Jackson Vending
Devon & Exeter Premier
Okehampton Argyle 0
Exeter University 0
THIS was Okehampton?s final game of the season and they needed three points for a possible second place finish.
They had two chances in the first five minutes when Robbie Millar had a great shot tipped over the bar and Mike Vernon headed wide from a corner.
It was almost constant pressure from Okehampton and in the 12th minute they had another corner cleared. University then won their first corner, which Shaun Sandercock dealt with comfortably.
Okehampton had more chances, Lloyd Chapman, Steve Williams and Mike Vernon all going close.
In the 35th minute Sandercock made an excellent save, diving at the feet of a striker.
At half-time Robbie Miller had to be substituted due to illness and James Callaghan took his place.
A minute later he could have made himself a hero at Simmons Park but headed a cross just wide of the post with his first touch.
In the 65th minute Robbie Sandercock just beat the keeper to the ball but again it would not go in, his header bouncing just wide.
In the last 15 minutes, Mike Vernon headed just wide from a Chris Dearing freekick, a Steve Williams shot cleared the bar when well placed and James Williams side-footed over the bar.
This has been an excellent season for Okehampton Argyle first team. It makes a change for the side to be sitting at the top end of the table and now with alterations to the pitch they should be well placed for a push for County League football at the end of next season.
Okehampton Argyle 2
Tap and Barrel 1
ENTERTAINING the league champions, Argyle knew they were in for a tough afternoon, but with still a mathematical chance of finishing second.
The visitors put Argyle under pressure with first Burgess shooting into the side netting, and then Webb having a goalbound shot cleared off the line by Simpson.
After seven minutes Argyle conceded a free kick just outside the penalty area, but while the defenders were trying to organise a wall, the quick thinking Kenny Smith struck a well placed shot into the top left hand corner of the net to put Tap and Barrel ahead.
Argyle worked hard to win their first corner after 17 minutes, then just after, took a leaf out of Tap and Barrel?s book by taking a quick free kick, Neil Agnew?s cross finding Robbie Miller, whose header looped over keeper Nick Coles and into the net.
The rest of the first half belonged to Tap and Barrel, only great defensive work from Vernon, Soby and James Williams keeping them at bay.
At the start of the second half Argyle took the offensive. Robbie Miller?s right wing cross came back off the crossbar, then Paul Yip was a little slow to shoot with the keeper well out of position.
With ten minutes left Steve Williams for Okehampton looked certain to score when he broke through the Tap defence, but he somehow dragged his shot wide from eight yards.
At the other end, moments later, Kenny Smith saw his powerful shot from the edge of the box clip the top of the bar and go over.
With two minutes left on the clock a final attack from Argyle brought its reward, when Tap?s
keeper came off his line only for the ball to rebound off a defender and fall kindly for Steve Williams, who only had to slot it into the empty net.
Okehampton Argyle 1
Witheridge 3
THE pressure of playing a backlog of fixtures, and several players being unavailable because of injury or work commitments, finally caught up with Argyle in their battle to obtain second spot in the league.
On top of that, an early goal for Witheridge, side footed in by Jones at the far post, made things more difficult.
Argyle battled back into the game with good efforts from Mike Vernon, Robbie Miller and Lloyd Chapman. The best chance fell to Steve Williams. He got onto a cross from Miller, beat a defender by dragging the ball back on the turn, only to see his shot fly just wide of the upright.
After a fine double save Chris Dearing could do nothing but watch a well struck shot from Vellacott find the top left hand corner of the net to put Witheridge two up just ten minutes into the second half.
Argyle got back into the game for a while after 66 minutes, when a quick corner from Neil Agnew found Robbie Miller at the far post, who made no mistake from six yards.
With six minutes to go Argyle were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty for handball, but they did not reckon on Taylor in the Witheridge goal. He flung himself to his right, to turn Mike Vernon?s shot over the bar.
Just three minutes from the end, a through-ball caught Argyle?s defence at sixes and sevens and saw Smith run on unchallenged to score a simple goal to put the result beyond doubt.