WELLINGTON’S tough derby match away to Taunton Town in the second round of the Somerset Premier Cup will be played next week.

The sides will meet at the Peacocks’ Cygnet Health Care Stadium on Wednesday, November 5, with a 7.45pm kick-off., and the tie is expected to attract a fair-sized crowd.

Taunton play in Premier South of the Southern League and are in the lower half of the table.

They are former winners of the FA Vase, a national competition for non-league sides, beating Berkhamsted 2-1 in the final at Villa Park in 2001, after a long wait to get their hands on the trophy. The team was captained that day by Paul West, a former manager of Wellington, who is now with Bishops Lydeard. It was Taunton’s second appearance in a Vase final, having lost to Diss Town at Wembley in 1974.

Meanwhile, Wellington return to action this Saturday, November 1, after an 11-day break when they host St Blazey at the Carly Press Ground in the premier division of the Jewson Western League (3p.m.).

It will mark the return of Richard Cherry who is back as manager after stepping down not long before this season got under way. The club parted company with his replacement Josh Stunell last month and chairman Mike Hall has been in charge since then, with the side winning their last three matches.

The Tangerines had been due to play Street last weekend but the game was called off because the visitors were involved in an FA Vase tie – originally abandoned because of an injury.

Wellington’s local derby at home to Bridgwater United on Wednesday, October 29, also had to be called off. Their opponents’ Les Phillips Cup fixture was rained off last week and was rescheduled for that night.

The Tangerines will now entertain Bridgwater on Wednesday, December 3.