Beer Albion Reserves, sponsored by Edenvale Turf, continued their impressive home form with an exhilarating 6-1 Easter Saturday win over Newton St Cyres, writes Richard Honnor.

Sidmouth Herald: Beer Albion at home to Budleigh. Ref mhsp 14 19TI 0984. Picture: Terry IfeBeer Albion at home to Budleigh. Ref mhsp 14 19TI 0984. Picture: Terry Ife (Image: Archant)

Before the game, St Cyres sat in second place in the Macron League, Division Three table, but the young Fishermen have beaten all the top sides bar one this season on their own turf and the visitors had no answer to the power and pace of Beer’s outstanding central striker, Taylor Rooke, who scored two goals and was instrumental in three of the others.

After an evenly contested opening to the game, Beer took the lead on 22 minutes when Rooke got behind the Newton St Cyres defence close to halfway.

He advanced goal wards, shrugged off a strong challenge in the penalty box and then guided the ball into the corner of the net!

Eleven minutes later it was 2-0 with the assist from a long clearance up-field by goalkeeper Henry Bartlett that Rooke ran onto and rifle into the net for his 26th goal of the season!

St Cyres came at Beer strongly after the break and an athletic goal line clearance from midfielder Kyle Gould prevented the visitors from reducing the arrears. With three strong running forward players, St Cyres always looked dangerous on the break but the Beer defence, with centre back Fraser Beaumont prominent, handled the threat well.

After Tom Vincent put the Fishermen 3-0 ahead on 53 minutes, again resulting from a long through pass, Beer moved the ball around with increasing fluency.

In particular, midfielder Gould took the eye with his work rate and incisive passing, setting up numerous attacks down the left flank.

The Fishermen scored their fourth goal when Rooke again got behind St Cyres’ flat back line down the left and pulled the ball back to Simon Smith who picked his spot from 12 yards.

The visitors continued to threaten on the break and should have scored on 62 minutes after a superb passing move split the home defence wide open but their striker missed the target from six yards out with just keeper Bartlett to beat.

Then, St Cyres playmaker Jamie Farrell, volleyed a left wing cross from 15 yards on target, but was thwarted by a fine save from Bartlett.

But the goals continued to flow at regular intervals and Gould scored Beer’s fifth goal on 77 minutes when Rooke’s clever dummy inside the box created the space for the young midfielder to place his finish past the keeper’s left hand.

St Cyres scored a deserved consolation goal on 79 minutes. However, Beer had the final say with a sixth goal scored by Billy Long, netting with the assist yet another from young Rooke.

Match sponsor Norman Lambert had no hesitation in endorsing Rooke as the Man of the Match award winner.

Although well beaten, Newton St Cyres contributed to an entertaining spectacle and their midfielder Jamie Farrell gave an impressive display.

This Saturday (April 27), Beer Albion first team are back in Furzebrake action after their narrow 2-1 defeat at Exmouth Town last Saturday.

They entertain Heavitree United with kick-off at 3pm and the match sponsor is Fred Hansford Ltd.