Rare full weekend of football in SDFL

With almost a full programme of fixtures for the first time in many weeks the Torbay Clearance Services South Devon Football League returned to the business end of the season.

Teams that have worked hard since last August are making their moves for silverware or scrapping for the points that are needed to keep the status they currently hold.

Before I get on to the results, I do have some sympathy for Premier Division Morley Rangers, who have somehow managed to hold on to the runner-up spot, despite suffering their sixth weather-related postponement in the last seven weeks.

If they had played every week, they would have finished their season last weekend, hopefully they will play some games in April.

In the Torbay Clearance Services Premier League, Kingsteignton Athletic had a massive 4-0 victory at Buckfastleigh Rangers and are now just two points behind Morley Rangers in third with a game in hand. Tom Reeves and Luke Manuell were on target for the Rams.

The other two games played in the Premier Division were in the Belli League Cup, where Newton Abbot 66 progressed to the semi final with a 4-2 win at East Allington. Aiden Corcoran and Daniel Joyce scored for the South Hams outfit but 66, who are also in the quarter finals of the Herald Cup, continued their good cup form with goals from Tom Lowe, Joe Clarke Farley, Jacon Cockram and Carl Foskett.

Brixham AFC also bowed out of the League Cup at the hands of Elburton Villa. The 6-1 scoreline did not do justice for the hardworking youngsters at Brixham, who now have six league games left and are eight points from safety, they will be hoping for a spring revival in their remaining games.

Division One has proved to be as exciting and competitive as everybody thought at the start of the season, and there are still five teams in the mix and no runaway leaders.

Ivybridge Town have been knocked off top spot, a 3-2 defeat at Buckland Athletic has let Paignton Saints move into pole position on goal difference. The Ivys scored through Daniel Hodgson and Matt Hill but they were sent packing back down the A38 empty-handed following strikes from Lee Gromshaw, Gordon Stevenson and Luca Staniforth.

Paignton Saints, who are enjoying life in the South Devon League following a spell higher up the football pyramid had a comfortable 5-1 home win against local rivals Paignton Villa at Coach Road.

Newton Abbot Spurs seem to be enjoying their football again and are still in the mix, just nine points of the top with three games in hand. They ran out 7-1 victors over bottom club Buckfastleigh Rangers reserves and Brixham Town, who may be outsiders but are level on points with Spurs, and had a great 3-2 win against a strong Watcombe Wanderers team.

The big game at the bottom of the table went the way of Upton Athletic, they beat Harbertonford by a single goal on the slope at Steps Cross and have moved three points clear of the drop zone.

In Division Two of the Torbay Clearance Services League, pre-season favourites Paignton Saints reserves slipped up away at Barton Athletic losing by 3-2. They are now seven points off the lead with only two games in hand. The only other game in this division was at Ipplepen Athletic, who moved up four places with a 4-0 win over bottom club Brixham Town 2nds.

In Division Three, Stoke Gabriel TP cemented a mid-table position with a 2-1 win over Newton Abbot 66 2nds at Osborne Park, Adam Blackburn and Garry Drew got on the scoresheet for the visitors and with games in hand, 66 still have some work to do.

The League Cup for this division saw favourites Ashburton lose the A38 derby game by one goal to nil to South Brent, who are seven places below them in the league, it took an extra-time strike from Jono Ellis to put Brent into the semi-final.

Joining them will be Watcombe Wanderers 2nds, who were taken all the way by Teign Village but ran out 2-1 victors in the end. Goals from Simon Ross and Mike Fieldhouse were just enough for the Greens.

The Division Four title race was blown wide open by an experienced Liverton United reserve team, who travelled to league leaders Drake FC, and it was the visitors who took the lead two minutes before the break when Aaron Underhill broke free and slotted the ball past the advancing ‘keeper.

Prior to that, the home team simply did not take their chances and when, in the second half, Liverton were awarded a free kick some 30 yards from goal and the speculative cross took a deflection, you know where it ended up.

The visitors sat back and soaked up the pressure and again Drake spurned their chances, they did get a consolation goal three minutes from the end but the visitors took the points back to Halford.

This division also has five teams in with a shout for honours. Liverton are now one point behind Drake with a game in hand, Kingsteignton Athletic are fourth and eight points behind with three games in hand and Elburton Villa 3rds are 10 points behind with five games in hand.

Outsiders Chudleigh Athletic 2nds remain in third place but only have three games in total to play.

Games to catch on April 6 or earlier if you need a football fix, as teams start playing midweek to catch up on their postponed games. South Brent still have 13 fixtures to play in Division Three, they sit third from bottom but are in fact promotion candidates with games in hand. They play Teign Village who are 1 place below them and need the points to stay up, KO is 6.15pm on Wednesday.

WBB will attempt for the sixth time to host Morley Rangers in the Belli Cup and Beesands Rovers will be looking to get their season back on track at home to Kingsteignton Athletic.

Totnes and Dartington host Newton Abbot Spurs in a Division One game at Dartington Hall, and in Division Two, Newton Abbot Spurs 3rds host Paignton Saints reserves with both chasing a promotion place.

There are a couple of promotion clashes in Division Three, Liverton host runaway leaders Watcombe Wanderers reserves and South Brent play Ashburton in an A38 derby game.

In the Division Four League Cup, Drake FC will lock horns with Liverton reserves for the second time in two weeks and there is a wooden spoon fixture at White Rock, where Paignton Villa welcome South Brent Reserves and may the best team on the day win.

Just also a reminder that the first South Devon League Cup Final kicks off on Friday, April 12 at Buckfastleigh when Paignton Saints Reserves face Watcombe Wanderers Reserves in the Fred Hewings Cup, which is the knockout competition for reserve teams, kick off is 7pm and it should be a cracker.