Washbrook

 Meadows

Butts Road

Ottery St Mary

EX11 1EL

01404 813539

Map

Under 13

Coach: Scott Halliday

                                              Ottery score first

Reports

Sunday 4th May

Ottery St Mary 2    Exmouth Juniors 1

 C. Toogood (2)

Report: Scott Halliday

This game started in a scrappy manner. Lots of ariel balls not being competed for and a number of misplaced passes and touches going astray. Both teams eventually settled into the game 10 minutes in. Ottery began knocking it all over the field with J. Youlden instrumental in switching play from right to left on many occassions. Many of the Ottery players looked worn out from a long and drawn out season however this was to be the final match and a victory or draw would see Ottery not only retain their league title, but do so undefeated. After some good posession football involving R. Pike, J. Broadbent and D. Hathaway Ottery won a corner. R. Bonetta trotted over and delivered a whipping cross over to the back post where C. Toogood was waiting to nod it in. Ottery continued to keep posession of the ball as often as possible to avoid chasing for long periods of time.

The sun was bright and warm and the legs were tired after 4 games in 7 days. Regardless of this Ottery worked hard in all areas, I. Harwood was determind at left back while J. Barker and S. Pratt covered considerable amounts of ground. The game turned into a midfield battle until half time with both teams struggling to get any sort of rhythm together. D. Hathaway was trying to find the gaps between the Exmouth defenders but was beign thwarted frustratingly by some last ditch interceptions. Halftime came and went and Exmouth began to create chances. Returning keeper C. Atkinson pulled off 2 good saves to keep Ottery in the lead and halfway through the second half R. Pike tore down the left wing, beat 2 Exmouth defenders and delivered a pinpoint cross onto the left foot of C. Toogood. Toogood swung his left foot at the ball and with an apparently calculated effort placed the ball over the keeper and into the net. This was Toogood's 49th goal of the season.

Ottery began to relax, tired legs meant that the defence were asked to deal with the Exmouth attack as too many Ottery players were found high up the pitch. The defence did well considering the number of players Exmouth were throwing forward but eventually broke through. A missed clearance allowed the Exmouth striker to burst through and his pace took him away from the chasing defenders. is origional shot was blocked by a superb last ditch tackle by D. Rugg however the rebound fell kindly for Exmouth and was swept in to make the score 2-1. C. Atkinson in the Ottery goal was sadly injured and had to be replaced by J. Youngman and Exmouth went in search of a late equalizer. Ottery stood firm despite the pressure and went on to win their final game of the season. This kept Ottery unbeaten in the league and capped a superb season for all involved.
 

Thursday 1st May

Colyton 2   Ottery St Mary U13s 4

Scorers: R. Pike (2), S. Pratt, R. Bonetta

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery were tired and looking forward to the end of the season. The condition of the pitch did not help their spirits as the grass was overgrown and the lines barely visible. Nonetheless Ottery continued to play their passing game. On a difficult surface the players still attempted with a varying degree of success to play the ball quickly and offensively on the floor. The first goal was not long in coming when Ryan Pike picked it up on the left wing, drove at the Colyton defence, cut inside onto his favoured right foot and lofted the ball high over the keepers head and into the net. The second soon followed, A flowing move involving D. Hathaway, R. Bonetta and J. Youlden led to an Ottery corner. R. Bonetta swung in a delightful cross which was scrambled clear by the Colyton rearguard. S. Pratt was waiting on the edge of the box and calmly guided the ball into the top corner of the Colyton net. Ottery were clearly on top but sadly the influential R. Pike had to be removed from the game through injury. Nonetheless Ottery continued to assert themselves on a Colyton team who had one eye on their cup final 4 days later. M. Balloch and D. Hathaway came close, having a shot cleared off the line and hitting the joint respectively.

Just before the break Colyton sprung to life, an uncharacteristic defensive mistake led to a one on one chance for the Colyton striker which he accepted thankfully. 2-1 at half time but Ottery had clearly been the better team throughout.

In the second half Ottery dominated as they had done in the first. Chance came and went, C. Toogood and R. Bonetta coming close on more than one occassion. Colyton were encouraged by the lack of finishing from a wilting Ottery side and got themselves back into the game. A quick breakaway allowed their striker through on goal again only to have his shot well saved by keeper J. Youngman. Sadly for Ottery the rebound was fumbled into the back of the net despite the valiant efforts of centre back J. Barker. Rumbled by Colyton's fortunate goals Ottery went in search of their own to wrap up the game. Injured R. Pike was treated and rested and introduced back into the action for the remaining 5 minutes. With his first returning touch he stepped up to take a free kick from 30 yards. Striking the ball cleanly and sweetly it sailed over the Colyton keeper to make the score 4-2.

That was the final score of the game and Ottery were relieved to end the game with a victory. Many chances were missed due to tired legs however another excellent effort from the entire team brought a deserved result.
 

Monday 28th April

Honiton Town 2 Ottery St Mary 4
 

Scorers: C. Toogood (4)

Report : Scott Halliday

Having played the previous day Ottery players were tired and aching before this game had even begun. Honiton had also played the previous day however with a considerably bigger squad and a somewhat easier fixture appeared in better shape than the visiting Ottery side.

Despite this Ottery were well up for the match and had a lot riding on the fixture. Victory would insure the team retained their league title and a draw would all but seal it, but lose and Honiton would be back in the hunt for top spot.

The fixture is always a tightly contested one as the local rivals are constantly looking to gain the bragging rights. Ottery have come out on top on all but one occassion in the last 2 seasons and this was to be no different.

