Carlsberg South West Peninsula division one East
Okehampton Argyle 2
Newton Abbot Spurs 2
HAVING picked up a maximum six points from their two games over the Easter weekend, Argyle were looking for their fourth straight win against lowly Newton Abbot Spurs at Simmons Park.
However, it was the visitors who started brighter and although they did not really create any worthwhile scoring chances they had Argyle pegged back in the opening 15 minutes.
Argyle's first attack saw Ross Voaden go close and completely against the run of play Argyle opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Ross Voaden had a shot blocked but the rebound fell kindly for Oli Crimmins, who shot low into the bottom corner.
The remainder of the first half was pretty even in terms of possession but Argyle should have increased their lead on the stroke of half time when Roger Bonaparte raced onto Tallan Burns' through ball only to shoot wide with the goal at his mercy.
The second half started in similar vein to the first with Newton Abbot applying some early pressure, but Argyle increased their lead in the 50th minute when Ross Voaden chased down a hopeful long ball, outpaced the Newton Abbot centre half, and slotted the ball past the keeper.
As the Argyle players returned to their half for the kick off Oli Crimmins was booked for a previous foul and within a minute he was given a second yellow for another innocuous challenge and sent off.
Manager Kevin Taylor was forced into sacrificing striker Roger Bonaparte for another midfielder with Ross Voaden left to plough a lonely furrow up front. The young striker should have added a third for Argyle when he again got in behind the Newton Abbot defence but lifted his shot just over the crossbar.
Newton Abbot were given a lifeline in the 70th minute when the referee adjudged that Chris Wills' sliced clearance was a back pass and gave the visitors a free kick ten yards from goal; this was rifled past the massed ranks of Argyle players on the goal line by Newton Abbot's player-manager Adam Dyson.
Five minutes later and Newton Abbot were also reduced to ten men when Chris Metters was given a straight red for an attempted elbow on Dale Chadwick; almost immediately at the other end Ed Squire went through one on one with the Newton Abbot keeper but blazed his shot high and wide.
With time running out Argyle were made to pay for their earlier misses when a long ball down their right was crossed in, deflected off Chris Wills and looped over a stranded Aaron Dearing for Tom Barratt to gleefully head home Newton Abbot's equaliser.
After coming from behind to win twice the previous weekend, Argyle will view this as two points dropped despite stretching their unbeaten run to four games.