Toolstation Western League: Clevedon Town 8-0 Millbrook

The Seasiders rediscovered their scoring boots against rock bottom Millbrook, sharing the goals around and capping the victory with a spectacular late brace from substitute Owen Punselie, writes Paul Davis.

Coach Adam Venton admitted it was a case of job done. He said: “You can only beat what’s in front of you, but we give the utmost respect to every opponent, and we kept going and maintained the level of performance and the intensity right to the end.  We’ve been a bit goal shy recently but unfortunately for Millbrook we were on it today both creating and finishing well.”

Aware of what was required against a team who had lost all but one of their nineteen league games and conceded 107 goals Clevedon attacked from the start and gave Millbrook keeper Jamie Dudley a busy afternoon. 

Harlee Vozza’s pace down the right caused havoc all game and created the opening goal for Joe Teall on 14 minutes but had an element of fortune about it. Teall’s clever flick from Brad Probert’s cross was heading for the far corner of the net when it took a touch off Max Washburn to wrong foot Dudley and put Town 1-0 ahead.

The second came four minutes later when Luke Moran headed clear, and Vozza was on to the ball to dispatch the loose ball into the far corner of the net. Alex Camm hit the post, Vozza’s effort was disallowed for offside and then Freddie King shot wide before James Dunn made his one save of the game from Lewis Pacey’s effort.

Normal service was resumed when Dudley pushed Camm’s shot round the post and King’s corner kick picked out a great run across the box by Syd Camper to head into the roof of the net. Dudley kept everything out until half time including Vozza’s rocket which knocked the keeper off his feet, so it remained 3-0 at half time.

Clevedon replaced King with Kieran Ireland at half time and with only his second touch Ireland’s neat lay off set up Beresford to smash the ball home for 4-0. Ireland then scored number five himself on 51 minutes when he cut in from the left and his cross shot found its way into the far corner of the net with Beresford’s run across the box confusing the Millbrook defence and keeper Dudley.

Beresford’s last action was to fire over after Ireland’s shot was parried by Dudley and he was replaced by Owen Punselie on 69 minutes and again the substitution paid dividends, with Punselie keen to impress. A powerful Punselie shot, and James Westlake’s follow-up were blocked, before Punselie was able to pick his spot from the edge of the box and put Town six up on 75 minutes.

Both sides made changes, but the one way traffic continued, and when Wakefield was shoved in the back on the edge of the box Clevedon thought it should have been a spot kick, but they capitalized anyway when Punselie smashed the free kick just outside the box through the wall to make it 7-0 with five minutes to go.

There was still time for one more in added time when Punselie’s shot was saved by Davey and Travis Newton sliced his clearance straight to Camm at the far post who tucked the ball in for a final score of Clevedon Town 8 Millbrook 0, to set Clevedon up for this Saturday’s trip to Ilfracombe Town.