OUT of sorts and a long way from home, Minety seemed to have done just enough to scrape a win until a last minute drop goal gave bottom-of-the-table Martock their first league victory of the season.

After their brilliant performance against Bridport the previous week, Minety came down to earth with a bump as they struggled to find their form against a robust and determined Martock team.

The two-hour coach journey down the M5 clearly did not help Minety's cause, but was not enough to explain their sudden drop in performance. Physically present but mentally absent for the first 40 minutes, they failed to hold their passes and were comprehensively outjumped, outrucked, outmauled and outscrummaged by a home pack boasting one of the best front fives in the division.

Minety exerted some pressure but were unable to convert it into points, and the two sides turned round with the score 0-0 at half-time, Martock having missed two penalty goal attempts and Minety one.

A penalty by fly half Gareth Dyer gave Minety the lead, but with 12 minutes to go this was overturned when Martock scored a try from a quickly taken tapped penalty 10 metres out from the line.

Minety rallied and appeared to have regained the advantage three minutes from time when Dyer slotted another penalty goal, this time from long range.

But in last minute, when Minety were awarded a scrum in their own 22, Martock won the strike against the head, and their fly half dropped an immaculate drop goal to give his side the victory.

This Saturday, Minety travel to play a friendly against Fairford.