Ottery started with the same team as the previous day with the exception of goalkeeper C. Atkinson who was ruled out through injury. J. Youngman stepped in and was to have a big part to play in the final scoreline.

The Ottery players were certainly motivated for the mach and started with confidence. Honiton were playing attacking football and sending 3 players through the middle of the field. Ottery countered this by sending the ball wide on every possible occassion, dragging the Honiton midfield out of position and forcing them to backtrack. Within 10 minutes Ottery got the break they had been searching for. Having been caught offside twice previously C. Toogood timed his run to perfection. The ball was played wide to R. Pike, who sent the ball down the line for D. Hathaway to advance on goal. Unselfishly Hathaway squared the ball for Toogood to finish with his left foot into the open net. 1-0 to Ottery and the game was underway.

Honiton's responce was not immediate as Ottery were again unlucky to be flagged offside but the constant ariel threat of Honiton was challenging the Ottery defence. D. Rugg and J. Barker were fighting for every ball while A. Evans and J. Broadbent were doing the best to keep pace with the nippy wingers of Honiton. J. Youngman was off his line quickly on numerous occassions to collect the ball at the feet of Honiton strikers but it was a matter of time before Honiton had a chance to equalise.

A long lofted pass from the Honiton centre back floated over the Ottery defence and the pace of the Honiton striker took him away from his marker. He faced goal and calmly poked the ball past the Ottery keeper to level the game.

Undetered by this Ottery immediately went in search of a second goal. 5 minutes after Honiton's equaliser Ottery again broke down the right, D. Hathaway playing a killer pass through the Honiton back line for the run of Toogood who was able to find the bottom corner with great coolness. Unbelievably Honiton replied almost immediately. The ball was at the feet of the Ottery captain S. Pratt who was shielding it well when he was clearly pushed from behind. Pratt went to ground but was surprisingly not awarded the free-kick. Honiton took possession and struck a shot from outside the area. Youngman's gloves were wet and the ball accidentally slipped through them and dribbled aggonisingly over the line. The score was 2-2 and the large crowd was growing increasingly excited with every kick.

J. Youngman was doing a superb job in the Ottery net in place of the injured C. Atkinson and it was unfortunate when a Honiton striker broke free in the penalty box only to have Youngman steal the ball off his toes. For his efforts Youngman recieved an accidental kick to the head but fortunately was able to continue.

J. Youlden was again the driving force behind Ottery in this match. His determination and constant ball winning ability was forcing Honiton onto the back foot on numerous occassions.

Momments before halftime Ottery again looked to take advantage of the high defensive line of Honiton. J. Barker cleared the ball from centre back, J. Youlden and S. Pratt picked up the pieces and found D. Hathaway again out wide and in acres of space. Hathaway travelled towards the Honiton goal and again found Toogood with enough time and space to complete his hat-trick just before halftime.

Ottery had a 3-2 lead at the break and the team was running on adrenaline.

In the second half the mistakes were ironed out by Ottery and the football tightened. Honiton was a team that could be broken on the counter attack and with a slender lead that is what Ottery decided to do.

5 minutes into the second half D. Hathaway yet again, found the run of Toogood, who stretched on the edge of the penalty box to beat the keeper to the ball and score his 4th of the game. Hathaway and Toogood had linked up superbly all match and between them were causing Honiton no end of trouble.

Honiton had to gamble now as they knew defeat meant the league was over. They threw players forward but the Ottery team was determined not to conceed any more. J. Barker, J. Youlden, D. Rugg, J. Broadbent, A. Evans and S. Pratt all worked tirelessly againast their respective opposition in order to preserve Ottery lead and with 15 minute left the tireless runner that is I. Harwood entered the game to give the Ottery midfield a breather.

Toogood took his bow with 5 minutes to go and was suitably applauded off the pitch by both sets of supporters. Both teams could have scored in the last minutes of the match with J. Barker making 2 goal saving challenges and D. Hathaway and R. Pike missing opportunities to put their names on the scoresheet.

Nonetheless Ottery was left to see out the remaining minutes of the game and upon the final whistle the celebrations were not only of joy for winning retaining their title but also of sheer delight at being able to stop.

A throughly deserved victory and a delight to watch.

League champions again...Congratulations boys.
 

Sunday 27th April

Uplyme 1 Ottery St Mary 1

 

Scorer: C. Toogood

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery had not played a competitive match for nearly a month and were clearly lacking match practice. Despite the best efforts of the coaching staff to prepare the squad for the upcoming fixture it was, as is always the case that nothing can prepare players for a match other than matches themselves. With this in mind Ottery approached the game cautiously, many players were showing signs of fatigue due to the long and strenuous season and others were carrying injuries suffered in other activities. Despite this Ottery started brightly, the passing was crisp and the training ground practices were slowly creeping back into the minds of the players. J. Youlden and S. Pratt in the centre of the midfield were switching play from side to side to good effect while R. Pike and R. Bonetta were offering some good options out wide.

After settling into the game for the first 10 minutes Ottery jump started into life. D. Rugg won the ball in the air at the heart of Ottery's defence, his centre back partner J. Barker picked up the loose ball and calmly played it out wide to A. Evans at left back. Evans found Bonetta infront of him who calmly layed the ball off to J. Youlden in the middle of the field. As had been taught on the training ground J. Youlden turned and switched play wide to the right of the pitch to R. Pike who ran at pace at the Uplyme left back, beating the defender hands down Pike delivered a pin-point cross for C. Toogood to head past the Uplyme keeper to give Ottery a 1-0 lead. This move had come straight off the training ground and was a delight to watch.

