Sidmouth Town Under-10s Raiders and warriors met at a St John’s school that was shrouded in thick mist to provide an eerie setting for the hugely anticipated derby between the two Sidmouth clubs, writes Paul Bennett.

The game started tentatively with Raiders looking the brighter, but Warriors seeking to counter at speed. It was from one such lightning-quick raid that led to Warriors opening the scoring. The Raiders kept their composure and Freddie Dorman and Frank Long in particular, were posing all sorts of problems for the Warriors. The game continued to be tight and with so much at stake there was no shortage of competitiveness! Out of the blue the ball fell invitingly to Reuben Bennett who opted to shoot from range and scored with a real pile driver of a shot to make it 1-1.

With the seconds ticking away the Warriors were able to score the crucial goal to claim a narrow success and earn bragging rights, at least until the next fixture! So despite a heroic end of season performance the game ended in heartbreak for the Raiders. However, the players can be justly proud of themselves and the closeness of the game demonstrates how far the team have progressed in one season. Raiders can rightly look forward to next season with great optimism.