Nailsea United's cup heroics headline a shifting Western League week

Nailsea United produced an upset in the Men's Somerset Premier Cup, beating Southern League side Paulton Rovers 2-0 in what the Western Football League club described as their first ever game in the competition. Dylan Whittle scored the second after Harrison had opened the scoring, with two Paulton players sent off in what officials described as "a massive game for the club". Elliot Moore was named man of the match, with the club's own account of the goals describing a mixture of composure and late resolve.

Photo: Avonmouth on X

That form continued into league action, where Nailsea United defeated Shirehampton. Meanwhile, Almondsbury lost 2-3 at home to Shire, beat KET 3-1 with two goals from J Best, and shared six goals in a 3-3 thriller with Avonmouth, Saman Ahmadi's man of the match display including what the club called "a screamer of a goal".

Venue changes and postponements also affected the wider schedule. AEK Boco moved their fixture to Greenbank Recreation Ground at short notice, while Shirehampton sat out the weekend entirely. Welton Rovers' first-team trip to Odd Down was postponed and rearranged for October due to ongoing wall installation works. Welton Rovers' under-18 fixture against Saltford was also postponed after the opposition could not raise a side.

Radstock Town took on National League opposition Yeovil Town in the Francis Hillier Premier Cup, with goalkeeper Tom Crouch earning man of the match for a penalty save and several key stops. The club also confirmed the signing of centre back Ryan Khumalo, who has already featured in two matches, and separately petitioned the FA over the exclusion of Step 6 clubs from the FA Youth Cup.

Off the pitch, Bitton staged a Family Fun Day featuring food stalls, a bouncy castle and live music from Mat Davies, thanking sponsors GEM Construction, while Cadbury Heath held a Macmillan Cancer Support fundraiser and added Courtney Charles from Welton Rovers to their squad in time for their game against Warminster Town, who themselves completed an unbeaten September with three wins and two draws.