Taunton maintained their position at the top of the table with a 5-1 win over Street tonight (6 February). Tom Hopkins put Town ahead in the first half with a deflected drive and Sam Winslade extended the lead after the break. The visitors pulled a goal back with a shot which hit a divot and looped over Sam Williamson. Luke Redrup then converted a through ball from Ollie Chamberlain, and Harvey Puddy's fine header from Ryan Martin's cross made it 4-1. Winslade's second goal of the night concluded the scoring.
The youth team travel to Cullompton Rangers on Thursday (26 January), kick-off 7.45pm, and the squad is as follows:
T. Ellis, L. Murphy, J Sturgess, S Towler, O Chamberlain, R Martin, H Puddy, A Izzard, S Winslade, L Redrup, T Hopkins, G Mason, S Williamson, T Nicholson, J Farmer, D Scadden, O Tucker.
All to meet at the club for 6.10pm. The next training will be at Castle Astro on Sunday 29 January at 11.00am.
The Under 18's play at home to Glastonbury Town in a League game on Thursday 5 January, kick-off 7.45pm. There will be training on Tuesday 3 January at Castle Astro from 6pm to 8pm unless advised otherwise by text during the day.
Training will take place on Thursday 29 December from 6pm to 8pm at Castle Astro.
Training for the Under 18's will take place at Castle Astro tomorrow, Sunday 18th December, from 11am - 12.30 pm.
The squad will be announced at Castle Astro after training for the away fixture against Bridgwater Town on Tuesday 20th December, KO 7.45pm.
Squad to meet at the ground on Tuesday and we will be leaving at 6.10pm.
The Under 18 team play at home to Glastonbury on Monday evening and the squad is as follows:
Ryan Andrews, Andrew Boulton, Oli Chamberlain, Tom Ellis, Jack Farmer,Tom Hopkins, Ryan Martin, George Mason, Liam Murphy, Toby Nicholson, Harvey Puddy, Luke Redrup, Dan Scadden. Josh Sturgess, Sam Towler, Oli Tucker, Sam Winslade.
Training is on Sunday morning, 11.00 am - 12.15 pm.
Players to meet in changing room on Monday at 6.00 pm for photos! 7.45pm Kick Off
Please check website on Monday should the weather be adverse!
The squad for Monday night's game against Elmore is as follows:
Ryan Andrews, Andrew Boulton, Oli Chamberlain, Tom Ellis, Jack Farmer, Tom Hopkins, Ryan Martin, George Mason, Liam Murphy, Toby Nicholson, Harvey Puddy, Luke Redrup, Josh Sturgess, Sam Towler, Oli Tucker, Sam Winslade.
Players to be in changing room for 6.30pm.
Training at Castle on Sunday morning, 11am -12-15pm.
Please note Wardi has no phone at the moment !! Temporary contact number is 07773 42 99 52 for text messages and contact.
Press Release
Jamie Ward, manager of the Taunton Town Under 18 side, has been appointed as the club’s Head of Youth Development. Whilst he will continue to manage the team, the change in title will reflect the work he is currently undertaking to stabilise and grow the youth policy at the club which has seen the re-emergence of a Taunton Town side this season after a long absence.
Progress for the new team has been promising. Their first competitive game saw them play in the FA Youth Cup at Wells City and although they were beaten, results since have improved considerably. Taunton are currently top of the South Division of the Somerset Floodlight Youth League, having won four and drawn one of their six matches to date this season. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Roger Stone Memorial Cup (League Cup) after beating Premier Division outfit Weston-super-Mare.
Home attendances have been healthy and to reinforce the commitment to youth football at the club, sponsors have been secured for the next two seasons. RW Cload Bulk Transport is the team’s main sponsor whose name appears on the front of the shirt whilst Shield Environmental Services have also agreed a deal to sponsor the back of the shirt. Club chairman Kevin Sturmey said:” We are very grateful to our sponsors who have committed to the immediate future of youth development and have helped provide the platform for Taunton’s young players.”
The youth team are an integral part of the club structure with three members of the Under 18 side having already been selected by first team manager Paul West for competitive action this campaign. Tom Ellis, Luke Redrup and Tom Hopkins all made their debuts in the Red Insure Cup win at Bridgwater, with Hopkins then going on to play in further League matches.
