Cleal makes amends as Seasiders stroll on

Lyme Regis 4 Ilminster Res 0

LYME put Ilminster away after a frustrating first half during which they missed a hatful of chances.

The dogged but negative Somerset visitors, who clearly came with little ambition in attack, fell apart after Seasiders had finally hit the front early in the second half.

Lee Cleal, looking dangerous coming from the deep, nodded down and past keeper Jamie Lee after the rampaging Luke Reed had squeezed across the ball from the narrowest of angles.

It was a relieving moment for Cleal because the young forward had missed the simplest of chances in the first period after dribbling through.

Lyme, with the back division playing superbly - shutting the door and setting up telling counters - went about maintaining their 100 per cent league record with ruthless application once they had broken the stalemate.

Even without the likes of the injured Ben Finnigan and the unavailable Graham White, Lyme looked well balanced and a class above the opposition with goal-scoring potential all over the park.

But it was a bad mistake by keeper Lee that enabled them to enter the comfort zone. He rushed off his line, swung a hasty boot and played the ball into the path of the challenging Jason Hawker who faced nothing more then the open net.

Adam Clark skipped through from defence to ram home Seasiders' third as Lyme staged a stylish finale.

Their fourth goal was cleverly engineered by John Foote who sliced open Ilminster with a peach of a pass which sent Reed on the run down the right to fire a low drive into the far corner.

Ilminster, who had not conceded a league goal before their humbling at the Fort, had one great chance before the Seasiders snapped into scoring mode. It fell to Craig Stukey soon after the interval.

He forced keeper Chris Higgs to beat out his drive, picked up the rebound and lashed the ball into the side netting with all the time in the world to pick his spot.

Lyme Regis: Higgs, King, Clark, Stewart, Hitchcock, Thirlwell (Beddows, 68), Reed, Foote, Edwards, Cleal (Hoole, 74), Hawker.