Street FC manager Craig Laird has praised the resilience of his young squad after a convincing 6-1 win over Ilminster Town in the FA Vase. The Cobblers booked their place in the first round proper with a six-goal display at the Tannery Ground on Saturday, 12 September.

Eddie Townsend, Chris Barrett, Jacob Shore and Ashton Brown were all on the scoresheet, with Callum Laird adding two late goals. The result followed a busy spell in the Western League which had seen Street draw 1-1 with Brislington and come from two goals down to win 5-3 at Ivybridge Town.

Speaking on the Jewson Western League podcast, Laird said the club's main priority remained finding greater consistency in the league. He added, however, that cup football brought a welcome change of pace as well as valuable prize money for clubs operating at non-league level.

Much of Street's season is being played with a notably young squad, with Laird putting the average age at around 19. That rises to about 21 when his son and player-co-manager Scott Laird is on the pitch.

The Street boss said young players faced a steep learning curve when stepping into senior football, with the physical demands of matches sitting alongside work shifts and other commitments. He said giving younger players responsibility in competitive games was an important part of helping them develop.

Laird also spoke about the unusual experience of sharing management duties with his son. He described the arrangement as "living the dream", saying the pair shared many of the same ideas about how the team should play while still being able to challenge each other's decisions.

Their partnership has come during an up-and-down opening to Street's Western League campaign, but there have already been signs of the attacking potential within the side. The comeback at Ivybridge was followed three days later by the 1-1 draw with Brislington before the six-goal cup victory over Ilminster.

Since Laird's podcast appearance, Street have also faced Newquay at the Tannery Ground. The visitors won 3-1 on Saturday, 19 September.

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Street now travel to Bishops Lydeard on Wednesday, 23 September, before returning home to face Buckland Athletic in the Western League on Saturday, 26 September. They will then visit Portishead Town for a league fixture on Tuesday, 29 September.

The two sides will meet again at Portishead in the FA Vase first round proper on Saturday, 10 October.

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