Budleigh Salterton ladies were beaten 4-1 when they entertained University of Exeter ladies in a Westward Developments Devon Women’s Football League Premier Division fixture, writes SpursTom.

The game was switched to Greenway Lane owing to an unfit playing surface in Exeter and the Robinettes made a bright and confident start.

Indeed, they could, perhaps should, have taken the lead long before they did with Bec Long scoring after 16 minutes.

However, just five minutes after taking the lead, the Robinettes were pegged back and they then fell behind, albeit it the most unfortunate of circumstances!

Budleigh goalkeeper Laura Stephenson sustained an injury attempting to clear a pass back to her from a team mate and, being unable to move, was powerless to stop the students striker from stroking the ball into the empty net to give University a 2-1 half-time lead.

The stricken goalkeeper was eventually carried off and her place was taken by substitute Kate Palmer.

The Robinettes made a bright start to the second half, but they were denied an equaliser by some resolute defending.

As the home side pressed to try and find a way back into the contest, they left gaps in their own defence which were exploited in clinical fashion by the students who scored twice more to seal a comfortable 4-1 success.

The splendid performance from stand-in goalkeeper Kate Palmer resulted in her sharing the Player of the Match award with Robinettes' influential captain Sara Dunne.

The University's four scorers were Eliza Williams 2, Pauline Fernandez and Kirsten Udall and the two sides are scheduled to meet against this coming Sunday (February 9) when they will contest a League Cup quarter-final tie at Greenway Lane (2pm).