Tipton St John were beaten 5-1 at Sidbury United on Wednesday night and still have work to do to ensure they start next season still in the second tier of the Fresha League.

Tipton have six to play and currently enjoy a seven point cushion from the relegation berths.

However, compounding the issue is the fact that the three sides below them all meet each other in the final weeks of the season and it seems another six points are required to keep Tipton out of the bottom three.

They next play on Thursday night (April 25) when they face a daunting trip to promotion chasing Tiverton Town Reserves who have lost just once this season. Forty-eight hours later they host a Bow side that has been beaten just twice this year.

They have a busy run-in of four games in eight days to complete their campaign. In that spell are the two games where the six points are most likely to be banked. They host second bottom Colyton on May 1, then entertain University on May 4, before a May 6 trip to Bow and then bring the curtain down on their season with a May 8 visit to the current basement side Cullompton Rangers.

The next six games for the current bottom three are: Cullompton Rangers; Colyton (h), Culm United (h), University (a), Alphington (a), Culm United (a) and Tipton ST John (a); Colyton; Cullompton Rangers (a), East Budleigh (h), Tiverton Town (h), Tipton St John (a), Wellington (h), Cullompton Rangers (h); Culm United; East Budleigh (h), Cullompton (a), Heavitree Social United (h), Cullompton Rangers (h), Chard Town (a), Tiverton Town (h).

P W D L F A Pts

Witheridge 21 9 0 12 44 34 27

University 17 9 0 8 36 31 27

Alphington 23 7 5 11 26 50 26

East Budleigh 22 6 3 13 29 51 21

Tipton St John 20 3 7 10 26 53 16

Culm United 19 2 3 14 14 53 9

Colyton 19 1 4 14 19 58 7

Cullompton Rangers 18 1 3 14 21 48 6