Teignmouth Town 5, Sidmouth Town 3 The Vikings returned from South Devon having scored three times and yet, once again, had nothing to show for their 90 minutes work.

Three times this season Town have scored three in a game and yet they have banked just a single point in those matches.

Injury had hit the pre-match planning, but Town started brightly in South Devon and took the lead in the 15th minute with a flowing move involving Andrew Lord and Sam Baker that ended with Simon Hudson scoring.

Mark Burdus went agonisingly close with a header before Mark Badcock struck the frame of the goal with a header.

The home side levelled on the half hour with a well struck shot from 18-yards and, clearly lifted by the leveller, took a 2-1 lead three minutes later from the penalty spot after a Town player was adjudged to have handled!

At the break Town were left to wonder how they were again not getting the rub of the green! Within 10 minutes of the re-start a single goal deficit had been increased to one of three goals, leaving a mountain to climb for the Vikings.

In the 60th minute, after good work by Matt Rasmussen, Sam Banks tucked the ball away and five minutes later the margin was a single goal with Rasmussen slamming home a penalty awarded after Badcock had been impeded in the box.

Town now went in search of what would have been a deserved equaliser, but, and most typical of this troubled season, they were caught on the break with Teignmouth netting a fifth to claim the points.

Town boss Paddy Thomas said: “I have no doubt that we are all as fed up as each other with our apparent inability to play in certain areas. We do talk about this problem constantly, focusing on the over-playing in our last third of the pitch. However, once again we failed to understand basic instructions. We need to play for the whole game, get a bit of luck, and then we might stand a chance of getting that elusive win.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s long trip to North Devon to face Appledore, the Town boss said: “It’s another tough one as indeed they are all tough at this level. Our cause is certainly not helped this weekend with five or maybe six not available for the game and so it’s going to be an eleventh-hour battle again I fear to ensure we put a side onto the pitch up there. Hand on heart I fancy I will be making calls as late as Saturday morning for there is at least one of our number who has to work on Saturday morning. But we have a strong spirit and even when everything seems to be going against us we find some extra resolve. What we do need more than anything else right now is a big wedge of good fortune and that one big thing I ask for, which is the players to try and take on board what is being asked of them and do the jobs they are given, nothing fancy, nothing extra. As long as they do that then we will hopefully be able to net that win which I feel we all need so badly to really give us all a lift.”