Ward and assistant manager Tim Legg, who plays in defence for the senior side, have both recently gained their UEFA B coaching badges, enabling them to provide the best possible practice for Taunton’s young players. Several of the current squad will be too old to continue playing at this level next season so another trials day will be held in the summer to ensure any promising youngsters are given the opportunity to impress. Ward acknowledged:” As players become overage, it is vitally important we have a replenishment of local talent that is both ambitious and technically capable of performing to the standard required. We have made significant progress in a short period, but the true test will be the longevity of providing Paul West with a regular list of players for selection”
The next home game for the Under 18 side is on Monday 5th December versus Elmore, kicking off at 7.45pm.
On Monday (28 November), Cullompton Rangers are the visitors in a League game and the squad is :
Andrews, Boulton, Bartlett, Chamberlain, Ellis, Farmer, Hopkins, Martin, Mason, Nicholson, Puddy, Redrup, Sturgess, Towler, Tucker, Winslade
All squad to attend training at Castle Astro 11am Sunday morning.
Taunton Town 3 Chard Town 2
An entertaining night at Wordsworth Drive with Taunton U18's eventually getting the result their second half efforts deserved. A spirited first half saw both sides play some entertaining football with no goals or shots on target for either side.
The second half resulted in more free flowing football with both sides threatening to break the deadlock and Chard were the first to hit the net when a rebound resulted in the ball being clipped passed Connor Sidley-Adams in the Taunton goal. Taunton responded with a free flowing move down the right and from the resulting corner the loose ball was drilled into the net by Luke Redrup to make it 1-1.
The entertainment continued with both sides probing each others defence and it was Chard again who broke the deadlock when a quality move resulted in a deft chip over the advancing Sidley-Adams. A similar response to Chard's first goal from Taunton resulted in a couple of clear chances before once again a corner resulted in another loose ball which Redrup converted to bring Town level at 2-2.
Taunton now began to dominate the match and pressed for the all important winner. A series of quality moves eventually paid dividends with the goal of the game when the ball was fed into the path of Tom Hopkins whose first time curling lob left the Chard keeper with little chance and gave the Town a deserved lead and the win by 3-2.
This match presented the opportunity for a number of debuts particularly in defence where George Mason, Jordan Cook and later in the game Josh Sturgess made their first appearances of the season. Benn Bartlett played an accomplished role in his first game at centre half for the club with Sam Winslade always a threat upfront.
Training on Thursday 24th Nov from 6-8pm at Castle grass and astro.
The Under 18's host Chard Town in the League this coming Monday (21 November) and the squad is:
Connor Sidley-Adams, Ryan Andrews, Benn Bartlett, Oli Chamberlain, Jordan Cook, Jack Farmer, Tom Hopkins, Ryan Martin, George Mason, Toby Nicholson, Harvey Puddy, Luke Redrup, Dan Scadden, Josh Sturgess, Sam Towler, Sam Winslade
All players to be in the changing room for 6.30pm. They should ensure that they achieve at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise at 90% heart rate over the weekend.
Taunton Town travel to Larkhall Athletic in the 3rd round of the Roger Stone Memorial Cup tomorrow evening (14 November). The squad is:
Connor Sidley Adams, Benn Bartlett, Tom Hopkins, Liam Murphy, Sam Towler, Rhys Allen, Ryan Martin, Oli Tucker, Luke Redrup, Dan Scadden, Tom Ellis, Oli Chamberlain, Toby Nicholson, Stephen Pepperall, Jack Farmer, Sam Winslade
Players to meet at the clubhouse at 5.10 pm sharp, wearing tracksuits.
Please advise James today (Sunday) who is driving.
Chard Town 2 Taunton Town 1
A woeful night at Chard with a performance that was well below the acceptable standards.With all the hype about the Under 18's recently it was very evident that this was their comeuppance.
A lack of passion and commitment resulted in a deserved victory for Chard who simply wanted it more!
Training on Thursday 10th at Castle astro 7 - 9pm.
The Under 18 side visit Chard Town on Tuesday 8 November for their next League game. The squad is:
Connor Sidley-Adams, Ryan Andrews, Benn Bartlett, Oli Chamberlain, George Cox, Tom Ellis, Jack Farmer, Liam Murphy, Ryan Martin, Stephen Pepperall, Harvey Puddy, Luke Redrup, Dan Scadden, Oli Tucker, Sam Towler, Sam Winslade.
Meet at the ground for 6pm.
There will be no training on Tuesday 1st November as the first team are away at Bridgwater Town in the Red Insure Cup, 7.45pm kick off.
