Friendlies Clubs· Season 2026
Weston-super-Mare thrashed Taunton Town 4-0 in a pre-season friendly, with Luke Coulson, Brad Ash, a trialist and Ollie Hulbert all on target.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow it unfolded
Taunton started brightly. Niall Thompson drove forward on 13 minutes to set up Ben Seymour, and Alfie Moulden fired over five minutes later. Jamie Richards headed wide from a corner as the hosts pressed.
Against the run of play, Weston struck first. George Robesten worked the left channel, his cross was half-cleared to Coulson 18 yards out. His first shot was blocked, but the ball rebounded to his feet and he danced past two challenges before dinking over Freddie Godden (29').
Five minutes before the break, Robesten's low cross from a throw-in struck Taunton skipper Nick Grimes and fell kindly for Ash, who poked home from close range (40').
Deep into first-half stoppage time, a trialist collected the ball 18 yards out, saw his first effort blocked, then rifled a volley in off the underside of the crossbar to make it 3-0 at the break (45+1').
Taunton pushed after the interval. Seymour tested substitute goalkeeper Max Harris on 50 minutes, and Dylan Jones rattled the crossbar with four minutes left. But Weston sealed it when Michael Smith's pull-back was swept in by Hulbert from 12 yards (88').
The turning point
Weston lost captain Emlyn Lewis to an accidental collision inside eight minutes, with Will Dawes — later named man of the match — replacing him. Rather than disrupt the visitors, the setback galvanised them. Dawes performed ably at both right-back and left-back, and the opening goal 21 minutes later settled any nerves. From that moment, Weston controlled the half.
Key performers
Luke Coulson — Opened the scoring with a composed finish after his initial shot was blocked, and was involved in much of Weston's best attacking work from wide areas.
Will Dawes (MOTM) — Thrust into action after Lewis's early injury, Dawes excelled at both full-back positions, winning his defensive duels and pushing forward with purpose. The Weston official report named him man of the match.
Ollie Hulbert — Scored his first goal for the club with a crisp finish from Smith's pull-back. He told the club website: "It's important to build relationships with everyone."
Brad Ash — Took his close-range chance well just before half-time and linked effectively with the midfield throughout.
By the numbers — interpreted
Weston's three first-half goals reflected clinical finishing rather than total dominance: Coulson's chance came from a blocked shot rebounding kindly, Ash's goal deflected off a defender, and the trialist's volley was a moment of individual quality. Taunton edged the opening 25 minutes — Seymour's chip, Richards' header and Moulden's effort all carried threat — but failed to convert and were punished when Weston's sharper quality in the final third told. The attendance at the Cygnet Healthcare Stadium was 442.
What it means
Taunton (Southern League Premier South) suffered their first home defeat of pre-season after two wins and a draw from their opening three friendlies. They host M5 rivals Tiverton Town on Saturday 25 July (3pm kick-off).
Weston-super-Mare (National League South) completed their away pre-season programme with a second win of the summer. They return to the Optima Stadium for their penultimate friendly against Exeter City on Saturday 25 July.
Match Events
Key match events between Taunton Town and Weston-super-Mare — 4 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
Rivalry since 2019
Taunton Town vs Weston-super-Mare Head to Head Results· 9
Taunton Town and Weston-super-Mare have met 9 times — Taunton Town won 1, Weston-super-Mare won 7, with 1 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2019. Weston-super-Mare leads the head-to-head with 7 victories from 9 meetings. A combined 31 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 3.44 per match (8 for the home side, 23 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 5 matches (56%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 6 games (67%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Weston-super-Mare are currently unbeaten in the last 4 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 5–1 in 2021.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 22 Jul 2026