Sidbury United boss Jeremy Schofield was on the road on Wednesday night securing the signature of a new player.

The Byes Lane chief has recruited Tiverton Town Under-18 player Ben Matthew-Facey and the teenager will go straight into the squad for Saturday’s league home game against Newton St Cyres.

It’s an opportune time for the youngster to sign on the dotted line for United head into Saturday’s third game of the Fresha League top flight without four regulars!

Pete Grover, Dan Gale, Dave Green and Dan McCann are all missing, but Schofield is being bullish about the absences saying: “This weekend typifies the need for a large squad and that’s what we have this season so that we can cope with this sort of thing. As I have always said, absence offers the opportunity for another player to stake his claim to a shirt.”

Jamie Bayliss has recovered from a thigh strain picked up in an early pre-season game and he’ll play some part on Saturday as will summer signing Gary Dixon.

Dixon is a Newton Poppleford-based midfielder and he’ll make his full debut having played the final 20 minutes of the midweek defeat at home to Feniton.

United went down by the odd goal in three having been in front at half-time, but Schofield was most upbeat about his sides def saying: “I think the fact we took arguably one of the favourites to win the Fresha League this year so close is testament to the way we are moving at United. There was not much between the teams and Feniton showed what a classy outfit they are while, on the night, we were not at what I’d call full strength and I was very happy with the all-round show from my lads.”

United took the lead midway through the first half with Dan McCann the scorer and it was not until midway through the second half that Feniton finally found a way past stand-in home goalkeeper Dan Gale. What’s more the goal had a fortuitous nature about it; a free-kick was awarded and Feniton player-boss Ben Ede fired the ball round the wall and inside Gale’s near post. The winner came a few minutes later. Schofield said: “We matched them all the way and were unlucky not to get something out of the game.”

One position that remains a problem for the United chief is the number one slot. For the opening league game at Bow AAC McCauley Joy kept goal while regular midfielder Gale took the gloves against Feniton.

Schofield is hoping to sign unattached Matt Slark in time for Saturday’s meeting with Newton St Cyres.