Sidmouth’s young third team certainly understood the adage of ‘what a difference a week makes’ after their latest outing, a 1-1 home draw with Colyton.

Seven days after scoring eight goals away from home in difficult conditions, they were unable to score more than once in quite perfect conditions for football.

Entertaining Colyton Reserves in their first home game of the Macron League Division Seven season, conditions at Sidford could not have been better. Sidmouth began brightly and immediately began to exert pressure on the Colyton goal only to find the Colyton keeper in fine form.

A goal seemed inevitable and the normally reliable Ben Squance missed an excellent early chance to head Sidmouth in front having presumably been distracted by the unexpected absence of a linesman’s flag!

Shortly thereafter, Sidmouth took a deserved lead when a perfectly judged corner from the right was met with a powerful header from the evergreen Jean-Paul Staniforth which left the Colyton keeper clutching at air.

Sidmouth should then have pushed on but a mix up at the back ended with the Colyton forward up-ended and Colyton equalised from the resultant penalty.

After the break, Town continued to press hard for a winner. Several glorious chances went begging as did vociferous appeals to the man-in-the-middle for what looked ‘clear-cut’ penalties!

Town third team boss Ian Peacock said: “It was certainly a frustrating afternoon. At the full-time whistle, the visitors looked the happier of the teams. That said Colyton always looked dangerous on the break and can be congratulated on a well organised defensive performance.”