Tipton St John sit this Saturday’s Macron League matchday out – as they always do – for many of the team are actively involved in the famous Ottery Tar Barrels event.

Tipton made a speedy return to winning ways – they had lost for the first time this season in their previous outing, going down to table-topping Crediton United Reserves – with a 4-2 home win over Budleigh Salterton Reserves.

Jody Freeman scored two of the Tipton goals, a Budleigh defender put the ball past his own glovesman for another and Nick Pedler capped a Man of the Match display for his side with the other goal.

Player-coach Dale Strawbridge said: “We got a little complacent after running into a 4-0 lead and got punished for that. However, overall, it was another solid display and it was important to get back to winning ways.”

With leaders Crediton United losing for the first time at the weekend it means that every team in Division Three has now lost at least once, which suggests things are wide open in terms of any end-of-season divisional honours.

Strawbridge agrees, saying: “Yes, that Crediton result means we have now all lost matches and it seems as if anyone can beat anyone in the division. For our part it’s too early to say whether we will be involved in the promotion picture – it’s certainly where we want to be and, now into November, sitting within touching distance of the leaders and having played four games fewer than the second-placed side and two less than the table-toppers means we have got ourselves into a good early season position. However, it’s a long, hard season and there’s plenty of work to be done to make sure we are where want to be, come the end of the campaign.”

With no game this weekend, it means the team will be next in action on Saturday week (November 11) when they host a Pinhoe side they beat 3-0 in early October. The players will train – as they do each week – on Wednesday evening under lights at their Tipton home.