Sidmouth Town edged out by visiting Bovey Tracey

Sidmouth Town are still without a win three games into a new South West Peninsula League Eastern Division campaign after a 2-1 Manstone Lane defeat at the hands of Bovey Tracey.

The visitors began brightly and put the Vikings back line under intense pressure in the early exchanges.

However, the Town back line, led superbly by Jamie Newbery defended with real resolve.

However, just as had happened in the previous two games, a momentary lapse of concentration was punished in clinical fashion.

With 20 minutes on the clock, Joe Bushin found Dan Taylor in acres of space and he headed powerfully past the helpless Josh McLean in the Town goal.

The Vikings response was good and, after fashioning a couple of half chances, it was no more than they deserved when a superbly delivered Sam Johnson corner was headed firmly home by teenage centre back Newbery to leave the scores level at half-time.

During the break Town boss Josh Stunell changed his formation and his side looked much the better for the switch in the second half.

Jacob Rowe became a real thorn in the side of the visitors with a number of incisive direct runs at the visitors defence.

However, on 56 minutes, Bovey regained the lead with a touch of class. A defence-splitting pass found Gavin Coles and he powered the ball past McLean.

Minutes later Town were denied what looked very good shouts for a penalty when the lively Rowe was bundled over in the area when he was ‘tackled’ by two defenders.

Much to the consternation of another good Manstone Lane turnout, the match official deemed the challenge ‘legal’.

Ten minutes later the impressive Nathan Antat skipped past his marker before delivering a superb cross into the six yard box, but, Town striker Shaun Densham, just two yards out, somehow contrived to screw his shot wide of a gaping goal, much to the dismay of the home faithful.

Town continued to dominate the latter stages of the contest. Tyler Wellman saw a goal-bound shot desperately hacked clear before Densham put a header wide when well placed. With no injury time allowed the whistle blew on the 90 minute mark, leaving the Sidmouth faithful dumfounded as to how the home side had got nothing to show for their efforts over the 90 minutes of a match sponsored by Evergreen Renewables.

Sidmouth: Mclean, Wellman, B.Clay (c), Newbery, Booth, Binion, Jacob Rowe, Antat, Jake Rowe, Johnson, Densham. Used Subs: Farrington, Duchenski and Swingler.

Star man Jamie Newbery