Shepton Mallet AFC returned to winning form on Tuesday with a well-deserved 5-1 victory over visitors Wellington FC, though the scoreline was only secured in the final moments of the match.

After a lively start, Shepton had an early scare when their new keeper, Owen Crawford, could only parry a cross from Wellington's Josh Lukins into the path of Jake Quick. Quick's shot was deflected, allowing Crawford to recover and clear the danger. Strong defending from Paul Braithwaite kept Shepton steady, and they were soon rewarded in the 17th minute when Josh Jenkins turned his marker and passed to Dylan Gould, whose clever dummy allowed Jake Sloggett to fire past Wellington keeper Charlie Hawkins.

Midway through the first half, Jenkins doubled Shepton's lead, finishing smartly from the edge of the box after latching onto a pass from Monty Burgess. Wellington responded quickly, however, as Lukins pulled one back with a 25-yard effort in the 27th minute that took a deflection, looping over Shepton's defence and into the net.

The remainder of the half saw Shepton press forward, with Benjani Jr. Mwaruwari coming close on two occasions, the second forcing a fine save from Hawkins. Gould also had two attempts, one either side of half time, but for much of the second half, both teams largely cancelled each other out.

The game shifted in the final 20 minutes as Shepton took control, with Hawkins denying Benjani twice in quick succession. Burgess also went close with a header just wide of the post. Despite some brief Wellington pressure, Shepton's Joel Sisson made a vital tackle to keep the visitors at bay with 8 minutes to play.

Shepton finished the match in style, scoring three goals in the final five minutes to seal the result. A powerful Braithwaite header set Jenkins off on a strong run to slot the ball past Hawkins, and just three minutes later, Jenkins completed his hat-trick with a far-post header from a Cam Allen cross. Allen then added a fifth in the dying moments, with a free kick that Hawkins fumbled into the net, a rare mistake from the Wellington keeper, who had made several fine saves throughout the game.

Shepton's makeshift centre-back duo of Sisson and Burgess impressed, as did the midfield trio of Braithwaite, the tireless Gould, and debutant Ashton Stanley. However, Jenkins was named man of the match by sponsors Rodney and Norma Neale, just edging out Benjani for the accolade.

The victory earned Shepton a well-needed three points, with an attendance of 111, likely affected by the unsettled weather.

Shepton Mallet now face two away fixtures, against Ivybridge Town on Saturday 14th September, followed by Bridgwater United on Tuesday 17th September. Their next home match is against Saltash United on Saturday 21st September.