With three months of the season completed, Colaton Raleigh FC player/manager Riki Pitter is happy with his team’s progress.

Playing at a higher level, it took the players a few weeks to adjust, and during that time two early league defeats saw Raleigh in the lower reaches of Division 2.

Since that time, however, a run of seven wins in their last eight games, has propelled the Newton Poppleford-based team up to fourth place in the league.

Pitter’s team is also through to the quarter finals of the Bill Slee Cup, and the fourth Round of the Devon County Senior Cup, where they meet Division One Heavitree Social this Saturday.

On a personal level player/boss Pitter is leading from the front, having scored three hat-tricks in his last six games. He admits that, in his fifth season as manager, he is enjoying his football “more than ever”.

He said: “We have a very young and exciting group of players, and some of our possession play, movement and attacking flair is a joy to watch.

“They all work incredibly hard on the training ground, and are improving all the time, both individually and as a unit”.

Pitter also added: “My assistant, Cliff Cooper is doing a great job. We work as a team and I couldn’t do my job without his support. Another who also deserves praise for the work he is doing, is Reserve team manager Chris Harwood.”