Shepton Mallet suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Oldland Abbotonians on Saturday, 31st August, in a match overshadowed by an unusually high number of cautions and contentious refereeing decisions.

The encounter saw a total of 15 yellow cards issued, with both teams having a player sent off. Despite the heavy disciplinary action, the match was not particularly dirty, leading to speculation that the presence of a referee's assessor may have influenced the strict officiating.

Oldland took the lead through a 33rd-minute penalty converted by Tom Blake after Shepton keeper Tom Easterbrook was judged to have fouled Cash Vinall. Shepton equalised just before half-time with a penalty of their own, converted by Dylan Gould after Cam Allen was tripped in the box.

The second half began with another penalty for Oldland, again converted by Blake, who was the standout player of the match. Things went from bad to worse for Shepton when Bateson received a red card shortly after, reducing the home side to ten men. Oldland sealed their victory with a header from Vinall, leaving Shepton dejected and struggling to find their form.

Despite late pressure and a close effort that hit the post, Shepton Mallet couldn't recover, marking their worst performance of the season so far. The Marshall and Bowlish Ultras Man of the Match went to Joel Sisson for his efforts.

Shepton Mallet will look to regroup as they head to Ilfracombe Town on Saturday, 7th September, before returning home to face Wellington on Tuesday, 10th September.