TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 10th JAN, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Ilsington Villa contributed by SDFL
With just a handful of weather-related postponements, the South Devon Football League were able to not only catch up with the delayed Herald Cup fixtures, but also get some much needed league games played.
There were several massive results across the divisions, and we can start at East Allington United, who moved into third place with a comprehensive three-nil win against the league leaders, with goals from Finn Bullen and Finn Billingham which will get the home team over the disappointment of their previous week’s result; the result leaves True Blues still at the summit but with a game more in the bank. Chudleigh Athletic had yet another great result. A 3-1 home win over Paignton Saints, with goals from Kia Stocker and a double from Gavin Lake, lets them leapfrog Ilsington Villa (pictured) and create a seven point gap between themselves and any danger. Kingsteignton Athletic also had a very important victory in a six-pointer at the wrong end of the table; a 2-1 win over Totnes and Dartington lets the Rams join Chudleigh and Ilsington on that seven point gap. The result leaves the visitors joint bottom with Buckfastleigh Rangers, who were on Herald cup duty. Lakeside Athletic finally got a league game played; after four postponements and two cup games, the last time they played in the league was 1st November. But it was worth the wait. A much needed three points, with a close 3-2 win over the reigning champions Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves, with goals from Carlton Allen, Adam Carter and Taylor Owen, puts them not where they want to be but six points behind the second placed team with no games in hand over them.
Two Premier Division teams played in the Herald Cup over lower league opposition, and whilst the results went to form, both teams took a different route. Ilsington Villa put 14 goals past Division Two side Newton Rovers, who never gave up at Bakers Park; Dan Langford was the star of the show with six goals on the day, and there were hat-tricks for brother Jack and James Kervella.
In the A38 derby game at Division Three outfit South Brent, a shock was, at several times, on the cards, but Buckfastleigh Rangers dug in and took the game to extra time after it ended 3-3. Fortunately, the visitors did not need a penalty shootout, as new signing Dylan Rangecroft popped up with a fine strike to give Buckfastleigh their first taste of victory since 18th October and a place in the hat for Round Three, which will be drawn on Monday 19th January.
Nerves must be setting in at the top of Division One with the strangest set of results in one day that I can remember. There are now eight teams that are in the mix for promotion after this week’s results. Barton Athletic put in a shift at Mount Gould, and a 1-1 draw was no less than they deserved, and to come away from Plymouth with points is a feat that not many will achieve. The result leaves the Torquay side eight points off the lead with two games in hand, and who would bet against them? Beesands Rovers came from behind twice to move joint top with a hard fought 3-2 win at Brixham Town, with goals from Joe Craig (2) and Jack Hopkiss. Beesands have now reached the halfway point with fixtures, and Town have now lost two on the bounce, but both are just one point short of Paignton Villa who drew 1-1 with Bovey Tracey Reserves at South Devon College in a game where the draw seemed to be a fair result and keeps Villa top of the division by just one point. The two teams that benefited the most from this week’s results were WBB (postponed) and Elburton Villa Reserves (cup duty); they remain eight points behind Villa in seventh place with four games in hand, in a very competitive competition.
The final Division One team in action was Buckland Athletic Reserves who hosted Galmpton United from Division Three, and it turned out to be a great game of football in front of a good attendance, and the underdogs from Galmpton had a great result by winning by four goals to one, which keeps their good restart to life in the SDFL on track.
In Division Two, Signal Box Oak Villa remain on track for their next station stop (Div 1) after a comfortable afternoon at Armada Park with a 9-1 win over Upton Athletic who will be glad to see the last of the Plymouth outfit having lost twice to them in the last month, and hopefully they can pick up some points from here on in. Babbacombe Corries’ unbeaten record is still intact, but they dropped a couple of points in their 2-2 draw with Paignton Villa Seconds; Alex Chamberlain and Joshua Easterbrook were on target for Corries who remain in second place, four points behind the leaders but with a game in hand. Drake FC also lost some ground on the leading pack, as they were held to a 3-3 draw at home against East Allington United Seconds, and both teams are now in mid-table. Drake’s two games in hand are now just a bit more valuable, but they have to win them first.
In the Herald Cup, Division Two side Ashburton made short work of Bere Alston United from Division Four with a four-nil win, and a big shout out to Watcombe Wanderers Seconds who nearly folded in December but managed to not only get a team on the pitch, they managed to beat in form Chudleigh Athletic Seconds in the Fred Hewings Cup; Jordan Peircy and Will Godfrey were on target with club legend Sean Finch helping out with a hat-trick.
Just the one league game in Division Three, and Liverton United Seconds won 8-1 versus Waldon Athletic Seconds thanks to goals from Kye Graham, Tom Roddy, Oliver West, George Stahlman, Steve Reilly and Harvey Kendall. The result leaves Livvy safe in mid-table and the Clarets joint bottom with Ipplepen Athletic Reserves and T&D Seconds. Interestingly, Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves are fourth from bottom with five games in hand, and if they won them, they would be a top three team.
At the top of Division Four, Teign Village moved within three points of the leaders Chudleigh Athletic with a six-nil victory over Paignton Saints Thirds; they also have a game in hand. Paignton Villa Thirds remain well-placed, and a 4-2 win at Broadhempston United puts them into fourth place and completes half of their fixtures for the season.
Two of the division’s sides were in cup action, and Kingsbridge and Kellaton United could not match Division Two side Ivybridge Town Reserves in the Herald Cup and had to endure a seven-nil defeat at Loddiswell, whilst Barton Athletic Seconds caused a shock by knocking out Division Two side Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds by five goals to two to give the club a good weekend of results.
Games to catch on Saturday 17th January:
There are three very interesting games that could shape the look of the division for January. In-form Chudleigh Athletic face a Lakeside Athletic team at Kate Brook with both teams desperate for a clean January. East Allington United are also looking for a bit more consistency but have, out of the blue, set up a third v second game at Poole Lane; a result against Windmill could set them up for the second half of the program. In Division One, there is a promotion six-pointer at JC park, where Brixham Town face Barton Athletic in what should be a great game. Division Two offers some watchable games with Ashburton paying a visit to Watcombe Wanderers Seconds, and the visitors will be hoping for a repeat of the home tie which ended 24-nil, but the Greens will be out for revenge and to show how far they have come since October. Ivybridge Town will not have their own way when Paignton Villa Seconds travel to Erme Valley looking to bring some points home, and in Division Three, there is a local derby at Broadpark where Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds host Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds, and with both teams on the cusp of a position challenge, this could be a cracker, and finally, in Division Four, unbeaten Waldon Athletic Thirds take their record to Bere Alston United, and the only thing they will be hoping to lose is their jet lag on route.
Enjoy your grassroots football.