Pitching In Southern League
Premier South
Taunton Town 2, Walton Casuals 0

TWO second-half goals from Toby Holmes secured a first league win of the season for Taunton Town on Saturday.

Holmes - who signed from Salisbury ahead of the 2020/21 campaign - now has five goals in three games, having scored in the previous weekend's draw at Hayes & Yeading United and then bagged two in the 5-0 FA Cup victory over Wantage Town in midweek.

The opening 45 minutes of Saturday's match against Walton Casuals at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium were uneventful, save for a couple of shots wide from Dan Sullivan and a Jamie Short header straight at visiting goalkeeper Denzel Gerrar.

The Peacocks continued to press for an opener after the break, with substitute Dan McBeam seeing a shot flash just past the post, Jake Wannell head wide from a corner, and Gethyn Hill firing into the side netting.

Finally the deadlock was broken on the hour mark, as striker Holmes broke clear down the right-hand side and picked out the bottom corner of the net with a low effort.

The game was wrapped up when Holmes scored his second, with just three minutes left on the clock, as he beat a defender and drilled the ball past Gerrar at his near post.

Taunton Town: Lloyd Irish, Jamie Short (Dan McBeam 46), Jay Foulston, Ben Adelsbury, Nick Grimes (c), Jake Wannell, Ollie Chamberlain, Joe Guest, Dan Sullivan, Gethyn Hill (Owen Howe 67), Toby Holmes (Ross Staley 87). Subs not used: Jake Mawford, Jamie Copp. Attendance: 427.

It's a big week coming up for the Peacocks, with Tuesday's trip to fellow promotion hopefuls Truro City (7.45pm) followed by an FA Cup second round qualifying tie away to arch-rivals Tiverton Town on Saturday (3pm).