Exmouth Town will be looking to record their first home league win of the season this Saturday when they welcome Westbury United to their Circle of Care Community Stadium, writes John Dibsdall
Town are also in action on Wednesday night, when Cullompton Rangers are the visitors in the second round of the Bayside Graphics Devon St Luke’s Bowl, kick off 7.30pm.
Last season, Town’s two games against Westbury ended in stalemate, goalless at home, whilst a Dene Billingsley strike earned a 1-1 draw away.
At this stage of the season, it is beginning to look that three points will be crucial to avoid Town becoming adrift at the bottom of the league.
With the withdrawal of Hamworthy United and league restructuring, only one side will be relegated this season but Town, on five points from eleven games whose game at Bashley failed a pitch inspection, currently find themselves five points behind Malvern Town who lost 3-1 at home to Frome but have played a game more.
Town’s opponents this Saturday are on twelve points from twelve games but have failed to win in their last five games since beating Wimborne Town and were beaten 4-3 at home by Paulton Rovers last time out. They have also beaten Malvern Town and Bideford and drawn with Cribbs and Tavistock.
One of the few games to survive the weekend monsoons in the Southern League was the Devon derby between Bideford and Willand Rovers, which was a crucial game at the top of the division.
A win for the Robins would have taken them above Rovers, but Willand took full advantage of an early slice of luck to bag the three points that returned them to the summit of Division One South.
After a tight start, Willand grabbed the lead from an own goal and it set the platform for them to win the game. The Robins did respond and clipped the bar with a Finn Roberts effort but the score remained in Willand’s favour at the break.
Bideford tried to crank up the pressure, again hitting the bar and forcing two good saves from the visiting goalkeeper but Willand confirmed the win with a breakaway goal from Ollie Bray five minutes from time.
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