Teigns Trash Torridgeside to Move Joint Top
Teignmouth moved level top on points with Brixham in the South West Peninsula Division One East with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Torridgeside. The Fishermen lost consecutive games while Newton Abbot Spurs and Galmpton enjoyed narrow home wins.
Ryan Bush was the hero at Coombe Valley with his first ever hat-trick for Teignmouth in a deserved 4-0 thrashing of their North Devon visitors, his treble completed by half-time. There was snow on the ground at Exwick Villa’s ground and it was Brixham AFC who slipped up there, suffering a surprise reverse at the hands of the division stragglers who moved off the foot of the table. Jason Ryan Bailey and Levi Edwardson scored one apiece for Villa but it was supersub Brad Edwardson who drew the plaudits with a double in the home side’s 4-2 success including some excellent play to take the ball around the visiting ‘keeper prior to slotting home his second.
With Torridgeside humbled, Newton Abbot Spurs took advantage to move three points clear in third spot – and only a point off the leaders. On a cold afternoon at The Rec, Spurs made hard work of their game though. They could have took the lead 15 minutes in but Jake Chisholm couldn’t get his free header on target after Shaun Bowden’s right-wing cross. Ian Wilkinson had started off that move but it was he who was at fault for the visitors’ first chance of many in the first half, conceding possession to Sam Webber who set up Ryan Moody for a shot on target, Matt Bojar saving well. On 22 minutes, Bojar was given the benefit of the doubt when Patrick Laughlin went down in the box as the goalkeeper cleared and Kevin Dadd reacted well with a challenge to prevent Moody from shooting at goal during the same move. Webber and Harry Taylor combined well for the next Alphas opportunity, on the half hour mark, but the latter fired over. It was not all one-way traffic though and Adam Dyson forced visiting custodian Jack MacAndrews into a smart stop before half-time. Taylor was denied by Wilkinson before the whistle was blown.
After the interval, Spurs got straight on to the attack and, two minutes in , were one up. Jo Andrews’ neat chip beat the visiting defence and Liam Moseley did the rest, taking the ball around MacAndrews before firing across the goal into the far corner. The next real chance came the visitors’ way with just over 20 minutes left, Webber hitting a free-kick straight at Bojar who made a comfortable save. With moments left, Spurs sub Sean Adderley, a former Alphington player, almost made certain but saw his header rebound off the post after Andrews’ cross. But a single goal proved enough to see Spurs to an important three points.
The only other South Devon Peninsula team in action were Galmpton United who welcomed Axminster Town to the War Memorial Ground. Barkwell set up Halliday for the winner in that one after a competitive game. United will have been relieved to end a run of four successive losses.
