Sidmouth Town were 7-0 winners of a hastily arranged Monday evening meeting with Exmouth Rovers.

The Vikings had been due to entertain Exwick Villa, but with the weather being bad and the fact that, owing to Coronavirus pandemic restrictions still being in place preventing the use of dressing rooms, the Exeter side withdrew from the contest.

It was at the very last moment that Joma Devon & Exeter league side Exmouth Rovers stepped in.

Town boss Danny Burwood was very grateful to the visiting side and said: “As it happened it was a case of win, win for us.

“We needed a game and they [Exmouth Rovers] were good enough to take the fixture at very short notice.

“When I say win, win, it’s because whilst we did win the match 7-0, of far greater significance for me was to see the general attitude of our players.

“Against ‘lower ranked’ opposition, it had all the possibilities of us putting in a below-par show with an unwanted level of complacency.

“However, and I say this to the absolute credit of the players, there was a real element of professionalism about our all-round performance in as much as we treated the opposition and the contest, as if it had been a league game.”

He continued: “We were clinical in our finishing and Will Jenkins showed he has lost none of his goal scoring ability as he notched a hat-trick.”

The Town boss then spoke of his initial concerns about an injury to one of his players.

He explained saying: “We really feared young Ben [Miller] had done his ACL which would have been a season-ending injury. Thankfully it has since been proven not to be that bad. He’ll miss a couple of weeks, but at least we shall his services back with us before too long – it could have been a lot worse!”

Town took on the Exmouth side without both Lucas White and Jack Rawlings, both of whom are new additions to the Vikings’ squad this season.

The Town boss says: “Both lads were unavailable through work, but can – indeed will – be big assets to us this coming season.”

Town have no more friendlies before they begin what is set to be a very busy first 25 days of the new campaign during which time they will play no fewer than eight games – seven in the league, four away three home and a home FA Vase tie.

Burwood says: “It’s a tough start, but then last year was too when we seemed to have lots of away games in the first few weeks.

“That said, it is what it is and we are fortunate in that, even if we cannot sign any more lads, then we have a squad large enough to cope and much of that is down to the work being done by Mark O’Connor who is looking after the club’s second team. He is nurturing some very good young lads just now and I am very confident about our club’s progress over the next few seasons.”

Town’s first eight games see them host Plymouth Marjon (September 5), then they go to Newton Abbot Spurs, Dartmouth and Cullompton Rangers, before a September 19, home FA Vase tie with Cheddar. They then entertain Axminster Town before a trip to Brixham and they end the month at home to Torridgeside.