Sidmouth Town head for their second East Devon derby inside four days on Good Friday morning when they travel to Budleigh Salterton.

The Vikings were beaten 3-1 by Axminster Town under the Manstone Lane floodlights on Tuesday night and Town joint boss Kevin Tooze saw his side well beaten on the night.

Tooze, ever honest with his opinions on football, said: “They [Axminster] deserved to win for they were the better team on the night.

“They were slicker than us, sharper in the tackle and more productive with their passing.

“That said, we did start well, scored first and then were unlucky that their first goal was more of our making than their doing!

“However, what I also saw was that I worry now we might be burning out some of the younger lads. It usually happens to the younger players at this time of what has usually been a long season and we had gone into the game missing four senior regulars and so that meant asking extra from the younger lads.

“Don’t get me wrong, our youngsters are good and a number of them, undoubtedly, have a very bright future ahead of them in the game.

“We had two 16-year-olds in central midfield against Axminster with Jack Hatswell alongside Ethan Slater and both did well, but there simply is no substitute for experience and wily old heads and we genuinely did miss Danny Clay, Will Jenkins, Ollie Jarrett and Martyn Hancock.”

Town head for Budleigh looking to complete a season’s double over their neighbours having won the Boxing Day game at Manstone Lane 4-2.

Tooze says: “We have four games left and the target remains three wins and nine points to see us to that magic figure of 50 for the campaign which, in my mind, will represent a terrific season given the woes we had at the start of the season with the moving on of the previous manager and the appointment of myself and Danny [Burwood] to hold the reins for this term.”

Town’s planning for the Budleigh game have been hit with the loss of regular glovesman Jake Wreford who is working.

Tooze says: “With Jake not available it looks very much as if we are going to ask for volunteers to keep goal. It’s like that at this time of season, especially around holiday times, but it is what it is and we have to get on with it and make the best we can. I am sure that Budleigh, after the battling campaign they have had, will be looking at this game as being ‘one last chance’ to give their followers something to shout about.

“For our part we have that 50 point target before us and three points at Greenway Lane will bring that achievement that much closer.”