South West Peninsula League division one East
Teignmouth 5
Okehampton Argyle 1
THIS was a game best forgotten for Argyle as Teignmouth's superior fitness told in the second half and they raced away to an emphatic victory to move to fifth spot in the table, whereas Okehampton are left trailing fourth off the bottom.
The game was played on a slippery surface and both teams struggled to keep their feet and string good passes together.
Early exchanges saw Teignmouth gain the upper hand, but Argyle kept plugging away and they created the best chance of the first 20 minutes, when a beautiful ball from midfield sent Steve Williams racing clear and only his final touch prevented him from giving Okehampton the lead. However, after 23 minutes, Teignmouth's Paul Tucker was put clear and he made no mistake with a firm shot from the edge of the box.
To their credit, Okehampton fought back and deservedly levelled the match seven minutes before the break when Steve Kinsey's well-flighted corner deceived the Teignmouth defence and Adam Mortimer forced the ball home from close range.
The second half was a different story and Okehampton looked as if they lacked fitness compared to the home side who eventually overran them. Just after the break, Tucker rose to head home a corner to give Teignmouth the lead.
Although Okehampton came back for a short while, they ran out of steam in the last 30 minutes and conceded three more goals to Webber, hat-trick man Tucker and substitute Craig Breslan in injury time.
Only defender Tom Reilly, keeper Dan Malcolm and forward Steve Kinsey came out of this match with any real credit for Argyle and their faithful supporters can only hope for a complete sea change in the return fixture this Saturday.
* On Saturday Okehampton Argyle play Teignmouth at home in the South West Peninsula League, kick-off 2.15pm.