Budleigh Salterton completed their South West Peninsula League Eastern Division home campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Sidmouth Town in their Good Friday meeting at Greenway Lane, writes Alan Beer.
In a season that has so often seen the Robins come out of contest with nothing the outcome of this contest was another to store under the ‘what might have been’ category.
The early exchanges were end-to-end, but Budleigh, if anything, created the better chances with Johnny Hitchcock, George Pannell and Matt Ansell, all came close to opening the score.
Much of the impressive build-up play for the Robins was orchestrated by Si Withers from his central midfield berth.
On the stroke of half-time Budleigh fashioned the best chance of the first 45 minutes, but, after George Pannell had cut in and laid the ball off to Hitchcock, the Budleigh striker shot wide of the target.
Five minutes into the second half, Budleigh were made to pay for not taking their first half chances, with Sidmouth Town taking the lead when the ball fell kindly in the area to Ben Miller and he made no mistake from close range.
With just over 20 minute remaining parity was restored and it came courtesy of an own-goal from the unfortunate Jack Hatswell, who could nothing about it when an attempted clearance by one his team mates cannoned off him and past the bemused Town goalkeeper! Budleigh goalkeeper Alan Doble made a fine save to deny the visitors the lead once more before, with 10 minutes left, Budleigh’s defence made a hash of attempting to clear the ball and young Miller nipped in for his second goal, one that ultimately decided a close contest.
It was almost befitting of the sort of season the Robins’, and their supporters have had this time round that, post match, much of the talk was about home ‘missed chances’.
The final game of the league season is this coming Saturday (April 27) with Budleigh visiting Waldon Athletic (3pm).
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