FOOTBALL will continue throughout the festive period in the South West Peninsula League, with games coming thick and fast still, but there is still a chance for us to look back and reflect on the season so far.

There have been a huge amount of goals scored up and down the region, with 13 Premier East games being graced by eight or more goals (plus three in the cups) and 10 individuals already reaching double figures for the campaign, prior to the weekend of December 21st.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the high-flying Cullompton Rangers feature regularly in both fields, Aiden Horne and Lewis Hill taking the top two spots in the scoring charts on 21 and 18 respectively.

Only four teams are represented across these eight scorers with Okehampton Argyle boasting the prolific pairing of Dan Koita (14 goals) and Luke Mortimore (11), Sidmouth Town have Louis Cane (14) and Craig Veal (12) and lastly, Elburton Villa have Sam Hughes (10) and Calum Merrin (10).

Just two fixtures have reached double figures for goals with the struggling Axminster Town on the receiving end of both- Cullompton fired 11 past them in early August before Newquay gave them a 9-1 pasting in the Walter C Parson League Cup in mid-October.

Not to rub salt in the wounds but Axminster feature twice more, being put to the sword by sides from Mid-Devon and the South Hams.

First, there was a 6-2 home defeat against Newton Abbot Spurs on October 5. Tate Breslan-Aggrey and Owen Green chipped in with braces for Marc Revell’s men whilst Brad Crocombe and Stuart Morgan found the back of the net from the bench.

This month’s defeat away at Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police was even more one-sided, five different players striking in an 8-0 result on the 14th. Ben Aldous scored three, Joe Aldous two and then there were singles for Cole Harford, Josh Haynes and Lucas Robinson.

Spurs don’t feature again but Stoke were on the wrong side of a high-scoring affair on the opening day of the season, back in August.

Ben Aldous and Adam Khalaf scored for SG&TP in a 6-2 loss away at Sidmouth Town with the aforementioned 11-0 between Cully & Axminster and a 5-3 win for Elburton Villa at Crediton United, spurred on by a Sam Hughes hat-trick both happening on that same day as well.

Even busier than August 3rd was December 14th with Stoke’s eight-goal win, Cullompton scoring seven away at Crediton, Bridport 6-3 Elburton and then Teignmouth AFC narrowly losing out 5-4 to Okehampton Argyle in the League Cup- this being the former’s first game back at their home patch Coombe Valley.

Other high-scoring matchups thus far have included Bovey Tracey AFC’s 8-1 defeat at the hands of Elburton and Torrington AFC losing 9-0 to Barnstaple Town in the St Lukes Challenge Cup.