Ottery St Mary chairman Mikey Ringer continues to be busy on all fronts both in terms of the Ottery playing matters – as manager of the Otterettes and also as chairman of a busy social club.

Last Sunday he took his Otterettes to play away at Axminster Town ladies, a contest they narrowly lost, going down 4-3.

He says: “We played the game over four periods and fielded four different line-ups in order to push the girls outside their comfort zones and we were also able to give playing time to fringe players who are going to play a vital role in a long campaign.”

He continued: “The final score mattered not to me, nor will any of our pre-season fixtures.

“Of far greater importance is getting the players, and the team, ready for the start of the season proper and competitive matches.

“I was so pleased to see the players trying – and succeeding – in serving up a fast-movement and passing game that, I have been looking for them to play, but it has bene something that has not been evident in past season – it’s here now though!

As for any stand-out performances, the Otterettes boss says: “We had a 16-year-old play for the first time in senior and what ma shift Alex [Smith] delivered – and in some style too.

“She has had to wait her chance owing to the way that the youth system works in female football, but she will be a rising star in the future and I know we have more, waiting in the wings to follow her lead.”

The Otterettes boss and club chairman then spoke of his delight at the news that the team would play this year in the Women’s FA Cup.

He said: “As a club we are truly honoured to be part of such a prestige competition,

“I’ve played in the FA Cup I’ve coached in the FA Cup now it’s my time to manage in the FA Cup and share how special it is with these group of girls, this is the start of something really big for the club and over the coming years it will be massive - the phoenix is certainly rising”

He added: “As the chair of both the youth and the main club, the past few months have been so, so tough. We have got through them after lots of crossing of t’s and dotting of I’s in respect of all the Covid-19 guidelines.

“I must now laud two people in particular, Sarah Hatswell and Craig Allen, without whom we would not be where we are today in terms of providing a Covid-19 secure environment for our footballers and social club members.”