Ottery kept the pressure on Uplyme with their constant possession of the ball. Uplyme were forced to work hard to create chances and had to resort to long balls over the defence for the majority of the game. Ottery could have increased their lead however on a difficult surface passes were going astray and touches were not as decisive as neccessary.

Unfortunately, Ottery lost right back J. Broadbent to an ankle injury and were forced into changes. The change left Ottery shaken for a momment as the team was reshuffled and Uplyme capitalised immediately. A long punt from the Uplyme centre back was badly misjudged by the Ottery defence and this allowed the pacey striker to nip in behind the back 4 and slot the ball past the keeper. 1-1 was the score and Ottery were forced into more changes as centre back D. Rugg picked up an injury to his back. The changes were made at half time and Ottery came out looking tired. Uplyme had the better of the game but the tireless efforts of J. Youlden and co were keeping Ottery in the game.

Yet more injuries followed for Ottery as the ever reliable keeper C. Atkinson picked up a dead leg and could not continue. Clearly frustrated and in considerable pain he handed his gloves to the injured right back J. Broadbent. Ottery had no more changes available and had to play out the game as it was.

Uplyme capitalised on the Ottery frailties and piled on the pressure. Thankfully Ottery was not about to let Uplyme take the lead. With some strong and determinded defending Ottery cleared ball after ball and then, as if from no where began to create chances themselves. C. Toogood missed an excellent chance to restore Ottery's lead but sadly screwed the ball wide after excellent work from R. Pike and D. Hathaway and Hathaway himself came close with minutes to go. Uplyme also had a chance late on when another ball over the top caught the Ottery defence out. The Uplyme striker was first to react to a dropping ball and fired it high across goal only to see his goal-bound strike tipped superbly over the ball by make-shift keeper J. Broadbent. An absolutely stunning save which had surely salvaged a point for the flagging Ottery side.

The game finished a 1-1 draw, a fair reflection of the game. Ottery were clearly tired and with so many injuries forcing Ottery into changes the result could only be seen as a success.
 

30/03/08

Ottery St Mary 15  Feniton 1

Report Scott Halliday

Ottery approached this game having not played for 3 weeks and appeared keen to get back to playing. Spirits were high and confidence rife.

Ottery had played Feniton twice already this season and had scored 15 and conceeded just 1 against the local rivals. This game alone doubled that tally and showed just why Ottery are 10 points clear at the top of the league.

The game started brightly, Ottery took possession and spread play into all areas of the field. Passes were quick and accurate and the movement was patient but purposeful. With a full squad to choose from Ottery had many options both on and off the field and with an abundance of quality in all areas it was always going to be a difficult morning for the visitors.

After a scrappy 3 minutes the ball broke to D. Hathaway on the halfway line, he calmly laid the ball off at an angle to the feet of J. Balloch at right back who struck the ball through for the forwad run of C. Toogood. Toogood controlled it instantly and slipped the ball under the keeper to give Ottery the lead.

Feniton appeared unfazed and worked hard to close Ottery down at all opportunities. Their persistance paid off when a defensive mistake gave the Feniton striker a clear run on goal. He broke at pace and sidefooted the ball into the corner of the net to level the game. Seconds before R. Pike had trotted off the field to recieve treatment on a wrist injury and upon his return he collected the ball on the right, cut inside and chipped the ball over the keepers head from 20 yards to restore Ottery's lead within seconds. R. Pike then scored his second of the game within minutes, recieving the ball from R. Bonetta and again lifting the ball into the roof of the net to leave the Feniton keeper stranded.

Ottery had certainly now found their feet and began playing some mature and impressive football. D. Rugg in defence was composed while I. Harwood, deputising as captain was working tirelessly and rarely missplaced a pass all game.

D. Hathaway, playing just behind the striker was involved in a lot of Ottery's forward play, recieving the ball to feet and causing Feniton a host of problems with his quick feet and accurate passing. 20 minutes in he turned his marker and slid in C. Toogood who struck the ball past the keeper to make it 4-1. The same two players linked up again to allow C. Toogood to collect his hat-trick before half-time. Toogood recieved the ball from M. Balloch, layed it off into the run of D. Hathaway who went through on goal but unselfishly squared the ball back to Toogood who tapped in to the empty net.

An injury to centre back D. Rugg meant that S. Pratt could enter the game. He wasted no time imposing himself on the match, bursting forward to the edge of the box, beating the Feniton defender and riffling the ball into the top corner.

6-1 at the break and Ottery were cruising.

The instuctions were basic, keep doing what you are doing, and Ottery obliged.

J. Youlden and J. Broadbent were introduced to the game and both were immidiately involved int he action. Broadbent was strong on the ball and linked up well with R. Pike while J. Youlden added yet another attacking presence through the midfield. The defensive midfielder was allowed to storm forward and was looking for the killer pass. He sent R. Pike through down the right and the cross was blocked for a corner.

R. Bonetta trotted over to deliver a superb ball, R. Pike challenged for the ball but could not get enough contact on it to send it goalward, however Youlden had snuck in at the back post and thumped the ball in from 3 yards as it dropped. Feniton were clearly dissheartened, but never gave up to their credit.

