Sidmouth Under-16s were a whisker away from becoming the first team to defeat table-topping Cullompton Rangers when the sides met last weekend.

Manager Jon Miller tweaked his formation in a bid to combat the direct approach adopted by the Mid Devon side, but it did not go to plan early ion as the visitors claimed a fifth minute lead, albeit with a stunning goal.

Rocking from the early blow Sidmouth rode their luck to stay ‘in the game’ and, slowly but surely, began to get a foothold in the contest with Freddie King and Jack Dewinton combing sufficiently to give the visitors’ plenty to think about!

The pair had a direct influence on parity being restored for, when Dewinton was felled in the area, King tucked the resultant penalty away.

Both sides traded chances at either end, but no further goals were forthcoming as half-time arrived.

After the break Sidmouth started brightly and began to dominate proceedings with Tyler Wellman and Joe Miller orchestrating things from central midfield. When a free-kick was awarded it was delivered into the area by Connor Murphy where it was met by the head of Jamie Newbery and cannoned off the bar, down on to the line before being scrambled clear by a relieved Cully defender.

Minutes later Dewinton found himself clear in a one-on-one with the Cully glovesman, but the latter won this particular battle and the Miller slid in to meet a Forsyth cross, but, with the goal beckoning, his effort went wide of the mark.

At the other end the lively Cullompton attack was nullified to great effect by the impressive Newbery and his fellow defenders. King went close to netting what would surely have been the winning goal and then, in the last minute a Dewinton strike was arrowing towards the back of the net only to be pushed wide by a fully stretched Cully gloves man.