Jamie Ward is delighted to report that Tom Ellis, Tom Hopkins and Luke Redrup of the current U18's have been called into the squad for this match and if you can get to the game to support the squad that would be appreciated by all. If any player from the U18's requires transport, please let Jamie know.
Training will be on Thursday 3rd November at Castle Astro - meet in the usual area at 6.00 pm.
Taunton Town 3 Weston-super-Mare 3
Taunton and their Premier League guests Weston-super-Mare produced a thrilling tie in the Roger Stone Memorial Cup which went into extra time and then subsequent penalties before a crowd of 104.
Aided by a strong breeze, Taunton dominated the first half with fast breaking attacks which caused the Weston defence many problems. Set-piece plays were a feature of the dominance and Luke Redrup bundled the first goal in at the near post from a Ryan Martin corner to put Town 1-0 ahead. Continued free-flowing attacks brought about the second goal when Connor Sidley-Adams broke up a Weston attack and quickly set up Olly Tucker. He in turn fed Luke Redrup down the left who outstripped the defence and a fine angled shot beat the Weston keeper to make it 2-0. Six seconds from goalkeeper to the back of the net, that's what I call a counter attack!!
The second half had a similar pattern although with the breeze Weston had their fair share of possession but with Connor Sidley-Adams rarely under too much pressure. Midway through the second half Taunton scored the goal of the match when the excellent Tom Hopkins combined with the equally impressive Olly Chamberlain to release Luke Redrup with the pass of the match who finished with quality to record his hat trick for the night and a 3-0 lead.
To their credit Weston kept probing and got their reward with a ricochet for 3-1. Inevitably if you offer a good side like Weston a glimmer of hope they will exploit it and they scored a further goal with 8 minutes left to make it 3-2. This naturally resulted in an onslaught for the last few minutes and eventually Weston forced the ball into the net with seconds left!
Into extra time and the lads had to deal with the adversity of giving a three goal lead away and that they all did with composure and resilience. In fact they played their best football of the match in the following 30 minutes but were unable to break the deadlock.
This resulted in penalties with Ryan Martin, Dan Scadden, Sam Towler, Olly Chamberlain and Tom Hopkins stepping forward to take their spot kicks, with Connor Sidley-Adams saving the second Weston penalty. All the Town players remained focused and five quality penalties resulted in Town taking the tie 5-4.
High drama but thoroughly deserved and all players should be immensely proud of their achievement and efforts over the 120 + minutes. A thrilling night also for all those supporters who turned out in tremendous numbers and whose support was fully appreciated by all the players and Management team.
Taunton Town Under 18's play their first home match of the season when they entertain Weston-super-Mare in the 2nd round of the Roger Stone Memorial Cup on Monday evening (17 October). The squad is:
C Sidley-Adams, S Towler, L Murphy, T Ellis, B Bartlett, O Chamberlain, R.Martin, T Hopkins, H Puddy, L Redrup, O Tucker,
T. Nicholson, J Farmer, S Winslade, J Cook, D Scadden.
As discussed on Thursday, players must ensure that you have a minimum of 30 minutes aerobic exercise Saturday and Sunday, totalling an hour for the 2 days. This exercise should be intensive to a maximum of 90% heart rate.
Meet in the changing room 6.15pm, track suits to be worn.
Street 1 Taunton Town 1
A disappointing game for those who travelled to watch the U18's produce a below par performance, a flat and indifferent first half seeing Street dominate simply because they had more appetite for the ball than Taunton.
Street started much the brighter and yet Taunton considered they had broken the deadlock when a corner resulted in Tom Ellis netting. However the referee subsequently gave handball against the scorer who had a visible mark where he had headed to ball into the net !!
For all of their pressure Street looked highly unlikely to trouble the score sheet until a shot from distance was expertly tipped onto the cross bar by Connor Sidley-Adams. The rebound fell to the most advanced Street player who was yards offside when he became active; unfortunately extreme incompetence resulted in the goal being awarded to put the home side 1-0 up.
The half time team talk was about recognition of responsibility and pride in wearing the shirt. The players responded well with domination of the second half which resulted in multiple chances but unfortunately only one was taken with Luke Redrup adding to his tally for the season to make the final score 1-1.
The second half was riddled with stoppages based upon the poor physical condition of the Street players going down with cramp!! An inability by the referee to recognise this and remove them from the pitch resulted in the whole tempo being disrupted far too often in a game the lads should have won, even with their indifferent start.
