SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE PREMIER EAST

Honiton Town 2 Okehampton Argyle 2

HAVING lost their two leading scorers, first Dan Koita to Tiverton and now Luke Mortimore to Tavistock and with injuries hampering selection, Okehampton Argyle were forced to field a very young side away at Honiton on Saturday, February 8, writes Charlie Bond.

Entering the XI were young fullbacks Ciaran Paine and Alfie Nott along with Connor Madge in midfield and Olie Cleave leading the attack. Sam Lyneham, who normally plays as a fullback had to play up front. The team put in a very good performance but just couldn’t hold on to the lead in the last quarter of the game.

Argyle started off strongly at Mountbatten Park and took the lead on 12 minutes when a corner from the right was fired home by new midfielder Sean Ayre.

Okehampton continued to have the better of the play with the defence looking strong and the forwards creating chances and on 25 minutes, they won a direct free kick for a foul on the edge of the box. Up stepped midfielder Adam Bilcock to fire home a brilliant shot, bending the ball around the wall into the top corner of the net.

The visitors still had the better of the play but the defence had to remain strong, captain Steve Goss leading well at centre-back and well backed up by Jamal Bokhammas.

Honiton obviously had a strong half-time talk from their manager and came out after the interval with more purpose and Argyle had to weather a period of pressure from the home side.

They did this and gradually fought their way back into the game and really should have put it to bed in the middle of the second half.

First, Josh Coles broke through really well on the left and had his shot blocked by the keeper and Olie Cleave following up saw his shot blocked as well. Then a brilliant bit of play on the left saw Coles get round the defence and put in a low cross which should have been fired home but two Okehampton efforts were again blocked.

Both chances would have been goals if an Okehampton player had “put his laces through it”.

As so often happens, Honiton then came back in and Argyle went to sleep at the back in the last 15 minutes of the game. On 83 minutes, a Honiton free-kick was headed down by Jordy Harris for substitute Tom Perryman to fire home. Only two minutes later, a back heel from Aaron Pearse found Lewis Couch whose shot went into the bottom corner of the net via a deflection.

It was a tough finish for Argyle then and they should have made sure of the game earlier on, but this young side showed some promising signs. Okehampton have no option but to rebuild now with so many experienced players having left the club or being injured and it was good to see so many local youngsters rising to the occasion.

Next Saturday, Okehampton are away to Cullompton in the Walter C Parson League Cup quarter-final with a 3pm kick-off. The following weekend, Argyle are on their travels again as they return to league action for a trip to rock-bottom side Axminster Town on February 22.