Devon Premier Cup for Budleigh Salterton

This weekend will hopefully see Budleigh Salterton return to action with an intriguing Devon Premier Cup clash against Topsham Town.
The combination of Covid restrictions and bad weather has meant it would be a first competitive outing for the Robins since the 3-3 draw with Liverton at the end of October.
The prolonged break has given Budleigh a chance to evaluate their season so far, with the ambition to climb from their current position of 11th in the Devon Football League.
“On the whole, the start of the season has been ok for us but I wouldn’t say we are exactly where we want to be,” said Budliegh boss Danny Carthew.
“It could be worse and we know we could have picked up a few more points in certain games.
“The enforced break did give us a chance to look at certain aspects of our performances and it was great to get the lads back after the November lockdown.
“We were looking forward to playing Chudleigh just before Christmas but weather intervened for that game.
“I am now hoping that our Devon Premier Cup at home to Topsham Town can go ahead this weekend because that will be a welcome distraction.
“We’ve not played Topsham yet and it will be an opportunity for us to get some minutes against a team that will present a challenge.
“Topsham were down the bottom of the table for much of last season but they are doing much better this time around.
“It’s not an easy draw but a game I’m looking forward, with a fresh challenge on our home pitch against a side we’ve not played before.
“The club made the right decision to cancel all footballing activity during lockdown, so we’ve not played any football on the pitch for a while.
“The playing surface has had some time to recover and, aside from the Cup, our target is to pick up as many points in a busy January schedule.
“If we can win the games in hand, it would play a big part in seeing us push up the table as we head into the second half of the season.”