Toolstation Western League Premier Division

Bridgwater Town 4, Chipping Sodbury 0

TWO penalties from Jake Llewellyn and two own goals added up to a comprehensive victory for Bridgwater Town on Saturday at a chilly Fairfax Park, writes Kerry Miller.

Chipping Sodbury battled well all afternoon and did not deserve to be hammered, despite a moment of madness from Sean Keet late in the first half which meant his side were forced to play more than half the game with 10 men. 

Playing with the breeze, Bridgy forced no fewer than ten corners in the first half and goals were inevitable.

From the fourth in six minutes, Tom Ellis muscled in to a near-post delivery and the ball flew in via his or a defender’s head, with opinion divided. 

Visiting keeper Tom Sheppard somehow kept out a point-blank effort from Harry Horton soon after but Chipping Sodbury were lively going forward and George Box was causing problems alongside wing back Luke Burman. 

Jack Taylor finished off a cross from Jake Brown on 20 minutes but was denied by an offside flag and Horton also went close as the Robins got into third gear. 

The visitors went close on the half-hour when Harvey Baker’s fine cross went wide off Box then Baker and Sam Jenkins combined to put Box through but Robins’ goalkeeper coach Steve Laker pulled off a superb save. 

It was as good as it got for Chipping Sodbury as, moments later, Keet clashed with Josh White as a corner was delivered and referee Lewis Sandoe pointed to the spot and showed Keet a red card for violent conduct. 

Llewellyn made it 2-0 and from then on it was a case of how many.

Soon after the break, Taylor latched on to a through ball and as he shot was clipped from behind by Burman to give Llewellyn his second spotkick in a matter of minutes to make it 3-0.

It was four on the hour when a Brown cross caused chaos and Taylor and a defender converged on it and it ended up in the net and with half an hour to go another 8-0 was on the cards. 

Sheppard saved superbly from Taylor before an unusual indirect free-kick for a back pass was kept out by the defence. 

The last 20 minutes was a case of damage limitation for Chipping Sodbury with the home attack camped in and around the penalty area.

In the end, they netted four for the second Saturday in a row and sit second in the table behind unbeaten Westbury United and level on points with Willand Rovers.

Town player-manager Dave Pearse said: “It was a good team performance, and the clean sheet was important after last week [a 4-4 draw].

“We could perhaps have scored more but in the last 20 minutes we went through the motions a bit.”

Town's four goals means they are now out on their own as the highest scorers at Step 5 across the country.

"It's nice to have little things like that and it's a reflection that all is going well at the moment," Pearse said.

"I think our draw last week came a bit from complacency, so this week the lads turned up with the right attitude and knew what they had to do."

The Robins return to action tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Welton Rovers in the Les Phillips Cup before travelling to Brislington on Saturday.

Town reached the semi-finals of the Les Phillips Cup last season and Pearse is determined to go one better this time around.

“Our target at the start of the season was to go one round further in every cup competition than last year.

“We failed to do that in the FA Cup and FA Vase, but the Les Phillips is one we can target and try and win.”