The positives to take from the game were strong performances from Tom Ellis and Tom Hopkins, with a full league debut from Toby Nicholson and a strong 45 minute league debut for Jack Farmer, both 15 year olds.
Please come and support the lads on the 17th October when they are at home to Weston-super-Mare with a 7.30pm kick off.
Squad for away fixture at Street on 10th October, 7.30pm kick off. Meet at the ground for 5.15pm.
C.Sidley Adams, S. Towler. N. Ford. T. Ellis. L. Murphy, T. Hopkins, O. Tucker, L. Redrup, M. Ball, H. Puddy, B. Bartlett, R. Martin, J. Farmer, T. Nicholson.
Glastonbury 0 Taunton Town 6
An outstanding performance at Abbey Moor Stadium on Thursday 6th October saw Taunton comprehensively defeat Glastonbury 6-0. With Paul West and the Chairman attending their first league game, it was a fitting performance to put a smile on both their faces!!
Domination from the start resulted in four first half goals from Luke Redrup (2), Harvey Puddy and Ollie Tucker; the fast flowing, incisive football was a pleasure to watch with all players making significant contributions.
The second half was equally impressive but without the goal tally of the first half. This was mainly due to the Glastonbury keeper making a string of saves to deny the hungry Taunton players. However, that did not prevent Redrup from adding a further two goals to his and the team's tally to complete a memorable night for all those involved.
The first home game for the U18's will be on Monday 17th October when we entertain Weston-super-Mare in the Roger Stone Memorial Cup - please take the time to come and support the club's future.
The next fixture for the Under 18 side is away to Glastonbury on Thursday 6 October. The squad and travel arrangements will be announced at training this Tuesday (4 October) at Kings College, starting at 6pm.
Portishead 1 Taunton Town 4
Taunton visited Portishead last Monday (26 September) in the Roger Stone Memorial Cup and came away with a fully deserved 4-1 victory. A superb early save from Connor Sidley-Adams kept the score at 0-0 before Taunton really got into their stride and Tom Hopkins drove into the bottom right-hand corner from 20 yards to set the tone for the evening. Taunton played some excellent football for the remainder of the first half and went in 1-0 up at half time.
Taunton came out much the fitter side in the second half and sustained pressure brought further goals from Harvey Puddy, Ryan Martin and Luke Redrup to put the score at 4-0. This presented the opportunity to introduce the three substitutes for the remainder of the game. Taunton saw out the match but not without conceding a late consolation goal for Portishead with a deflected shot past the stranded Sidley-Adams.
Taunton now play Weston Super Mare in the next round on Monday 17th October KO 7.30 pm.
Taunton Town U18's are away to Portishead on Monday evening (26 September) in the Roger Stone Memorial Cup, kick-off 7.45pm. The squad is:
C Sidley-Adams, M Ball, B Bartlett, O Chamberlain, G Cox, T Ellis, N Ford, T Hopkins, R Martin, L Murphy, H Puddy, L Redrup, D Scadden, S Towler, O Tucker, S Winslade
Players must be at the ground by 5.20pm for a swift 5.30pm departure. White polo shirts and black trousers should be worn; tracksuit tops will be supplied at the ground.
Elmore 3 Taunton 5
The league campaign got off to a thriller at Horsdon Park where we were very well looked after by our hosts.
Intense pressure for the first twenty minutes saw Taunton dominate without providing the cutting edge to finish a number of quality moves. We broke the deadlock with an excellent move down the left when Stephen Pepperall pulled the ball back for Luke Redrup to score at the near post. However, within a few minutes the goalscorer then gave the ball away and a swift move from Elmore resulted in a superb strike which sailed passed Connor Sidley Adams to make it 1-1.
Taunton continued to dominate and were rewarded with two more excellent finishes from Harvey Puddy and then Ryan Martin to put Town 3-1 ahead at half time.
Elmore started the second half strongly and sloppy defensive work resulted in two Elmore goals within 10 minutes of the re-start to make it all square at 3-3!
Taunton, then on the back foot, took time to stabilise and build momentum again before penetrating the Elmore defence on a more regular basis. Their reward came when a patient build up resulted in Luke Redrup cutting in from the left and finishing well to put Town back in front. The same player in an almost identical move then completed his hat trick with a finish off the far post to put Town in a 5-3 lead with 10 minutes to go.
Taunton had stabilised as a unit and contained any Elmore threat to see out the game, a good start from the lads but not for the faint hearted!
