Ottery St Mary Under-18s are through to the next round of the Devon Cup after a tense 2-1 victory over a strong Exmouth Town side.
The Ottery defensive unit of Reece Alexander, Jake Haggerty, Charlie Parker and Haydon Simpson stood firm in the face of some early Exmouth pressure, providing the platform for the opening goal on 13 minutes.
Luke Paramore cleverly created room for a cross and Jack Drew-Cull calmly sent the Exmouth ‘keeper the wrong way for an Ottery lead. At the other end, Russ Bracey produced his first save of a busy afternoon.
An entertaining game saw both sides throwing players forward in attack but it was Exmouth who struck next, as an expertly-taken free-kick beat the previously outstanding Bracey to level matters at the interval.
Some Jaffa cakes and a change of formation gave Ottery renewed impetus for the second period and Oliver Bradley went close before Ethan Hawes was fouled in the box for a penalty. Parramore took on the responsibility and rifled a confident strike into the corner.
As the tension mounted, neither side gave an inch, with tackles flying in and full commitment from every single player. A monumental defensive header from Lewis Ayley and Hawes’ typified the Ottery determination to hang on for the win.
And hang on they did, with delighted manager David Haggerty awarding man of the match to his entire team after such a superb result.
In the South-West Peninsula League, Ottery continued their excellent start to the season with a 4-2 win over Plymouth Marjon last weekend, keeping them second behind Okehampton Argyle, another side who have made the step up the football pyramid.
After falling behind to Marjon, the Otters responded with a corner from player-manager turned in by a brilliant finish from Ben Lawrence. Ashley Small gave Ottery the lead on the half-hour following good work from Matthew Hesford and James Fanson.
Luka Nickles provided the pass for Pete Grover to apply a cool finish for 3-1 early in the second half and Small scored on the rebound to confirm victory, despite a late Marjon consolation. The Otters travel to Torrington on Saturday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here