knocking the ball around well and scored a very well-worked goal not long after Taylor’s miss - when fine build up play was met by the onrushing midfielder, to smash the ball past Steve Bailey.

Not to be down for long, Town soon picked themselves up and a through ball by Morgan Sealey found Taylor through on goal once again, to duplicate his earlier miss and drag his shot wide.

Early in the second-half, Town had a goal ruled out for offside and continued to press for the equaliser.

But it was not to be and Combe held out for the win when Town probably deserved a point for their efforts in the match.