Lyme Regis 2 Ilminster Res 1

LYME were looking for a spoonful of sugar after the bitter pill of their Boxing Day cup final defeat. And they got in thanks to a calamitous mistake by visiting keeper Trevor Priddle who dashed from his line and sliced the ball into the path of the lurking Wes Dowell to knock the winner into an empty net 15 minutes into the second half.

The keeping error didn't come as much of a surprise, for Priddle had spent most of the afternoon making injudicious darts into no-man's land. Aggrieved Ilminster, one of the outsiders for Perry Street Premier Division honours this season, were justified in their disappointment because they had edged the exchanges and were the more creative in sticky conditions and on a day when power held sway over panache.

The Seasiders started in sprightly fashion, and skipper Tim Edwards came close after five minutes with a shot which flashed into the side netting. Then, four minutes later, Lyme went in front through the burly Ellis Hoole who neatly knocked a 25-yarder around the exposed and advancing Priddle.

The Seasiders failed to stamp any authority on the game after going ahead, and both sides were often found short at the back as biting midfielders whipped balls down the flanks.

Defender Stuart King moved up to hook a volley high and wide of Priddle before Ilminster striker Paul Retter recorded the miss of the match on the half hour when, through and clear and spoiled for choice, he pulled the ball well off target.

The visitors climbed back on terms 10 minutes before the break, however, when substitute Neil Burrows, with his touch of the match, drove the ball past Chris Higgs from close range.

Ilminster rattled the Lyme woodwork early in the second period as they started to extend the Seasiders, and they looked capable of at least sharing the points, despite their give-away goal.

They upped the tempo as the game went into the final quarter, but clear cut chances were restricted as the Seasiders responded with some dogged defending, especially by industrious midfielder Butch Lawrence who spent the afternoon snapping at almost everything that moved.

There wasn't a great deal in this one for the soccer pundits but the outcome was just what the doctor ordered for Lyme who can afford no more slip-ups in the race for the league title.