Exmouth Town Under-16s have enjoyed an impressive season in Division One of the Exeter and District Youth League, winning 10 of their 13 league fixtures and scoring 40 goals in the process.

The team got together back in pre-season ahead of the 2019/20 campaign with the squad working to a ‘How we play’ program devised by their UEFA B licensed, head coach, Drew Worthington.

The evidence of the hard work the players had been putting in at training, both physically, in a fitness plan devised by coach Ben Assleman, and by working to the program, was soon very evident and, indeed, paying dividends in the team’s pre-season friendly fixtures.

They were, quite literally, blowing opposition teams away! When the league began the Town Under-16s won their first three games before a ‘blip’ during which time they were beaten twice, but that was as bad as it got for, they won the next seven games in succession.

With the 2019/20 campaign now surely over given the on-going Covid-19 crisis, the team sit second in the division.

Coach Drew Worthington says: “The Under-16s have had a really strong season in the top flight and we have some really talented players in the squad.

“A measure of the talent we have is that goalkeeper Billy Worthington and outfield players, Thomas King, centre back Brad Worthington and 15-goal top scorer Harry Bennett have all stepped up and played in the Town Under-18 team, and performed well.”

He continued: “Young striker Ethan Beverley joined the team at the start of the season and, despite playing a ‘year up’, he has had a fantastic debut season as did young Charlie Skinner who also joined us at the start of the season and who has become a vital part of the midfield.

“Wingers Tom Garland and Jack Draper have shown great progress and consistently given opposition defences a hard time while the emergence of full back Seb Pope is another big positive for us.”

The Town Under-16 coach rounded things off saying: “The youth player pathway at our club really does provide a serious route to senior football and it’s a fantastic incentive for young players to see that, if they keep working hard, listen to what they are being taught and told and continue to progress then they all have great opportunities to go on and play football at a very good level.

“Next season these lads will move into Under-18 football and I am sure they both rise to the challenge and enjoy the experience as well.”