The game then became the C. Toogood show for 10 minutes. After scoring a hat-trick in the first half Toogood then replicated the achievment in the second. Excellent creativity from R. Pike, D. Hathaway and S. Pratt coupled with the pace of Toogood allowed the prolific striker to race through on 3 seperate occassions to finish with a calm sidefoot past the helpless Feniton keeper to take his game tally to 6 and make the score 10-1.

Usually on occassions like this Ottery would let up and take their foot off the pedal, however that never happened this week. J. Barker entered the game and the ball was shifted around from player to player with great confidence. D. Hathaway and I. Harwood had some superb touches of the ball and were using the opportunity to try some skills. D. Hathaway ran down the right wing and backheeled the ball into the path of I. Harwood who moved the ball on to R. Bonetta. Bonetta, unselfishly rolled the ball into the path of R. Pike who had switched to the left. Pike sent a cool dink over the keeper who had gone to ground to score Ottery's 11th of the game. Hathaway had been

Bonetta had been very unselfish and had been unlucky not to score himself. He had 2 excellently struck shots well stopped by the Feniton keeper but at the 3rd time of trying he curled the ball in from the edge of the box to leave the keeper with no chance.

The whole team had played excellently throughout the game, and no one had been left out of the play despite the constant barrage on the Feniton goal. With the scoreline at 12-1 Ottery sent I. Harwood, A. Evans and J. Barker forward. Harwood and Evans had never scored for Ottery before but that was all to change today to the sheer delight of the supporters.

I. Harwood, who had worked tirelessly, exchanged passes with D. Hathaway but his touch appeared to take the ball too close to the Feniton keeper, Harwood slid to reach the ball and was able to get his foot onto it and tuck it in at the near post. J. Barker then ventured forward with the ball, beating 2 players before finding the feet of R. Bonetta who again selflessly layed it back into the run of Barker who finished sidefooted, across goal. A. Evans completed the scoring firing the ball into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

Ottery had put in an excellent performance and thoroughly deserved their victory.
 

09/03/08

Exmouth Amateurs 1 Ottery St Mary 4

Reports: Scott Halliday
 
Ottery came into this game with a point to prove. Having lost their previous game in the cup semi-final they were determined to bounce back immediately. After some strenuous training sessions and soul searching the Ottery players were in good spirits. The warm up was full of entusiasm, more than necessary in some cases however when the match began everyone did their part to ensure Ottery dominated the game from the outset.
 
On a solid and bumpy pitch Ottery tried to move the ball around but were slowed by the conditions of the pitch. Undetered they continued to work for each other and play their own game. J. Barker returned to the side after a month off and controlled the back line well. Ottery dominated posession and didn't allow Exmouth to attack the Ottery penalty box. Despite the domination of play Ottery could not find the net with C. Toogood and D. Hathaway coming close.
 
The half-time score was 0-0 however it was clear to Ottery that the breakthrough would come eventually if they continued to work as they were.
 
In the second half the efforts were raised and the rewards followed immediately. R. Pike was squared the ball from C. Toogood on the edge of the box but lifted his head too early only to send the ball flying over the bar. Undetered and having learnt from that mistake R. Pike was again sent clear on goal, this time from a D. Hathaway pass and calmly rolled the ball through the Exmouth keepers legs to give Ottery the lead. With the confidence high from the goal Ottery quickly pressed for a second. A neat passing move involving A. Evans, D. Rugg and D. Hathaway saw C. Toogood played through where he was able to finish cooly into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
 
Having soaked up all the Exmouth pressure Ottery took their foot off the pedal for a minute and allowed Exmouth to advance into the Ottery half. The Exmouth central midfielder was given too much time on the ball and took the opportunity to shoot from distance. The ball held up in the wind and dropped over C. Atkinson's head to make the score 2-1, sadly there was nothing the Ottery keeper could do about the goal.
 
Changes were made to the Ottery side with J. Balloch and I. Harwood entering the game. Both players worked hard to settle Ottery back into their passing rhythm and it did not take long for Ottery to increase their lead again. D. Hathaway continued his impressive match, collecting the ball in the Exmouth penalty box, controlling it with one touch and lifting over the keeper with his second. At 3-1 Exmouth seemed all but defeated and Ottery were allowed a lot more time and space to shift the ball. R. Pike and J. Broadbent created the final goal of the match with a flowing move down the right of the pitch, the ball was layed to captain S. Pratt who advanced into the space in front of him and smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 yards. A superb strike to cap a good performance from Ottery.
 
The whole team were relieved to get back to winning ways and are hopeful that their good league form can continue through to the end of the season.

24/2/08

Chairman's Cup Semi-Final

Ottery St Mary U13s 2 Exmouth Town 5 

 
Scorers: C. Toogood (2)
 
 
Report: Scott Halliday
 
This will go down as a game to forget from an Ottery team who lacked commitment and effort on this occasion.
 
The semi-final of the Chairmen's Cup to most would have been motivation enough but on this particular day the Ottery side didn't appear interested from the outset. With many players missing training during the week the starting line-up picked itself. This was a chance for a number of people to prove a point. Exmouth Town were first to every ball, picking passes through gaping holes in the Ottery team and deservedly found themselves ahead within 3 minutes. This lead was doubled within 10 minutes as an uncharacteristic swing from the Ottery centre back allowed the Exmouth forward a clear run on goal which he accepted gratefully to put his team 2-0 up.
 
Ottery didn't appear bothered by the fact that they were 2-0 down within 15 minutes and continued to amble around the pitch as if still on holiday. Exmouth went 3-0 ahead and were coasting against the league leaders. Just before half-time Ottery came to life and C. Toogood was released by J. Youlden. Toogood calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to give Ottery a lifeline.
 
