Dray hails impressive resilience

TABLE-TOPPING Taunton will be chasing their eighth successive league victory when they play at home to Beaconsfield in the Southern Premier Division South this afternoon.

The Somerset side go into the match with a five-point lead over second-placed Weymouth, who have two games in hand.

Taunton and Beaconsfield last met at the end of last season, when the Somerset side won 4-2 in a Champion of Champions match at the Viridor Stadium, the visitors having won the Division One Central title.

“I wouldn’t read too much into that game,” said Taunton’s head of football Rob Dray. “It was a dead end-of-season game.

“What we have shown this season is that we don’t give up – ever. We have established a growing reputation in this division, just as we did in winning the championship last season.

“The lads are a closely-knit unit and keep going right to the very end. Scoring two goals during injury-time against Salisbury is what they are all about. Heads never drop.”

Having fallen eight points behind Taunton as a result of their injury-time collapse in midweek, Salisbury must attempt to bounce back in their home game against the Met Police.

However, today’s visitors lie as high as sixth in the table with a good number of games in hand having progressed all the way to the first round of the FA Cup.

At the foot of the table, thirdfrom-bottom Frome host midtable Poole with the aim of getting themselves out of the drop zone. Swindon Supermarine, who are just one point and one place better off than Frome in the table, will also attempt to add to their points tally with a home game, Gosport being the visitors.