Western League premier division: Nailsea and Tickenham 3, Wellington 0
Wellington failed to build on their opening day victory as they endured a disappointing evening in Nailsea.
The Tangerines trailed 1-0 at the break – as they did at Ilfracombe on Saturday – but this time there was no fightback with the hosts adding two more goals for a convincing win.
The game kicked off with Nailsea – whose line-up included Jason Quick, playing against his brothers Miles and Jake – showing their attacking intent early on.
In strike partners Lucas Vowles and Luke Osgood, they had the two best players on the pitch with Vowles firing a shot just wide in the third minute.
Wellington keeper Jake Viney was called into action 13 minutes later as he made a crucial save to deny Osgood from opening the scoring.
Despite Nailsea applying pressure on Wellington’s defence, the score remained 0-0 until the 33rd minute when the home side broke the deadlock.
A long ball saw a shot thump against the bar and Charlie Saunders was on hand to tuck away the rebound.
Wellington rallied before the break and defender Jordan Hayman flicked a header against the bar as the half ended at 1-0.
The restart saw Nailsea extend their lead in the 49th minute when Saunders found the back of the net again, this time from a corner as his shot from 15 yards went low into the net through a crowd of players.
Viney made a great save to prevent Nailsea from further increasing their lead soon after.
Wellington tried to claw their way back into the game, with Nathan Byrne’s impressive run and shot being saved in the 59th minute.
Nailsea keeper Jakob Glover then had a moment of uncertainty when he dropped a high ball, but he recovered to deny Wellington skipper Kieran Bailey from pulling one back.
Nailsea continued to threaten and, in the 73rd minute, they added a third goal as a cross from the right was met by Osgood’s firm header.
Despite a late surge from the visitors, who brought on big striker Matt Crawley for his debut, more Viney heroics were needed to prevent further goals for Nailsea.
The Tangerines will look to bounce back in the extra preliminary round of the Emirates FA Cup at Buckland Athletic on Saturday.
Wellington: Jake Viney, Ryan Hibbert, Kieran Bailey, Jordan Hayman, Josh Young, Josh Lukins, Sam Sheldrake, Glen Wright, Miles Quick, Nathan Byrne, Jake Quick. Substitutes: Mark Cornish, Harry Scott, Matt Crawley, Tom Burt, Alex Cherry.
Photos courtesy of the Around Wellington news and sport website.