At half-time Ottery were quiet, shocked and seemingly motivated to stage a fightback. Changes were made to introduce I. Harwood, D. Hathaway and R. Pike. A revived Ottery created a couple of chances and the football steadily improved. C. Toogood nipped in at the far post to poke in the ball from a corner and Ottery appeared back in the game.
 
The pressure was on Exmouth for a 10 minute period but Ottery couldn't create a clear cut chance. Yet again Exmouth launched the ball clear only for it to be misjudged by the Ottery defence allowing Exmouth Town to put daylight between the teams once again. 4-2 and Ottery were always going to struggle from here. 4-2 soon became 5-2 as the Ottery players threw away any chance they had of appearing in the final this season.
 
A truely disappointing performance from a team tipped for so much success.

17/2/08

Ottery St Mary U13s 7 Exmouth Amateurs 1

 

Scorers: R. Bonetta (4), C. Toogood, R. Harris, J. Youlden

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery had produced 2 very impressive performances in the last 2 matches against Uplyme and Honiton and were with those teams playing each other today Ottery were looking to capitalise on someone if not both dropping points.

Ottery were short of numbers as the half-term break had meant that 3 regulars were unavailable for this fixture whereas Exmouth Amateurs turned up with what looked to be a full squad. Ottery knew they would have to battle hard if they were to take anything from the game.

Ottery had looked slugish in the warm up and this concerned the coaches however within 5 minutes the nerves were calmed. Ottery were yet again knocking the ball around with confidence and calmness. I. Harwood and J. Broadbent making superb runs from full back with D. Hathaway linking up well with his midfielders to involve everyone in the game. Exmouth were being tactically outclassed. After recieving the ball from M. Balloch, R. Pike and J. Broadbent linked up well down the right. The ball broke to D. Hathaway on the edge of the box who struck it first time, the contact was not the greatest but it fell kindly to R. Pike who drilled the ball across goal for R. Bonetta to tap in.

Ottery then relaxed and began to keep the ball excellently. Centre backs D. Rugg and stand-in captain J. Balloch, with the assistance of C. Atkinson in goal were keeping out everything Exmouth could throw at them. Meanwhile going forward J. Youlden and M. Balloch were spreading passes all over the pitch allowing their team-mates to cause all sorts of problems for Exmouth. Sadly C. Toogood appeared to have injured himself stretching for a ball and was replaced before half-time by R. Harris. 34 minutes ticked by and just before the half-time whistle J. Broadbent fed R. Pike who again delivered from the right for R. Bonetta to tuck away his second of the game. Just a minute later and R. Harris had his name on the scoresheet. A hat-trick of assists for R. Pike and Ottery were 3-0 up at the break.

Ottery were praised for their efforts especially with such a small squad available on the day.

Minutes into the second half and R. Bonetta continued where he had left off, this time the Exmouth keeper fumbled the ball at R. Bonetta's feet and he was able to sweep home his 3rd.

Ottery made some tactical changes to try and allow players time to rest however this gave Exmouth the time and space to fashion a chance. They were lucky in the approach as they were awarded a debatable free-kick on the edge of the box. The strike came off the bar and fell to an Exmouth player who struck it into the net, just out of reach of the diving keeper. Exmouth came close again minutes later when they struck the foot of the post from 20 yards, but that was to be the end of their chances as Ottery took note and tightened up again.

C. Toogood was reintroduced to the game after recieving treatment and immediately caused Exmouth problems. He rejoined the game uncharacteristically on the right wing where his pace and power dragged players out of position allowing wandering centre back D. Rugg to go in search of his second of the season. His strike was well saved by the keeper but yet again R. Bonetta was in the right place at the right time and thrashed in his 4th! Job very well done he was replaced with 10 minutes to go and recieved the applause his performance had deserved.

10 minutes to go and Ottery were happy to see out time. Play became a little sloppy as players legs tired but Ottery had enough left to finish off the game in style. J. Youlden who had battled for everything all game found the ball at his feet 20 yards from goal and struck it sweetly enough for it to soar over the keeper and into the net.

Just as the final whistle was about to be blown an mumbling of shock descended across the sidelines as everyone began to realise that top scorer C. Toogood had not yet added his name to the score sheet. Not to disappoint J. Youlden slipped a pin-point pas through the Exmouth defence for the beautifully timed and curved run of C. Toogood who nutmegged the keeper to make the final score 7-1.

A thoughly deserved victory for Otteyr saw them open up a 10 point lead at the top of the table as Uplyme and Honiton drew 4-4 on the day. With 7 league fixtures left and a cup semi-final next weekend Ottery are still hoping for a successful end to the season but cannot afford to become complacent at this stage.
 

10/2/08

Ottery St Mary U13s 6-1 Honiton Town U13s

 
Scorers: C. Toogood (2), D. Hathaway (2), R. Bonetta, M. Balloch
 
Report: Scott Halliday
 
Ottery approached this game in an identical fasion to the previous week. Spirits were high and confidence rife. They started with a strong team but sadly missing I. Harwood who had been so superb the previous week in the destruction of Uplyme. Nevertheless Ottery were determined to continue with their unbeaten league campaign but were sadly taken back after 8 minutes when a defensive mistake allowed the Honiton striker to cut in onto his right foot and fire the ball high into the far corner past the keeper. It must be said that Ottery had had the better of the game until this point so it was seen as unfortunate that Honiton had taken the lead. Ottery had come close on 2 occasions only to be foiled by a very high offside trap before Honiton went a goal up. Undetered Ottery kept playing the passing football that they do so well. The ball was moving crisply and at good pace on a pitch that had been badly cut up from a game the previous day. It wasn't long until Ottery were back on level terms. D. Hathaway was layed the ball on the edge of the box and uncharacteristically struck it with his left foot, the ball curled over the keeper and under the bar, a superb strike with his weak foot had deservedly pulled Ottery back into the game.
 
