Ottery St Mary produced their finest 45 minutes of football this season and yet somehow managed not to take all three points in their Macron League Division Four meeting with Sampford Peverell that ended 2-2.

Matthew Daly scored the only goal of a first half totally dominated by the Otters who could, indeed should, have gone into the break with five or six goals.

Tom Collins doubled the lead after the break, but once the Mid Devon side got a goal back – punishing some poor defending – one or two Ottery heads visibly dropped and a second goal for the visitors was no more than they deserved.

Ottery boss Dave Fairweather said: “That first 45 minutes was as good as anything I have seen in my time at the club. The lads were superb and the only thing missing was the additional goals that their collective super show clearly warranted. Poor finishing ultimately cost us as did a rather disappointing show of lack of character from a small number of the team. I must point out that it is only a few and don’t want the whole squad tarnished with this, but the bottom line is one or two heads dropped as soon as they scored their first. Even then, 2-1 up, we were in charge and should have stayed that way. So all I all it was an abject lesson in that for an hour we delivered what I want to see on a regular basis and then for 20 odd minutes we produced the complete opposite.”

On Saturday the Otters, who have now won two, lost two and drawn two of their first six league games this season, travel to play Priory.

The Exeter side sit bottom of the fledgling table and did take a point from the Otters when they met at Washbrook Meadow on the opening day of the season.

Fairweather says: “It will be another tough game for sure. I thought they looked a tidy outfit at our place on the opening day and I am surprised that they are yet to win.”

Fairweather is able to call again upon the services of Jake Allen after the playmaker recovered from an ankle injury.

The Otters boss says: “Jake being back is a big boost. He’s an important player for us and makes things tick from the number 10 slot. That said he’ll start on the bench for we are starting to gel now as a squad and that means no one is guaranteed a starting berth.

“What I hope for in Exeter on Saturday is to see more of that first 45 minutes the lads produced last weekend. If we get that they we really can begin to see very genuine progress with the team.”