Line-up : C Sidley Adams, S Towler, N Ford, T Ellis, L Murphy, M Ball, R Martin, O Chamberlain, H Puddy, L Redrup, S Pepperell. Subs: B Bartlett (for L Murphy 45 mins) D Scadden (for S Pepperell 65 mins) T Hopkins (for R Martin 70 mins), G Cox, S Winslade
Taunton Town play their first Floodlight Youth League game of the season away at Elmore this Thursday (15 September), kick-off 7.30pm. The squad will be:
Ben Bartlett, Connor Sidley-Adams, Dan Scaddon, George Cox, Harvey Puddy, Liam Murphy, Luke Redrup, Mitch Ball, Nicky Ford, Ollie Chamberlain, Ollie Tucker, Ryan Martin, Sam Towler, Sam Winslade, Steven Pepperall, Tom Ellis.
Players should be at the ground for 5.50pm with transport leaving at 6.00pm sharp. White polo shirt and black trousers must be worn and bring plenty of liquid.
Wells City 3 Taunton Town 0
Taunton Town Under 18's played their first competitive match of the season this evening (8 September) but unfortunately lost 3-0 at Wells City in the preliminary round of the FA Youth Cup. After a goalless first half, Joe Morgan tapped home unmarked to put Wells ahead on 72 minutes and went on to complete his hat trick with further goals after 78 and 87 minutes. Town put up a good fight against a home side who included two players who have been regular first team players for Wells City this season.
Town line-up: Andrew Boulton, Sam Towler, Nicky Ford, Liam Murphy, Tom Ellis (captain), Mbuso Nyema (Dan Scaddon 86), Ryan Martin (Sam Winslade 75), Ben Bartlett, Ollie Chamberlain (Jack Farmer 86), Luke Redrup, Ollie Tucker. Unused subs: George Cox, Rhys Allen. Attendance: 82
The club are delighted to announce that Roger Cload Bulk Transport will be the main shirt sponsor for the Under 18 side for the coming season. Roger is the father of Supporters' Club chairman Andy who said:" We are very pleased to be able to sponsor the Under 18 side in their first season in the League and wish them every success." Many thanks to Roger and Andy for their continued support.
The club also hope to announce a sponsor for the back of the shirt shortly.
The draw for the Preliminary Round of the FA Youth Cup has seen us handed an away tie at Wells City who will be playing in the Central Division of the Somerset Floodlight Youth League this season. The match is scheduled to take place during week commencing 5 September.
The winners are away to either Tiverton Town or Paulton Rovers in the 1st Qualifying Round during w/c 19 September with the victors of this game then being away to either Gloucester City, Merthyr Town or Cirencester Town in the 2nd Qualifying Round two weeks later.
Around 40 players attended a trial for the Under 18 side at Castle School today (2 July). There was a large amount of talent on show and manager Jamie Ward admitted afterwards that it is going to be difficult to select the main squad for the new season which sees Taunton Town Under 18's compete in the South Division of the Somerset Floodlight Youth League. However he stressed that those players who do miss out would still be involved at training and with hard work and commitment, the door was always open for future selection.
Pre-season training begins at Castle School this coming Thursday 7 July at 6.30pm. The club look forward to seeing those players who attended the trials. If you did not go to the trial, are reading this and think that you have the ability required, email your details to youth@tauntontown.com
Action from one of the trial matches (above)
TAUNTON TOWN FC UNDER 18’S INVITATION DAY
at the Peacock Club
SATURDAY 25TH JUNE 2011 at 9.30AM
Taunton Town FC are hosting an Under 18’s Invitation Day on Saturday 25th June as part of its new youth development policy. Players and parents are invited to attend a presentation outlining the season’s programme in which Taunton Town have been accepted to play in the Southern Division of the Somerset Floodlight Youth League .
The presentation starts at 9.30am prompt in the Peacock Club and will include the vision for the future development of youth players within the club. Players must be over the age of 15 or under the age of 18 as of the 31st August 2011 to be eligible.
Former Taunton player Jamie Ward has returned to the club to lead the youth development division and said: “The club has identified the major importance of developing its youth players and the progression of the modern day footballer requires a high level of technical ability, fitness, dedication and a willingness to learn. We are aiming to ensure that players who are able and continue to demonstrate all of these attributes play a significant part in the club’s future. It is an exciting opportunity for any young player who has the ability and is prepared to develop within an enjoyable learning environment”.
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