20 minutes gone and Ottery had found their feet. D. Rugg and J. Barker were holding firm at the back while J. Balloch was linking up well with his midfield. S. Pratt was again causing problems with his vision while D. Hathaway was having an outstanding game, dropping off the stiker to recieve the ball and involve his onrushing midfielders in the attacks. After squandering a few chances R. Bonetta then gave Ottery the lead. A flowing move involving half of the Ottery team led to a simple tap in at the back post to give Ottery a 2-1 lead at the half-time break.
 
more of the same was to follow in the second half from the home team. Within the space of 4 minutes Ottery opened up a lead that would effectively kill the game as a contest. During half-time Ottery were given instructions on how to beat the very high defensive line that Honiton were playing with, after taking in the information and assessing the situation it took just 3 minutes after the re-start for C. Toogood to brake the trap and slot home. This was followed a minute later by D. Hathaway grabbing his second of the game to make it 4-1 to Ottery. Honiton became frustrated and ottery were forced into changes due to injuries. Both centre backs, J. Barker and D. Rugg were forced to leave the field with injuries, D. Rugg was later taken to hospital with a suspected fracture of the foot while J. Barker was left with some slash marks on his thigh where he had been studded.
 
Even with this setback Ottery were not detered and continued to play their own game. Honiton applied pressure as Ottery were forced into playing people out of position however this meant Ottery could play counter-attacking football. The pace of C. Toogood took him away from the Honiton defence and allowed him to score his 30th of the season on 30 minutes while M. Balloch rounded the keeper to finish in style 2 minutes from time. This victory gives Ottery a 5 point cushion at the top of the league and keeps their unbeaten run in this season's league going.

3/2/08

Ottery St Mary U13s 7-0 Uplyme U13s

Scorers: C. Toogood (3), R. Bonetta, R. Pike, R. Harris, D. Rugg


Report: Scott Halliday


Ottery arrived at the clb in good spirits, they look awake and prepared for the match. The conversation in the changing rooms was bubbly and exciting and it was apparent that the team were definately ready for this fixture. Training the previous Thursday night had been the best in a long while and the confidence of the squad was clear. After the team talk and warm up was complete Ottery took to the field without the injured D. Hathaway. Against 2nd in the league Ottery knew they would have to battle for every ball and scrap for every chance. They did this and from the outset never gave Uplyme a sniff.

The ball zipped from left to right, front to back, inside to outside, the Uplyme players were running everywhere on the pitch to close down the 1-2's from Ottery but to no avail. Ottery were simply too quick and clever in their movement. J. Broadbent, making his 4th consequtive start at right back had a big influence on the Ottery play, he overlapped brilliantly creating space for others and forcing Uplyme onto the back foot. As 10 minutes ticked past Ottery broke the deadlock. After a beautiful period of posession football R. pike cut in from the right hand side and curled a shot into the far corner of the net with his left foot, the least Ottery had deserved for a bright start.

Sadly for Ottery J. Youlden, the ball winner in the heart of the midfield had to leave the field of play early with a thigh strain. I. Harwood filled the gap and his creativity and effort left all spectators astounded as he covered every blade of grass on the pitch and misplaced very few passes, if any.

The entire Ottery team were playing the best football seen this season and C. Toogood was showing everyone that not only could he score goals but he could involve others in them too! Usually his pace would take him away from defenders in a split second but today he showed his cleverness, coming short to recieve the ball, laying it off and moving again for the through pass. This got his 2 goals in quick succession. I. Harwood, R. Pike and R. Bonetta involved both times. The football was intricate and deadly. 3-0 and Uplyme were deflated.

half-time came and went with the Ottery players getting nothign but praise from all angles. The defence were getting involved with play, holding the ball and waiting for the movement infront of them, playing superb, simple football that tore the opposition apart.

Within 5 minutes of the re-start C. Toogood had his hat-trick, S. Pratt collected the ball off his centre back J. Barker, crossed the halfway line and threaded a pass through for the run of C. Toogood, with confidence and composure Toogood finished the move and the entire team celebrated the quality of the play.

Toogoood was later replaced by R. Harris, the everpresent substitute took a minute to find his feet in the game, but soon found himself involved in the flowing football that was pleasing so many onlookers. Harris was the next to score, again set up by S. Pratt. 5-0.

Ottery continued to shift the ball with an abundance of quality, sadly for Uplyme this made their morning very difficult as they had caught Ottery on a very, very good day.

There were 2 more goals both for Ottery. By this time Uplyme were a deflated team chasing shadows. Sympathy and admiration went out to their hard working players, but Ottery were not in the mood to ease up.

R. Bonetta, yet another player to take huge amounts of credit from this game had played superbly, his control, movement and slick 1-2's had created no end of trouble for the Uplyme right-back and he capped this performance with a goal. The Uplyme defender his-hit his clearance which Bonetta killed with one touch and smashed into the net with the 2nd. A well deserved goal.

