Shepton Mallet were left licking their wounds after a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Wellington, despite dominating large parts of the game. A soft penalty decision and missed chances proved costly, leaving Shepton without the points they deserved.

Shepton started strong, with Wellington keeper Charlie Hawkins busy early on, saving shots from Cam Allen and Harry Rutty. Ethan Witchell came close after 10 minutes, but his shot was deflected for a corner. A flurry of headers in the box ended with Charlie Bateson's effort hitting the bar before Hawkins scrambled to collect the ball. It felt like only a matter of time before Shepton would score.

But disaster struck after 20 minutes when Shepton defender Will Banks was harshly penalised for handball, despite knowing little about the incident. Sam Towler coolly slotted home the resulting penalty, leaving Shepton fans fuming – especially after a blatant trip on Bateson in the other box went unpunished.

Despite the setback, Shepton had more chances before half-time, with Bateson forcing a save from Hawkins with a 25-yard free kick, and Josh Jenkins heading narrowly wide.

Shepton pushed for an equaliser early in the second half, but Allen and Witchell's good work wasn't enough to break Wellington's defence. Jenkins came close again but couldn't connect with Allen's cross.

It got worse for Shepton when Matt Crawley was left unmarked from a corner, nodding home Wellington's second on the hour mark. The home side then parked the bus, and Shepton struggled to create clear-cut chances as the clock ticked down.

Substitute Aaron Seviour gave Shepton hope with a stoppage-time goal, diverting a Nathan Legge shot past Hawkins, but it was too little, too late.

Ethan Witchell took Man of the Match honours, edging out Monty Burgess, but it was a frustrating afternoon for Shepton Mallet.

Attendance: 85

Next up: Shepton face Oldland Abbotonians away on Saturday 19th October, kick-off 3:00pm. Their next home game is against Paulton Rovers in the Les Phillips Cup on Tuesday 22nd October, kick-off 7:30pm.