Budleigh Salterton went down 3-0 when they hosted high-flying Exwick Villa in a Scott Richards Solicitors Devon League North & East encounter, writes Alan Beer.

A 3-0 score line suggests a one-side game, but the Robins gave as good as they got for long periods and they contributed to their own downfall with two of the visiting goals and the third and final goal was scored in added time at the end of the contest.

The opening goal came after just 10 minutes when, from a poor defensive clearance, the ball fell invitingly to Nathan May who promptly fired past Jack England to give the visitors the lead.

Twelve minutes later it was 2-0 and again the source of the goal was a similar one - the ball not being cleared and, when it fell to Mitch Ward, he wasted little time in drilling it home.

The second half of this game will not live long in the memories of those who witnessed it. There was a lack of continuity in any form of play as the half was littered with petty fouls and the stop-start nature of the action meant neither team were able to stamp their authority on proceedings.

The best of the limited chances at either end was arguably the 'half-chance' that fell to Si Withers who saw his header fizz just over the mark.

With everyone preparing to pack up and go home after an otherwise uninspiring 90 minutes of football, the visitors scored their third with virtually the last kick of the day with Exwick substitute Jessie Howe rifling home a free-kick.

For the Robin's the most encouraging contribution came from teenager Ryan Daffin who was as busy as anyone on the pitch looking to find a way beyond the disciplined and experienced Villa back line.

Next up for the Robins is Saturday's (February 8) local derby meeting across at Exmouth Town with the Southern Road action getting underway at 3pm.