Ottery St Mary claimed a fifth victory of the Macron League Division Three season, winning at Clyst Valley Reserves by the odd goal in seven.

However, Otters boss Dave Fairweather was very honest post match when he accepted that his team had been ‘second best’ for much of the contest and probably ‘got away with one’!

Fairweather said: “We were dreadful in the first half and things did not improve greatly in the second half.

“I am happy to give credit to the home side. They [Clyst Valley Reserves] were a youthful outfit and will have come off the pitch at the end feeling hard done by, as they were the better team throughout.

“That said, we made life rather too easy for them and played throughout the first 45 minutes with a lack of the sort of intensity that had been present in previous games when we looked like we had finally come to grips with what is individually, and collectively, required.”

He continued: “I do think that perhaps some of the lads might have looked at the opposition’s league position before the game and felt they could get away with an ‘easy afternoon’, but football is not like that and, as the well-oiled saying goes, ‘you tend to get out what you put in’, and we offered nowt for long periods at Clyst Valley, though happily, and a tad fortunately, we ended up with another important three points.”

The Otters boss added: “There were plusses, and they were the fact that we did have enough about us to come from behind not once, but twice and the performance of Jordan Wilkinson once again lit things up for us.”

Skipper Curt Winchombe and Matty Daly were the other goal scorers with the Daly goal sealing the points.

That Wilkinson double means he has now scored five times in his two games since returning to action from an injury picked up in pre-season.

Fairweather says: “It really is great to have him back and clearly already firing on all cylinders. He brings so much energy and enthusiasm to our game.”

The Otters are in action this coming Saturday when they make the short trip across East Devon to Lympstone.

Fairweather says: “The game is being played at Endurance Park, opposite the Royal Marine Training Centre, and that will be a good true surface which ought to suit our preferred passing game. However, I am hoping that the players take into the game a better attitude to the one we did last weekend as we simply have to keep winning if we are to realise our ultimate dream of another promotion at the end of the current campaign.”