Colaton Raleigh 2, Pinhoe 3 Colaton Raleigh were edged out by the odd goal in five in an evening encounter at Newton Poppleford.

Raleigh took a 10th minute lead when Tony Cox rifled in a shot from twenty yards, following good work from Ben Farrington.

Mark Pavey went close twice before, with five minutes of the first half remaining, Pinhoe were gifted a penalty which they put away and they found time to punish a home defence that ‘switched’ off to net a second to take a 2-1 advantage into the break.

A typical Raleigh second half, full of grit and determination, saw them apply plenty of pressure and they drew level in the 82nd minute when player-boss Riki Pitter raced on to a cross-field pass from Tony Cox to shoot across the keeper.

That spurred the home side into a grandstand finish as they sought a winner, but they were left with nothing to show for their efforts on the night when caught by a long up-field punt that an unmarked striker calmly tucked away to send the visitors home with all three points.

Raleigh boss Pitter said: “This was another step in our learning curve against a strong, well organised and experienced team. Considering that this is basically the same team that began a run four seasons ago four divisions below, and yet are continuing to hold their own in such esteemed company, speaks volumes for their collective commitment to the club. The team have had a fantastic season.”