Sidmouth Town showed a much improved performance when they took on high-flying Crediton United in the Walter C Parsons Cup.

Less than a fortnight before Town had been thumped 6-0 in a league meeting, but this contest was much, much closer as the Mid Devon departed with a 3-2 win.

Town boss Josh Stunell said: “I was pleased with the performance. Let’s face it, we are never going to win that cup which is the domain of the top five or six Premier side’s. I saw the cup more a case of a ‘tool sharpening’ exercise. To that end it was mission accomplished. We played well as a team, I saw some good individual performances and we got a couple of goals out of Dan Norman.”

On Saturday Town are again at home with Bovey Tracey the visitors. It’s four games since Town were last beaten at Manstone Lane. Since Alphington won on August Town have won two and drawn two and are putting together the sort of run Stunell is looking for. He says: “I want Manstone Lane to become a fortress for us. There’s no doubting the quality of players now at our disposal. On paper we surely have as good a squad as anyone in the division. For us though now, it has to be a case of finding the right formula. One thing that has become clear – and I have seen the players accepting this already - is that the only way to get in the starting eleven sand stay there is to be consistent both on the training ground and on match days. We cannot be playing players on reputation or ‘name’, they have to fit into what we are trying to do.

“The season has not really started for us yet, but when we click I am sure we’ll soon climb the table.”

As for the Bovey Tracey game, Stunell says: “They [Bovey] had a terrific midweek win over St Martins which will have given them a massive lift. However, it’s all about what we do on the day and I am confident that we have enough in us to make sure that whatever happened for them in midweek does not happen on Saturday at our place!”

Town are boosted by the return of Jamie Orchard and Jamie Newbery who were both on Devon Under-18 duty last weekend and they are also able to call upon the accomplished services of central defender James Clampin, now recovered from injury.