Ottery St Mary chairman Mikey Ringer was quick to want to add his thoughts to those of lots of football folk saddened to hear of the passing of the Buckland Athletic chairman Roy Holmes.

Roy passed away last weekend after bravely battling illness and the Ottery chairman says: "Roy was most certainly a huge inspiration to me when I was down here and very much the 'newbie' chairman.

"I first came across him through the ladies league when our league meetings were held at Buckland Football Club and he was always the first person there to unlock and let folk in and then the last person out to lock up afterwards!

"I got into many a conversation with him and it led me getting serious respect for a great man who clearly had a vision for his club and he was quick to pass on his vast knowledge - and experience of being a club chairman.

"I would often come across him away from those early day league meetings and we developed a great working relationship and the biggest complement I can pay Roy Holmes is to say that everything I look to do now at Ottery St Mary is based, not only on my own experience of years involved with the game, but very much on that vision Roy worked forwards, and achieved at his club.

"He is going to be missed by a lot of people across the football family and there's no doubt that his passing has left a massive hole in terms of his infectious personality and our thoughts from Ottery St Mary are very much to Roy's family and everyone at Buckland Athletic Football Club."