Despite fighting valiantly against higher league opposition Yatton & Cleeve United on Saturday, they were defeated on penalties. The match saw Minehead holding their Premier Division hosts for 90 minutes, with both teams unable to break the deadlock in regulation time. Minehead goalkeeper Kyran Wilkins was instrumental in keeping his side in the game, parrying a powerful shot from Sam Morris early on.
The Blues initially struggled, giving away possession, but soon found their rhythm, taking the game to their opponents. Rob Vickers almost opened the scoring midway through the first half, only to see his shot from the edge of the box miss by inches. Josh Elston also came close, his audacious chip from 25 yards narrowly missing the target.
The second half saw a rejuvenated Minehead side, with Vickers' 30-yard drive rattling the crossbar and Will Singleton-Voss testing Yatton's keeper, Tom Murphy. Minehead continued to press for a winner, with manager Craig Carr making strategic changes to his line-up. However, both teams failed to find the back of the net, and the match went to penalties.
The penalty shootout saw both sides netting four times after five spot kicks each. The tension heightened as the scores remained level after the first two rounds of sudden death. Finally, after Minehead's eighth penalty was saved by Murphy, Tom Starr, one of Yatton's second-half substitutes, scored the decisive penalty to seal the win for his team.
Ironically, Minehead's goalkeeper, Wilkins, ha.
