Devon & Exeter Premier
Exeter St Thomas 5
Okehampton Argyle 0
OKEHAMPTON were blown away in the first 20 minutes when they conceded three poor goals.
The first came when a poor back-header failed to reach Argyle keeper Richard Bailey. The striker lofted the ball back into the box, where Bailey and defender Kevin Gill collided, and ran free for an easy tap-in. Gill had extensive treatment to an injured shoulder.
The second goal came from a corner when the ball sailed through a packed penalty box, only to be hammered into the net by an unmarked attacker. The third came from a free kick which brought out a magnificent save from Bailey, only for the ball to fall to a striker who calmly slotted home from close range.
Argyle came more into the game and had long spells of possession but failed to convert it into goals. Paul Yip wide on the right was a constant threat and Jason Sandford and Danny Maddax up front kept good possession but Argyle's players were too far apart and these attacks came to nothing.
Argyle were kept in the game by good saves from Bailey but went into the interval three goals down.
After the break things looked brighter as Argyle again dominated possession and territory. Neil Agnew made progress down the left flank helped by Ian King. Daniel Gibbs and Nick Drew worked hard to keep the momentum going in Argyle's favour, with good pass and move football but the opprtunities did not result in any goals.
A failure to mark tight and ball watching became Argyle's downfall as they conceded two further goals against the run of play.
Steve Ausden and Aaron Bourne came on for the injured Maddax and Gibbs but could not revive a tired looking side.
Overall, Argyle played the better football during the match but struggled to keep the formation they have had all season, leaving too many players isolated and exposed.
This week Argyle have an easy home fixture against league leaders University, kick-off 3pm. Players to be at the ground at 2pm.