Sidmouth Town face a real test of their recent excellent form when they travel to the Horsdon Park home of high-flying Elmore tomorrow (Saturday). The Vikings are currently on their best run of results this season with last Saturday’s 4-2 Manstone Lane win over Ilfracombe Town being a third straight win for the team.
Goals from Louis Spalding (2), Jack Hatswell and Ferenc Bodor saw Town to victory against Ilfracombe Town.
However, the trip to Elmore brings them face to face with a side that beat them 3-2 when the teams met at Manstone Lane in early September.
It was a contest that anyone who was there can still remember vividly! That’s because the 90 minutes of action on an early autumn Saturday saw no fewer than 10 yellow cards, two red cards, four penalties and the Mid Devon side depart with the points thanks to successful spot kicks in the 87th and 89th minutes!
Town, who lost the services of Martyn Hancock, who received two yellow cards and so took an early bath - had taken an 82nd minute lead when Ash Small netted his second goal of the game.
Town joint-boss Kev Tooze will no doubt be hoping for a less stressful time at Horsdon Park tomorrow.
? The Vikings have a fairly relaxed schedule over the first three months of the year before they face six games in a 21-day spell in April.
After Saturday’s trip to Horsdon Park, Tiverton where they will meet Elmore, Town have one more outing this month – they host St Martins on the final Saturday of January. They then play on three of the four Saturday’s in February – home to Stoke Gabriel and away at Alphington and Teignmouth before three matches in March – home to Brixham and Crediton and away to Liverton.
April begins with back-to-back away games at Torridgeside and Brixham before a midweek home game with Axminster Town, which is also the Vikings’ final home game of the season. They follow that three days later with a Good Friday trip to Budleigh Salterton before successive away games to complete the league campaign, first visiting Waldon Athletic and then going to Brixham. Town joint boss Kev Tooze feels that a 50 point season would represent a ‘decent campaign’ and the win last Saturday took the Vikings to 33 points from 20 games so far and so, to reach the half century, they need another 17 from 14 games - something they ought to do ‘at a canter’. Their task at Elmore tomorrow is a tough one! The Eagles have only been beaten once on their own turf, losing 2-1 to Torridgeside in early October. The only other side to come away from a visit to Horsdon Park without being beaten are table-toppers Stoke Gabriel, who shared the spoils in a 11 draw.
Elmore have won five of their seven home games, scoring 22 goals.
Town’s away record is one of three wins and five defeats in eight games. They have enjoyed success at Honiton Town (1-0), University (4-2) and at Newton Abbot Spurs (1-0)
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