BOVEY Tracey AFC announced on their social media pages on Monday, November 11 that Matt Hayden has taken over as the 1st XI manager following a successful interim spell.

Hayden stepped in alongside experienced player Neil Last to steady the ship in the wake of Tony Radford’s decision to stand down at the beginning of October, who he was “Gutted to see go”.

Up until this weekend under this managerial pair, Bovey won twice and lost once in the South West Peninsula League Premier East as well as being defeated by Torridgeside AFC in the Walter C Parsons League Cup.

On Saturday, November 9, they then welcomed league leaders Cullompton Rangers to Mill Marsh Park and took the high-flyers right down to the wire.

Cully have taken advantage of their extra fixtures to march to the summit and have lost just three times in 18 outings to date.

With the hour-mark approaching in South Devon and the deadlock yet to be broken, Cliff Walters saw red for Bovey after he continued arguing an initial sin-bin.

The visitors then took the lead on the 69th minute, only for Bovey to hit back with an equaliser in the final 10, courtesy of substitute Howe.

Hearts were broken for the home team when Cullompton went back ahead with a deflected free-kick in the dying embers, the club writing on Twitter that it was “Never going to be easy with 10 men but an unreal attitude from the players who deserved at least something from the game.”

Bovey’s new man in charge spoke of being “Delighted to have the job”, adding “the club is phenomenal, probably the best club I’ve worked at. I’m honoured and I’m really looking forward to it.”

He earmarked “resilience and an added aggression” as the key messages he hoped to pass on to his player, a group who “Couldn’t have asked for them to respond any better” to both his interim spell and the full-time appointment too.

Hayden’s first game in permanent charge comes on the 16th, when Bovey visit Crediton United, a team just four points ahead of them.