South West Peninsula League Division One East

Stoke Gabriel 3

Okehampton Argyle 3

THIS was always going to be a tough match for the Okes with Stoke lying in fourth place only two points behind Argyle and with three games in hand, and before the game Okehampton would have happily settled for a point against a team who had won their previous ten matches in a row.

However after a superb first 50 minutes from the Okes which saw them build up a three goal lead, the end result was something of a disappointment.

Okehampton dominated the first half and strung together some tremendous flowing passing movements down both flanks. Argyle took the lead on 20 minutes when Will Hawking robbed a defender wide on the left and crossed for Ed Squire to drive home from 15 yards. The Okes continued to dominate but almost got caught out ten minutes before the interval when a tremendous 30 yard drive from a Stoke forward came back off the inside of Harry Geering's post and across the goal before being cleared to safety. Argyle came back with a vengeance and the home keeper made two fine saves from great efforts by Steve Madge and Will Hawking before with half-time looming, Luke Alden broke through the middle of the Stoke defence and when the ball broke loose from a tackle, Hawking fired home from the edge of the box.

After the break, Argyle carried on where they had left off and increased their lead after four minutes when Dave Youlden's shot cannoned off a defender to Ed Squire who made no mistake. Seconds later it was very nearly four as Youlden's tremendous header was brilliantly pushed over the bar by the home keeper. However that was the last of Okehampton's dominance as Stoke showed their class by clawing their way back into the game with some fine attacking football. Their first goal came only a minute after Argyle's third when Mark Burdus was dispossessed midway in his own half and the resulting cross was fired home by Jamie Chamberlain. Ten minutes later, Argyle's lead looked very vulnerable as Stoke's Kevin Wills cleverly won a penalty and gave Geering no chance with his spot kick. The Okes tried to hang on but it was all Stoke now and with ten minutes left, Wills was fouled in the area and drove home his second spot kick of the game.

Neither side was able to make any clear cut openings in the last ten minutes but the Okes' defence and midfield had to work hard to ensure they came away with a point as the home side really had their tails up at this stage.Will Hawking was the man of the match for Okehampton this week closely followed by Alex Wren.

The Okes now lie third in the table and next Saturday face a real test against second placed Liverton at Simmons Park.