Ottery St Mary were good value for a 4-0 midweek success at home to Lympstone in a Macron League Division Three game.

The Otters, who did not start particularly well, but eventually found their feet in the game, moved up to sixth in the table with their ninth win of the league campaign and their fifth clean sheet success – all five have come at home.

Connor Swingler scored twice and the other goals came from Aiden Davey – the left back scoring with a header – while leading scorer Corey Ringer netted his 14th goal of the season.

Ben Rushton was the glovesman who secured this latest shut-out.

Otters boss Dave Fairweather said: “I think the most pleasing thing of the whole game was the fact that, while we were not at our best in the opening 20 minutes, we did continue to look to get the basics right and, as a coach, when you see your team looking to do that you know, first and foremost, that the end result will be a positive one, and perhaps even more satisfying is the fact that you know the players are buying into your training ground promptings and thinkings.”

He continued: “We perhaps could have won by a greater margin, but I must be careful with what I wish for because, as a coach, I am delighted with four goals, a clean sheet and, most importantly at this time of the season, three points.

“There remains lots to play for and I am so keen for us to look to win every game between now and the end of the season so that we can give ourselves a chance of finishing high enough to get another promotion in the event of divisional changes above us. I accept that it is generally three up and a top three slot might look a wee but unlikely, but it may be the case that fourth or fifth also go up and, if that is indeed the case, we need to be in that mix.”

Tomorrow (Saturday) the Otters head for Mid Devon for a meeting with a Crediton United Reserves side that won on their visit to Ottery a couple of weeks ago. That game saw the Otters fail to score in a match for only the second time this season.

Fairweather says: “We’ll go there looking to win the game. We are without Dan Jewell through work, but otherwise I have a clean bill of health and we’ll be looking for a positive result to put us in good heart ahead of next midweek’s cup tie.”

That midweek tie is a Bill Slee quarter-final meting with Winchester under the Washbrook Meadow floodlights.