Southern one

OKEHAMPTON MEN’S FIRSTS 3

EAST DEVON 2

AFTER a run of poor results, Okehampton were keen to avenge these defeats when they faced a much fancied East Devon side.

As the clouds parted, Okehampton started strongly, maintaining a strong press and keeping the pressure on the away side. Any attacks from the opposition were thwarted by the back four of Cooper, Hall, Simon Bourne and Rod Gers.

The pressure soon paid off with captain Liversidge winning a penalty flick as a defender illegally stopping a probable goal. Miller, whose job was made much easier when the East Devon keeper was sent to the sin bin, duly dispatched the ball goalward.

With East Devon down to ten men, Okehampton pressed hard for another goal, but East defended well, keeping the ball and counting down the clock until they were back to full strength.

Okehampton won a short corner, which Liversidge duly dispatched with a drag flick, giving the keeper standing no chance. East Devon started to advance and won successive short corners which were dealt with with ease. The half time whistle blew with Okehampton 2-0 up. 

Oke started the second half as they ended the first, holding a strong press and quality structure. Skipper Liversidge played a sublime ball to Timon Chapman at the top of the D, and with a superb first touch Chapman gave himself enough space to get a pin point reverse strike in to the bottom corner of the goal for 3-0. Unfortunately for Oke this cushioned lead made them complacent, and despite the hard work tracking back to defend by Nick Luxton and Jack Watson a goal mouth scramble resulted in East Devon grabbing a goal back. This goal gave East Devon confidence, attacking the Okehampton’s defence, and after a flurry of short corners a rebound caught keeper Hayden Bond on the wrong foot. 3-2 with 15 minutes remaining there was no doubt the end of this game was going to become tense and exciting.

Okehampton had to re-grasp their composure and structure and this was initiated by the experienced Neil Rowlands entering the game due to a injury to Rod Gers. Okehampton did just that, and once again started creating chances.

A driving run off the ball by young Jacob Jones created another opening in the East Devon defence which Liversidge slapped the ball through to George Morgan whose first time strike was somehow kept out by the toe of the keeper.

Oke’s ever-industrious forwards pushed hard and won another short corner. Having already dispatched a thunderbolt in the first half, Liversidge was feeling confident; a pin point injection from Gers, stopped by Speak was dispatched by captain Liversidge – but somehow it was saved by the East Devon keeper. From then, the rest of the game was end to end with the home side trying to finish the game off and the away side trying to save a point and equalise..