Shepton Mallet pulled off a dream double on Saturday — the first team battering St Austell 4-0 away, before the reserves kicked off life in the higher league with a 3-0 home win over Tunley.

Even with several players missing for the long trip to Cornwall, the firsts ran riot. St Austell's keeper was under fire from the off, denying Taelan Savage and Jake Sloggett early on, with Matt Morris and Ben Snell also going close.

The opener came on the half hour when Sloggett cut inside from the left and lashed home from a tight angle. Sixteen-year-old debutant Ollie Russell almost made it two straight away, but his volley flew over.

Five minutes before the break, Sloggett was chopped down in the box and buried the penalty himself for 2-0.

Shepton kept the foot down after the restart. Their only scare came on the hour when a rare St Austell header whistled past the post. On 70 minutes Morris made it three with a cheeky lob after a defence-splitting pass from Luke Wilkinson. A late Sloggett cross deflected in for number four, and Morris plus sub Will Hunter almost added more.

Sloggett's two goals and all-round menace earned him man of the match as Mallet extended their unbeaten league run to three games.

Back at home, the reserves marked their promotion in style. New signing Cruz Clark, fresh from Glastonbury FC, bagged a debut double while club stalwart Conrad Peck — back after 330 appearances in black and white — slotted seamlessly into midfield. Skipper Joe Reilly wrapped it up for a 3-0 win.

Next up for the firsts is a home clash with Ivybridge on Saturday.

Fans can also sponsor a seat in the Haydn Jones Memorial Stand — £30 for one, £50 for two or £60 for three — with all names going into a prize draw for goodies like a season ticket, matchday hospitality, matchball sponsorship and SMAFC merch. Call Graham Freestone on 07960 411 810 or speak to a committee member to get involved.