Duncan Gardner shares his Facts of the Match ahead of this evening’s clash at The Cygnet against Taunton Town.
Our record against the Peacocks is very good (W12 D6 L4), but it reflects how the Terras have been at a much higher position than The Peacocks in the footballing pyramid until the last couple of seasons and only three encounters have been in league games.
The most recent meeting was obviously this season when our next-door-county neighbours travelled to the cost on Boxing Day and we presented them with the gift of a 3-1 win with Smith, Lucas & McCootie wrapping up the victory. For us Rose scored what proved to be just a consolation goal on the stroke of half-time.
The other pair of league games came in the 2018/19 Southern League title winning season. The first fixture between the teams of that campaign was just out second game of the term and our first at home when we sealed the three points with a dramatic injury time winner. But as it turned out that was just the smoked salmon before the turkey dinner with all the trimmings of a 3-3 feast served up in Somerset on 29th December that year.
We have also previously met in the FA Trophy (2018 & 1979, the Terras progressing both times), five times in the FA Cup (most recently in 2011 with the Terras making the next round at each time of asking) and several Western Counties floodlit games in the 1980’s – a competition used primarily to give younger squad player match time.
The stellar list of selected players who have featured for both teams is: Matt Buse, Jack Bycroft, Jordan Copp, Toby Down, Craig Duff, Ben Gerring, Adam Kelly, Jimmy McCafferty, Ed Palmer, Peter Rogers, Jake Wannell.
For the Terras, Matt Buse is currently enjoying what is technically his third spell at the club following four loan appearances in 2015/16, last season when he briefly returned and now again in this campaign. Current Peacocks loan keeper Jack Bycroft in goal played 15 times for the Terras in the 2020/21 National League season, whereas Jake Wannell amassed 111 appearances for us over three seasons from 2014/15 to 2016/17 scoring 7 times from his defensive role.
