Brixham breeze through in the FA Cup

Brixham AFC are through to the next round of the FA Cup after an impressively efficient 2-0 victory over Saltash United at Wall Park.

The Fishermen will travel to Exmouth Town in the next round on Saturday, August 17 but they did have to overcome a stodgy start on the weekend, as both sides sparred for an opportunity in the early exchanges.

Brixham stopper Josh Nicol produced a solid save from a long-range strike, while Aaron Wellington and Kieran Parkin both went close at the other end.

The deadlock was eventually broken two minutes before half-time and the goal was definitely worth the wait. Brixham cleverly moved the ball to the right flank and a neat pass from Harvey Field allowed powerful striker James Moxon room to turn and lash a superb strike in off the underside of the bar.

The Fishermen continued that momentum to grab a second immediately after the restart and another tremendous goal. This time, the ball was shifted from left to right and the impressive Ben Hopkins slipped a pass for Charlie Johansen to rifle an emphatic finish from a difficult angle.

The stage was set for Brixham to march on for a comfortable victory but credit to Saltash, who rallied to exert sustained spells of pressure. A combination of solid goalkeeping from Nicol, a composed defensive unit led by Ryan Beattie and Sean Adderly, and some good fortune ensured Brixham held on to their clean sheet.

After a win and a draw in the league, cup success adds up to a fine start for the club, with home games against Wellington and Ilfracombe next on the menu.

Buckland Athletic were not so fortunate at Homers Heath, as their FA Cup journey ended at the first hurdle, losing 1-0 to a first-half penalty against Wellington.