With minutes to go and Ottery continuing to play the kind of football they are capable of a change of personel was made forcing centre back D. Rugg into centre midfield. This set pulses racing as Rugg had 2 chances on goal that narrowly missed. The player had not scored in over 3 years and everyone was waiting with baited breath. Finally, the Uplyme midfielder held the ball for a second too long, Rugg used his defending prowess to steal the ball and strike it goalwards. It flew over the keeper and dropped into the net. The cheers were as much of relief as they were excitment.

The final score was 7-0 to Ottery, entirely deserved. Every single member of the squad performed to the highest standard and implemented every aspect of training into the game. Hopefully the team will be able to welcome back D. Hathaway to the squad for the visit of Honiton who are the next visitors to Ottery. A repeat performance is certainly desired if not a little necessary.
 

27/01/08

Ottery St Mary U13s 3-3 Exmouth Junior Eagles

 

Scorers: C. Toogood, R. Bonetta (2)


Report: Scott Halliday

The reverse of this fixture had been played just 3 weeks previously and had been an eventful and chanceriddled affair. This match however proved to be slightly different. The quality of the football was slightly better and the both teams appeared positive from the outset. Ottery were top of the table and looking to distance themselves from the following pack including Honiton and Uplyme, both of which Ottery still have to play at home.

Within minutes D. Hathaway played C. Toogood through btu sadly the striker dragged his shot just wide of the upright. J. Youlden was as committed as ever in the centre of the Ottery midfield and was warned on more than one occassion by the referee, somewhat unfairly at the second calling, however he continued to create havok for the Exmouth midfield despite being on a final warning from an early stage.

After a cagey start with few chances Exmouth drew first blood, a defence splitting pass, a missed clearance and the ball ended up in the back of the Ottery net, shouts of encouragement and desire swept across the pitch from the Ottery players who genuinely believed they did not deserve that kind of a start. They soon rallied and within the space of 10 minutes they took a 2-1 lead into half time. Firstly after a carbon copy of his first attempt C. Toogood was released by D. Hathaway and this time calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the net. Unknown to him this was the 250th goal scored by an Ottery player during the management reign of S. Halliday. Ottery then created another chance with some excellent 1-2 play down the right hand side of the pitch involving M. Balloch, R. Pike and J. Broadbent who swung over a Beckham-like cross for R. Bonetta to nod in from close range. A 10 minute spell of excellent training-ground football put Ottery up 2-1 at halftime, just about deserved.

In the second half Ottery came out slugishly, Exmouth lofted the ball, bypassing the midfield and created a number of chances, thankfully for Ottery J. Broadbent was having an excellent game not only going forward but defensively also. J. Barker's pace, D. Rugg's reading of the game and the safe hands of C. Atkinson was keeping Ottery in the lead and they were able to break forward to deadly effect. J. Broadbent chipped the ball into the corner where D. Hathaway collected, beat his marker and delieverd to the back post, the Exmouth defender slipped allowing R. Bonetta to turn in onto his right foot and smash the ball into the net from 5 yards.

Sadly for Ottery they then believed they had the game wrapped up and began to demonstrate signs of complacency. Lazy passes, a lack of effort and Exmouth were right back in the game with the wind in their sails. 3-1 soon turned to 3-2 as Exmouth powered through the centre of the Ottery midfield. With almost the last kick of the game an uncharacteristic mistake allowed an Exmouth striker the opportunity to toe poke a shot from the edge of the box which swirved just out of C. Atkinson's reach and nestled in the bottom corner of the net. 3-3. Somewhat dissappointed, Ottery knew they had let 2 points slip. Few words were needed as the faces of many showed the feelings within the Ottery dressing room. However, still undefeated in the league Ottery are after all champions, and champions battle on until the end.
 

13/01/08

Feniton U13s 0-5 Ottery St mary U13s

Scorers: R. Bonetta (2), D . Hathaway, R. Pike, R. Harris


Report: Scott Halliday.

The conditions were horrible for both teams weith a near 50 mph wind blowing right across the pitch. Fortunately the rain had held off overnight allowing the fixture to be played however the pitch was still quite soft underfoot. Nevertheless Ottery went out looking for all three points.
In the warm up they looked slugish and tired which caused some concern in the Ottery camp however as the game began they woke up and moved the ball superbly at times. 1-2's all over the pitch, switches of play and some very patient build up play led to a hatful of chances coming Ottery's way. Unfortunately Ottery were not able to capitalise on these chances and the wind played a big factor in that. J. Youlden and J. Broadbent were linking up well, while S. Pratt in his unaccustom right wing position was causing Feniton all sorts of problems. The majority of the chances were being created down the wings but as crosses came in they either held up or were blown too far leaving Ottery frustrated with the lack of goals. Eventually the breakthrough came when R. Bonetta gambled on a near post cross from S. Pratt to turn it in from 1 yard with his right foot. Ottery kept posession well giving Feniton little time or space to create anything. half time came and went and Ottery continued to play with calmness and quality. R. Bonetta grabbed his second of th egame in similar style to the first and was then replaced in a treble substitution which saw D. Hathaway, R. Pike and R. Harris enter the field of play. This gave Ottery an abundance of attacking talent and it was not long before all 3 substitutes had their names on the score sheet. R. Harris was firstlinking onto a throughball to delicately loft the ball over the helpless keeper. D. Hathaway was next, after some good work from R. Pike and J. Youlden on the left youlden selflessly squared the ball to Hathaway who roofed the ball into the open net. A delightfully worked move straight from the training ground. R. Pike finished the scoring cutting in from the left to beat the keeper at his near post. The performance was just as had been requested. In difficult conditions the Ottery team displayed some of the many qualities that have placed them in the position they currently occupy at the top of the table.
 

