Southern League South West Division

Taunton Town 3

Shortwood United 3

SHORTWOOD surrendered a three-goal lead at league leaders Taunton Town to settle for a 3-3 draw, writes Jim Cunneen.

Football can be a cruel game and this was never more true than on Saturday when a highly debatable penalty in the 8th-minute of added-time gave Taunton a point in what surely must be the game of the season.

Earlier, Wood took the lead after 13 minutes with a fine solo goal from Jordan Morris, who beat two players, stripped Chris McGrath for speed and fired past the advancing Irish.

Wright smacked the bar for the hosts after 16 minutes from 20 yards and Joe White had a shot deflected inches wide for the Wood after a great run from Will Hawes.

Even at this stage you could tell this was going to be a special game. Sullivan was inches wide for Taunton before Wood doubled their lead after 27 minutes. Hawes did well to feed Morris and the young forward crossed to the far post, where White converted easily.

The game continued to ebb-and-flow with George Burton saving well from former Wood midfielder Ross Staley.

Taunton tore into Wood in the second half but Rich Thwaite was bossing things at centre back. Wood made it 3-0 on 74 minutes. Alex Kibble planted a free-kick into the area Hawes controlled it on his chest turned and fired home.

However, Staley made it 3-1 minutes later when his far post cross drifted in.

Irish kept Taunton in it with a superb save to deny Hawes who hit a cracking volley just under the bar. With 89 minutes gone Sullivan forced the ball home through a ruck of players to reduce the arrears further and still Wood had a chance to seal it, but White’s shot was too close to Irish.

As the clock went into added-time Town poured forward. Finally Ryan Thwaite blocked a shot and was adjudged to have handled. Rich Thwaite carried his protest too far and was sent off and Sullivan fired the penalty home to give Taunton an unexpected but probably deserved point.

Boss Paul Meredith said: “This was the perfect performance and I could not be more proud. I take no consolation from the point, but complete consolation from the performance.”

Shortwood: Burton, Aliu, Ryan Thwaite, R Meredith, Rich Thwaite, Kibble, Freeman, White, Morris (Haswell 75), Humphreys, Hawes (Ismael 83).