Mendip 3 Shepton Mallet A 4
Struggling Shepton Mallet gave their West Central 1 survival chances a huge boost when they edged a seven-goal thriller against local rivals Mendip.
The home side started brightly but could not produce an end product. When Shepton eventually got into a rhythm, Christie Callaghan and James Fry wreaked havoc in midfield, allowing Andy Boyce to lose his marker, round the keeper and break the deadlock.
The visitors continued to pile on the pressure and made it 2-0 when a through ball from Fry found Joe Campbell-Orde to hit the backboards.
Lewis Duchezeau worked industriously and created a second for Campbell-Orde, this time to finish on his reverse stick, as Shepton threatened to run away with the game.
Mendip did not give up, though, and clawed a goal back when the danger was not cleared after an initial good save from keeper Luigi Fauceglia.
Will Shean then tested the Mendip keeper before Callaghan lashed home a short corner to restored Shepton's three-goal lead.
The action for the half was still not complete, however, and slack tackling and indecision from the Shepton back-line allowed Mendip to cut the deficit again.
The hosts upped their game in the second half and began to take control of the contest. They drew out Shepton defenders with excellent long passes, which eventually led to their third goal to set up a nail- biting finish.
Mendip had chances to level the scores but on two occasions were denied by great reaction saves from Fauceglia.
The home side continued to pour forward in the hope of an equaliser but the combined efforts of Mike Reina, Mike Spencer, Des Osborne and Phillips Tyres man of the match Shean denied them a point.