WELLINGTON 3

BRIDGWATER TOWN 1

WELLINGTON took another giant step towards premier division survival in the Toolstation League with an excellent win over Bridgwater in a rain-sodden local derby at the Playing Field on Good Friday, writes Ken Bird.

It gave Clive Jones’s side a league double over their neighbours following their Boxing Day win in similarly atrocious conditions and also avenged their Les Phillips Cup defeat at Bridgwater in February.

Jones made only one change from his midweek starting line-up, bringing back Tim Legg in defence and moving Tom Hawkings up into attack for his last match before going travelling in New Zealand.

Despite the rain-lashed pitch making good football extremely difficult, the home side produced their best 45 minutes of football this season to go in 2-0 up at the break.

They nearly went ahead after 16 minutes when Sam Towler, who turned down a move to Bridgwater earlier in the season, caught former Wellington keeper Connor Sidley-Adams off his line from 35 yards out but the ball came back off the crossbar.

Towler was not to be outdone, however, and almost immediately gave his side the lead, sliding in to turn home a tantalising cross from fit-again Ian Bellinger.

With sixth-placed Bridgwater restricted to a single long-range effort by Jack Jenkins – well pushed over by keeper Tom Welch – Wellington went further ahead after 27 minutes as Glen Wright was blatantly pushed in the box and Bellinger stepped up to thump home the resulting penalty.

It was important Wellington started the second half well and Jones could not have asked for more as Wright – so impressive in midfield recently – drilled a low shot past Sidley-Adams for a 3-0 lead.

But they were not home and dry – anything but as the rain continued to pour – and Bridgwater pulled a goal back after 56 minutes through striker Jack Taylor, whose goals had propelled Wellington to promotion last season.

He robbed the ball off central defender George Painter and, when he wriggled inside, his shot was cleared off the line with substitute Thomas Llewellyn on hand to tap home the rebound with his first touch after coming on.

That was the signal for Wellington to wobble as they started to give the ball away and their cause was made more difficult by the sending off of substitute Connor Pengelly for a reckless challenge on Mike Duffy.

That left them down to ten men with 18 minutes remaining but, with conditions going from atrocious to virtually unplayable, they dug deep to secure three more valuable points.