Shepton Mallet continued their meteoric rise up the league table with a resounding 5-2 win against Ilfracombe Town, extending their remarkable unbeaten run to six games and jumping to 3rd place. After a slow start to the season, Shepton has picked up an impressive 19 points in just 21 days.

The match kicked off in style for the home side as Josh Jenkins struck in the 8th minute, collecting Ethan Witchell's pinpoint pass and slotting home his 10th goal of the season. Ilfracombe briefly rallied, forcing two quick saves from Shepton keeper Owen Crawford before Tom Chastey broke through to equalise by rounding Crawford and finishing calmly.

However, Shepton responded immediately, with Nathan Legge and Cam Allen combining well to set up Charlie Bateson, whose neat pass allowed Taelan Savage to restore the lead with a precise finish from 12 yards. The home crowd erupted again just before half-time as Allen scored the goal of the game—an audacious 25-yard strike that curled into the top corner.

The second half saw Shepton comfortably manage the game, although Ilfracombe managed to claw back to 3-2 after an unfortunate slip by Will Banks allowed Liam Martin to score. Despite the scare, Shepton showed their resilience, and substitute Jake Sloggett restored the two-goal cushion with his first touch of the match. A flowing move involving Benjani Jr Mwaruwari, Allen, and Jenkins ended with Sloggett firing low into the net from 20 yards.

Benjani Jr then capped off the performance with a composed penalty after he was brought down in the box, making it 5-2 and rounding off a fine display. The final whistle confirmed a scoreline that may have looked more comfortable than the game suggested, but Shepton's clinical finishing made the difference.

Match sponsors, Total Plumbing, awarded the Man of the Match to Cam Allen.

Shepton now turn their attention to back-to-back league games, first at home against Brixham on Saturday, 5th October, and then away to Wellington on 12th October.

With the team firing on all cylinders, Shepton fans will be hopeful that this run can continue well into the autumn as the Mallet push to keep the pressure on the top of the table.

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Attendance: 197