Jordan Harris scored four as Sidmouth endured a 6-0 defeat in their first pre-season game against a strong Exmouth side at Southern Road.

With two divisions separating the sides, the gulf in class was evident early on as the Vikings struggled to see much of the ball.

With dominance of possession, it did not take long for the home side to go in front.

In the 11th minute, Ace High was on the end of a smart passing move that saw a squared ball go across the box to the feet of High. With the keeper well out of the goal, the Exmouth player had an easy chance, which he duly finished.

After the opener, the home side were continually pushing at the door, including a Cantona-esque chip that landed just over.

The lead was soon doubled though as Jordan Harris grabbed what would be the first of his four goals.

His initial shot in the 13th minute was saved but he pounced on the rebound to finish past a defender on the line.

Harris had another two chances before he eventually got his second on the half hour mark; a comfortable finish to put the home side in control.

The Vikings were struggling to see much of the ball and, in the 33rd minute, Harris completed his hat-trick.

A push in the Sidmouth box saw the referee point to the spot. Harris converted the penalty kick with a shot it the right-hand corner to make it 5-0 at half-time.

During the break, Exmouth swapped their entire team and the second half was a much more even affair. Exmouth triallist Dax Vincent scored the final goal of the game with a low finish into the bottom right.

The game finished 6-0 to the hosts and next up for Sidmouth is a visit of Budleigh Salterton on Monday, July 15.

Sidmouth manager Danny Burnwood said: "It was good test for the lads. I said to the lads, any mistakes you make I'd rather they happened now than in the season.

"You always want to get one decent one in and obviously Exmouth is decent one. To be honest with you, I wasn't expecting it to be the first one of our pre-season schedule, but I was never going to turn it down.

"Not really any minuses. It's pre-season, it's your first one. Some of them haven't kicked a ball for a long time and we've only been back in training for a few weeks and we've focused on fitness."

Burnwood also revealed the club has signed former Feniton winger Oscar Walsh, who put pen to a paper on Wednesday night.

Burnwood said: "That's a massive plus. He's a young, real quick winger, which is what we were after, so I'm very happy with it."

The manager is hoping to add a few more faces before the visit of Budleigh, where he wants to see his side cut out the mistakes and put on a good performance.

Be sure to pick up a copy of next week's Herald to see photos from Exmouth v Sidmouth.