Buckland Athletic returned to Homers Heath for the first time in almost two months and it meant they could finally unveil their much-anticipated new signing: club mascot Barry the Buck. And the Yellow faithful came out in numbers with around 200 witnessing a fine first half display as Buckland overcame Odd Down of Bath 3-0 for three precious points towards their Southern League promotion hopes.

We managed to prize Barry away from his herd of new admirers to find out how his first day was going, with translation from deer provided by Buckland’s media and communications manager Jamie Sinclair.

Jamie Sinclair: I worked with Torquay United as a community volunteer and worked my way up through the ranks. I met Steve when he was a mascot at Torquay United (Ed: Gilbert the Gull of course!), and he always brought great value to the crowds and the children.

As Buckland are a lower league club, in the Toolstation League, we have been looking at ways to build the club, our attendances and also to engage with the community and the children. So we thought it would be a great idea to get a mascot so we can engage children, make the whole sport enjoyable and to get more younger players through the ranks.

As you can see, today’s gate is pretty good, it’s near 200, so we’re 25 per cent up on last year’s attendance so things are going great. It’s a family club, Buckland Athletic. There’s never any trouble here, the fans are lovely and we just want to build a community football club with a good vibe and is supportive of young players.

The club’s building and we’ve got a bright future.

Clubnets: How is Barry finding the reception on his first day. I can see he is already engaging with parents and children.

JS: There’s never a good time to start so we thought we would just take the bull by the horns (Ed: or the deer by the antlers, as Barry would say) and do it. You can see that the kids here are happy, they’re smiling and there’s been a lot of laughter and fun. Having a mascot at the club will enhance the match day experience and engage with young people because no football club can survive without young people coming through the ranks.

Torquay haven’t really tended to the younger side to get the Pop Side cycle right so there will come a point in time where you will stall for fans. The whole point with Steve and my involvement in the club is to get our younger generation in Newton Abbot and Teignbridge.

You’ve got Plymouth, Exeter City and Torquay but we are the strongest, most building team in this area. We’ve got to work hard over the next four or five years to get a few promotions but hopefully one day we will be playing Torquay United in the National South or the National League or, hopefully one day, in the League.

That’s what we’re aiming for as a club.

Clubnets: It’s not just any old mascot, it’s Gilbert the Gull coming over here from Torquay. Is that a deliberate PR thing to compare the two clubs?

JS: No, not at all. We’re not in competition with Torquay in the slightest. Buckland were formed in 1978. Their old ground was basically on the way in to Newton Abbot from Teignmouth where you’ve got Buckland estate on the side there. Back in the day there was some wasteland there where deer used to roam – hence the fact it was called Buckland.

We’ve got a lovely stadium here. There will be redevelopment in years to come and houses around here so this will be the central hub of the community. Hopefully we can build this as the community grows and hopefully, in years to come, there will be Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle, Torquay United and Buckland Athletic all being the pride of Devon.

Clubnets: As a club, Buckland are hot on development and bringing young people through. It’s a nice touch to have the same thing with the mascots with Junior Buck. Is that unique?

JS: It is unique. It just goes to show our statement of intent for younger supporters. Children cost a pound to come in here and we want them to enjoy themselves and tell their friends. It’s a lovely, safe family atmosphere here.

We are one of the first Toolstation League teams to get a mascot but I think we’re possibly the first team in the lower leagues to actually have two mascots, one engaging with children and one with the team and players. Barry the Buck will improve our community presence and ultimately the club in a stronger position than we are in now.

Clubnets: Southern League promotion is still on the cards. Can Barry the Buck help motivate the ’13th player’ to get them over the line?

JS: We hope so. I’ve said that for years: the crowd are the 13th player. When they get behind the team and they really need that extra bit of encouragement and support.

We’ve had a lot of cancellations due to a waterlogged pitch and a lot of teams in our division are still on a cup run. So we have got a big chance of progressing as far as we can but, like every game we play here, we play to win. We’re not here to draw or lose so we will be kicking and screaming to the end to try and get the promotion that this club deserves.

Clubnets: Last question because I don’t want to keep Barry away from his engagements. On a day like this, where it’s a bit damp and grey, does it make an extra difference to have a mascot who can build that atmosphere?

JS: I’ve seen 30 or 40 children here smiling and happy. There are more children here than there have been in recent seasons. There’s no good time to start anything like this but today’s been a very positive day with a lot of positive feedback and a lot of happy faces. What more could we ask for? Three points on the pitch today and everyone goes home happy.