Ottery St Mary are without a game this Saturday (December 5) and that’s a worry for Otters boss Mike Dawe who says: “The stop-start nature of our season is not helping in terms of the bigger picture! We have had the County Cup run and also had some success in the Football Express Cup, but to have got to December only having played seven league game is a worry.”

Since the start of the season, the penultimate Saturday in August the Otters have seen off 17 Saturday match days and yet have so far played just seven of their 24 Fresha League five matches.

The will now have just one more home game between now and mid-January, that the December 12 Washbrook Meadow meeting with Hatherleigh Town Reserves.

Dawe says: “Motivating the players is clearly an issue with the nature of the season, one also hit by a large number of weather related cancellations. I had wanted to get the lads together for a midweek session, but a general text-a-round earlier in the week drew three responses and that told me a great deal about the current mindset of the players. They are either fed up with the season, losing interest rapidly or simply don’t want to keep themselves in shape between matches.”

Last Saturday the Otters were in action at Alphington who have proven themselves to be something of a ‘bogey team for Dawes men! This meeting was no exception as the Otters held a two-goal lead before having to settle for a point from a contest, like most of last weekend’s football – ruined by the gale-force winds.

Adam Harris missed an early penalty before a second spot kick was won – and slotted – this time by Jake Allen. Last season’s leading scorer Harris then atoned for his spot kick miss with a clinical finish to double the Otters lead, one they held through to half-time.

The second half saw the home side benefit from a powerful wind and it was they who drew strength from that scoring twice to ensure a 2-2 draw.

Dawe said: “All things being equal I’d have settled for a point before the game. They (Alphington) have held a sign over us in recent meetings and so to go two up as we did was very pleasing. However, a combination of factors, none more bothering that the wind, which led to long periods of backs-to-the-wall defending left me coming home feeling it was certainly a pint gained rather than points lost!”