Ottery St Mary hope to end a two-week weather-enforced ‘lay-off’ when they make the short trip to Beer tomorrow (Saturday) to play Beer Albion Reserves in a Macron League Division Three game.

The Otters last played on January 26 when they won 2-1 at Clyst Valley. That was a 12th successive win for the Otters and boss Dave Fairweather is keen to see the winning run continue.

He says: “We need a game and I am very confident that we will see action at Beer as they tend to generally get their matches on at their Furzebrake home even when the weather is misbehaving and we have a decent forecast too!”

Fairweather will have half an eye on proceedings up at Sandford, who sit third in the table and tomorrow host second placed University.

He says: “There’s a run of interesting games coming up, with University playing at Sandford and then meeting Lympstone and we have the students early next month.

“We are now approaching the ‘business end’ of the campaign and need to keep our focus and ensure that, as we go into games, we do so with the right mindset and determination to dictate the contests, playing the game the way we know we are capable of.”

The Otters head for Beer without the services of the unavailable Dan Jewell and the injured Ben Rushden, but otherwise they have a clean bill of health.

? The Ottery Under-18s were in midweek action at Washbrook and, before a healthy crowd that turned out for the floodlit meeting with Awliscombe, the young Otters did themselves proud as they edged the Macron League side out of the Golesworthy Cup, winning the tie 4-3 on penalties after the night’s action had ended 1-1.

The Otters had trailed 1-0 at half-time, but a second-half goal from Joe Hollox took the tie to the shoot-out where home goalkeeper Jack Dallyn proved to be the hero, saving two of the Awls’ penalties.

Make no mistake, this was an impressive performance from the Otters and augers well for the future.

? Sunday sees the Ottery ladies involved in a Devon Cup semi-final tie when they play away at Buckland Athletic ladies.

The Otterettes are the first team from the club to reach a county cup last four tie and are expected to take plenty of support with them to South Devon.

They are very much the underdogs against a team that play their league football at a higher level, but what the Otterettes have plenty of is character and there’s little doubting that they will be doing everything they can to cause what would be a big cup surprise.