WITH no Premier League games being played in the SDFL, due to the County Cups being spread over a number of weeks, we are able to focus on what is becoming a great competition in Division One, writes Alastair Muirden.

DIVISION ONE

Watts Blake Bearne were just a smidgen away from taking points from Windmill. Ryan Dodd was called up to play in goal after the regular keeper was unavailable and it was clear the defence were nervy in the opening exchanges.

Wattsies had the better of the first 15 minutes and could have been two up had it not been for the crossbar and a goal-line clearance but straight from that brush with the woodwork, Windmill cleared their lines and a 50-yard sprint and cross by Harrison Jones found Louis Godwin who tucked away the opener for Windmill.

From the kick-off, WBB still looked the more likely team, Sam Pearce was running the midfield and Jake Moore seemed in control at the back but it took them 25 minutes of hard slog to get the equaliser. It came from a long ball into the box and with the Windmill keeper coming to the edge of his box to collect, Jamie Orchard beat him to the ball and headed it over him into the goal.

The game was then end-to-end and became a bit niggly, but the referee did well to keep his cards in his pocket.

With 5 minutes left until the break, there was one of those déjà vu moments when Charlie Prior hit a long ball towards the Windmill penalty area for the keeper to come rushing to the edge of his box to collect it, only for Ryan Clarke to beat him to it and head the ball over him to make it 2–1 to the home team. The question was could Wattsies hold out until the break and the answer was no.

Less than two minutes after they took the lead, those nerves when the ball was close to the keeper were clear and when Windmill won a corner kick that the keeper could not reach, Billy Eccles was on hand to tap in the equaliser.

The second half was end-to-end and in games like these, you need a leader to keep the team focused and Windmill had that in Sam Doyle, who was a threat in front of goal. He was certainly a different player in the second half- it was he who put the Plymouth team in front for the first time in the game with a low diving header halfway through the second period.

When WBB hit the crossbar again you could see that today was not going to be their day, 10 minutes before the end, Andrew Parker scored a fourth goal for the visitors and they remain well placed having only lost once so far this season. Sam Doyle was named as the Man of the Match.

Bovey Tracey 2nd XI meanwhile left it late at Brixham Town, they equalised with what was the last kick of the game to retain their unbeaten start to the season. Bovey remain in third place, three points behind True Blues with a game in hand.

Buckland Athletic 2nd XI picked up their second win of the season with a 4–1 home victory over Newton Abbot Spurs 3rds, who seem to have gone off the boil since their opening-day win. Deven Webb was again on target for Spurs but it is Buckland who join four other teams in mid-table.

Ben Clark netted twice for Buckland and he was joined on the scoresheet by Gordon Stevenson and substitute Owen Coldwell at Homers Heath.

DIVISION TWO

In Division Two, Mount Gold continued their 100% record with a 6-1 win over bottom team Ipplepen Athletic, thanks to a hat-trick from Saddam Bello, a double from Joe Jasper and a single from Arron Spear.

Harbertonford remain in third place following a 4–2 win against Newton Rovers, Seb Looker was again on the scoresheet, as were Alan Hamlet and Leo Golding.

Well done to Buckfastleigh Rangers 2nds, they earned their first point of the season with a 2–2 draw against Upton Athletic in an entertaining game. The result leaves just Newton Rovers and Ipplepen Ath as the only teams yet to put points on the board.

DIVISION THREE

Division Three is shaping up nicely with Ashburton as the only unbeaten team.They had a close 2–1 home win versus Totnes and Dartington 2nds, Chris Morris and James Meekings scoring the goals but they had to hang on, as they ended the game with fewer players on the field than they started with.

The other game at the top in this division was at Broadpark, where Kingsteignton Athletic 2nds got the better of Elburton Villa 3rds by 2 goals to 1. Goals from Ashley Heyworth andBen Stephenson won the points for the Rams who stay in second place while Villa slip to fifth place.

Liverton Utd got back to winning ways with a tight 2–1 home win over Waldon Athletic 2nds, Shane Essam and Stephen Rohan were on target against the team they used to play for and not surprisingly, things got a bit heated at times, Liverton ending the game with 10 players.

DIVISION FOUR

Division Four is not so difficult to predict- both Chudleigh Athletic 2nds and Kingskerswell lead the way and Teign Village are still in the mix, all three picked up maximum points and two had the same scoreline.

Chudleigh hit nine goals against Paignton Villa 3rds courtesy of Ben Hill and Daniel Martin who got five between them, plus Gavin Lake, Kai Stocker, Wilson Bryce and Henry Stubbs secured the points to keep Athletic at the top. Kingskerwell also scored nine goals at Cricketfield Road versus Waldon Athletic 3rds, to keep their 100% record and they have now scored 38 goals in four games.

Teign Village remain in third place and manager Paul Edwards will be delighted with the progress they have made in the last three months, a 5–2 home win and a bit of revenge for an opening-day defeat against Templar Way will give them a lot of confidence for the season.

At the other end of Division Four, Barton Athletic 2nds picked up their first win of the season, a 2-nil win at Newton Rovers 2nds with strikes from Harry Lloyd and Mathew Ward was enough to move Athletic in the right direction.

PREVIEWS

Looking ahead now and as it is another County Cup weekend, there aren’t too many league games.

That being said, there is a heavyweight tussle to catch in the Premier Division as Buckfastleigh Rangers take on the unbeaten Waldon Athletic. Equally, the top in Division Four will cross paths with Kingskerswell hosting Chudleigh Athletic and a nil-nil seems highly unlikely.