BRIDGWATER Town co-manager Dave Pearse hailed his side’s “best performance of the season” after their 4-1 win over second-placed Buckland Athletic on Saturday.

The Robins took the lead through Shaun Copp after two minutes and, despite being pegged back, Pearse himself restored the advantage.

New striker Jack Taylor then scored one in each half to round off an impressive victory against the Devon outfit.

Reflecting on the match, Pearse said: “After last week’s slow start we told the players to take the game to Buckland, and they did just that - everything clicked.

“It was one of those days where everyone was an eight or nine out of 10. We pressed them from the start, stopped them playing and scored at good times.

“There have been certain games this season where we’ve been carrying a few players. That was not the case on Saturday, and everyone was on it throughout.”

The three points were a welcome boost to Bridgwater, who now have to wait until October 28 for their next league fixture.

They remain in 13th place after 11 matches, but Saturday’s performance is likely to instil belief within the squad that they can start climbing the table.

“The challenge now is to go on a run and turn it into a good spell of four, five or six games, rather than just one or two,” Pearse said.

“It is up to the players to start every game how we started on Saturday.

“We have a big squad of around 20, with more in the reserves, so the lads know that if they aren’t performing, someone will be waiting in the wings to take their place.”

Pearse was also delighted with the impact of the two new signings, both of whom found the net.

“Shaun [Copp] is a fantastic player who just needs some games under his belt - we gave him a start on Saturday and he was creative throughout and took his goal well,” he said.

“Jack [Taylor] is the fox in the box we’ve needed, and his work rate is phenomenal.

“My goal was long overdue and it was nice to score, but I’m more focused on the fact we picked up the three points.”

Taylor, who has scored three times in his first two Town matches, will miss tonight's (Wednesday) Somerset Premier Cup game at Hengrove as he is away on holiday, while Mark Armstrong is to be rested.

Looking ahead to the tie, Pearse said: “We will give an opportunity to one or two players from the reserves, but we will be sending out a strong side.

“We are taking the cups seriously this year and would like to go as far as we can.”