Shepton Mallet is not a ground that holds many happy memories this season. Our only previous trip there ended in defeat, one of the few blemishes on an otherwise strong start, and so an FA Vase tie on the same patch of grass carried a little extra edge with us wanting to not only progress, but getting a chance to right that wrong.

FIRST HALF

Bridgwater played up the slope in the first half. Collins had the first sight of goal inside five minutes, standing his defender up and jinking to one side before sending his shot well over the bar. We started well, pushing Mallet into a low block, but it wasn’t the tone that continued for the rest of the evening.

What followed was a quiet, scrappy affair. Bridgwater had more of the ball but did very little with it. Shepton were content to let us have it and wait for their moment on the break.

Our best attempts of the half came from range. On twenty Sam Stayt picked the ball up thirty yards out and struck a clean strike, it had plenty of power and was only just wide. Ten minutes later the ball dropped to Horton on his left foot, but his effort too went wide of the post.

HALF TIME: SHEPTON MALLET 0-0 BRIDGWATER UNITED

An even half, and not a memorable one at all. We had the possession and the territory, but nothing that resembled a clear chance. Shepton, meanwhile, looked dangerous when they broke and clearly had a game plan. With the slope in our favour after the interval there was a sense that we could be the team to move into the next gear.

SECOND HALF

We did not. Seven minutes after the restart, it was Shepton who struck, a counter attack worked out to their left-hand side and fired home. It was exactly the sort of goal they had been threatening all evening and they executed it well.

It could quickly have been worse. Shepton came out of the break the better side, and two minutes after scoring they went close twice in quick succession. Their winger cut inside and forced a save, and from the resulting corner the ball dropped to a home player in the box, whose volley flew just wide.

Pearse turned to his bench, bringing on Ryan Crawford and later Jake Llewellyn, but for a long spell nothing changed. Shepton defended stoutly, and we simply could not find a way through. It took until the seventy-seventh minute for us to properly work the goalkeeper, when a blocked Beresford shot fell to Collins and the keeper was drawn into a save.

Then, in the space of a few minutes, the game erupted into life.

On eighty Tom Llewellyn, who had struggled to have his usual impact on our game, drove forward, rounding multiple defenders before the ball squirmed through to Crawford, and the substitute rifled it over the goalkeeper and in. An equaliser well celebrated by the travelling Bridgy fans.

Three minutes later Collins burst clear and was clipped, and the Shepton defender responsible was shown a second yellow card. From going nowhere, we were level and facing ten men.

Crawford nearly made it two on eighty-five, getting his head to a deep cross from Spence ahead of the onrushing keeper, but it went wide. It looked as though that might be the last of it, and extra time beckoned.

It never came. With what must have been the last kick of the game, the ball was worked into the box and fell to Jake Llewellyn who smashed it home to nick us an unlikely win and send us through to the next round.

FULL TIME: SHEPTON MALLET 1-2 BRIDGWATER UNITED

We are through to the next round of the FA Vase, and a last-minute winner is never anything but a massive thrill.

It had been a difficult game for us, and not the most vintage of performances. We had plenty of the ball but struggled for that creative opening.

Dave Pearse was honest in his assessment afterwards. He gave credit to Shepton for the way they defended and admitted we had struggled to break down their low block. He felt the team looked a little rusty, like a side that had not played in a while.

The substitutes changed the game, with Crawford scoring and Jake Llewellyn winning it, and the side kept going when it would have been easy to let frustration win.

Jake Llewellyn was named Man of the Match. He was only on the pitch for the final quarter of an hour or so, but he brought energy when we needed it, and he settled the tie with the last kick of the game.

Bridgwater are back at Fairfax Park on Tuesday, when Buckland Athletic visit in the Les Phillips Cup.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip, and for sticking with us, we got there in the end!

#WeAreUnited