Will Collins gave supporters a reason to be excited about the upcoming season as he scored a sensational hattrick against Tiverton Town at Fairfax Park on Tuesday night, helping the Robins to a 5-2 victory.

The 19-year-old, recently arrived from Sidmouth, put his full talent on display and looked a player beyond his years as he put Tiverton to the sword in the first half.

Goals from Sam Beresford and Jack ‘Wacko’ Taylor in the second half secured the result for the home side who continued their pre-season in impressive fashion.

The game itself began with end-to-end action with both teams looking to get on the front foot with Bridgwater going close through Haydan Chambers, quickly followed up at the other end as Tiverton struck the post.

The pressure paid off for the Robins as they opened the scoring just minutes later with Will Collins holding off a couple opposition defenders before rounding the keeper to score.

The youngster did not have to wait long for his second of the evening, finding the bottom corner after meeting a cross with a glancing header, displaying his all-round ability in front of goal.

From then on until the half-time whistle, it was the Will Collins show as he went on the hunt for his hattrick. He quickly found himself through on goal, with only a well-saved shot keeping him out.

He could not be denied the match ball though as he found the net a third time with a brilliant effort to skip past two Tiverton defenders before again rounding the keeper and slotting home.

That brought the first half to a close and the Bridgwater players and fans could be very pleased about what they had seen thus far.

As the second half began, the Robins made a couple of changes with Collins withdrawn and had to adjust as the game became a physical one, played in the air with neither side allowed much time on the ball.

Despite being in a commanding lead, the home side still had to be aware, especially as they survived an onslaught of Tiverton corners with one being cleared off the line, quickly followed by Liam Kingston being called upon with a reaction save to deny the visitors.

That pressure finally told for the visiting team as they finally broke through with a solid finish guided past Kingston.

Not to be undone by conceding however, the Robins went straight up the other end of the pitch and restored the three-goal cushion with the recently returned Sam Beresford making it 4-1 with little over 20 minutes to go in the game.

Another period of Tiverton pressure then ensued after the Robins made four further changes. The visitors saw a free kick just outside the box fire agonisingly close as Bridgwater looked to see the game out in a comfortable manner.

That was not to be however, as Syd Camper, another new arrival, lost control not far outside his own penalty box, allowing Tiverton in to comfortably finish and make it 4-2 as the game ticked over into the final ten minutes.

The game then appeared to be petering out, though with one of the last actions of the match, ‘Wacko’ found himself beating the offside trap and running clean through to slot home Bridgwater’s fifth of the night and to cement the victory for the Robins.

The 5-2 victory was a testament to the home side and their ruthlessness in front of goal, especially Will Collins who did the damage in the first half, backed up by a solid display from the team in the second half.

Speaking after the match, Manager Dave Pearse said “We looked fit, we looked hungry. The lads have bought into how we want to do things. I really liked the way we played tonight, I thought we were excellent.”

On Will Collins’ performance, Dave said “He’s done well all pre-season, he is exciting, he’s a very talented boy and he’s got a lot of strengths to his game.”

Bridgwater continue their pre-season preparations this Saturday as they host Hallen AFC at Fairfax Park at 2pm.

By Archie Mills