06/01/08

Ottery St Mary U13s 3-2 Exmouth Junior Eagles

Scorers: C. Toogood (2), R. Bonetta

Report: Scott Halliday.

After a long Christmas holiday the boys came into this game struggling to concentrate. Throughout the warm up and build up to the game they were in bhoyant mood, some overly so. The game began brightly for Exmouth who took a very early lead. They then deservedly went 2-0 ahead as the Ottery team struggled to find their feet in difficult conditions. From here on Ottery knew they had a tough task ahead of them if they were to achieve anything in this game. They began shifting the ball between them, playing the way they face and from this the chances began to open up for them. D. Hathaway, playing just behind the striker slipped a pass through the Exmouth backline for the run of R. Bonetta who crossed early for C. Toogood to tap in from close range. Ottery had found the route to goal and within minutes had done the same again, this time the ball through allowed R. Bonetta to finish calmly with his left foot. The defence started to compose themselves a little better and stopped Exmouth breaking through as often. C. Atkinson in the Ottery goal had to be commended on many occasions for his excellent shot stopping and superb drop-kicking. Just before half time Ottery broke forward again, J. Youlden lofting a ball over the Exmouth defence for C. Toogood to latch onto to put Ottery 3-2 up. They went in at half time lucky to be back in the game. The second half created chances for both sides, Ottery coming close with efforts from D. Hathaway, C. Toogood and a penalty for R. Pike. Unfortunately for Pike the penalty spot was not in the best of conditions which sadly aided him in putting the ball wide of the left hand post. C. Atkinson in the Ottery goal kept Ottery in the lead on many occasions in the half and pulled off some excellent saves. His performance was undoubtably the highlight of the day for Ottery.
 

25/11/07

Report: Scott Halliday.

Ottery St Mary 5  Colyton 3

Ottery arrived nice and early for this fixture all keen to improve on the last two results for the blues. Unfortunately Ottery were kept waiting for the home team and were only given 20 minutes to prepare once the home team had arrived. With this far from ideal start to proceedings Ottery seemed unfazed and began the game in good spirits. Undoubtedly feeling a slight amount of pressure having not won for just short of a month they began in the best possible way knocking the ball around with typical short, sharp passing, football that had been sadly lacking from this talent filled team for the past weeks. Back to their recognisable style Ottery took the lead. The finally fully fit C. Toogood racing through the Colyton back line to calmly slot home into the far corner of the net. The Ottery players seemed almost relieved to have scored and continued to play simple but deadly effective football. The backline was somewhat different as it did not feature the pacey J. Barker or the strong, commanding presence of J. Youlden sitting just infront. Nonetheless, they held their own despite some questionable momments. C. Atkinson kept Ottery infront on more than one occasion coming off his goalline quickly and bravely to smother the ball and pulling off a stunning kodak momment save low to his right as the ball flew across the goal, bound for the corner of the net.
After more crafty approach play Ottery won a corner, R. Pike swinging it in beautifully over the keepers head for M. Balloch to volley in from 2 yards. R. Pike got himself on the scoresheet minutes before half-time after D. Hathaway slipped the ball through with a pin-point pass leaving Pike with a relatively simple finish.
 
At half-time the players got the credit they deserved and were instructed to iron out a few mistakes and continue playing with the confidence and composure of the first half. Unfotunately these words did not appear to inspire Ottery into action as Colyton came out and quickly scored twice to pull the scoreline back to 3-2. This did not fluster the Ottery players, coaches or fans as the blues had shown their quality in these circulmstances more than once on previous occasions. Changes were made to ensure no let up for the hard working Colyton, the tireless I. Harwood was replaced as was the ever improving D. Rugg and from there Ottery went on to score twice more, both goals coming from some delightful, creative play. Firstly, a well constructed 2-touch move including R. Bonetta, C. Toogood and D. Hathaway tore apart the Colyton defence leaving R. Pike to finish in typical emphatic style. Minutes later R. Bonetta and C. Toogood were to link up again, R. Bonetta cutting in from the left, laying the ball to C. Toogood to flick it over the defensive line only for substitute R. Harris to hit a stunning, unstoppable volley into the top corner. The applause came from everywhere for the approach play and the finish, a superb way to finish off the Ottery scoring. It was a delight for all to see and was especially good to see the entire squad celebrating together after the goal. Colyton finished the scoring with 3 minutes left, the troublesome left winger finally getting a deserved goal after looping a shot over the Ottery keepers head. A thoroughly entertaining match played in good spirits saw Ottery play something near their usual cutting edge football, fingers crossed this is the boost the boys needed to make that push for more silverware at the end of the season.

11/11/07

Report: Scott Halliday

Exmouth Kestrels 0 Ottery St Mary 0

Ottery came into this game expecting to rectify the dissapointment of the previous weeks match in Plymouth. Unfortunately from the start they did not appear willing to work for the result and instead expected it to materialise without effort. They shifted the ball around well at the back with A. Evans, J. Barker, D. Rugg and J. Balloch trying to inspire the game to life but to little evail. Exmouth never caused Ottery any problems, but Ottery did little to pressurize the home side either. J. Youlden had many shots from distance, going against the usual style of play for the team and the outcome only looked to strengthen the concept of moving the ball to create an opportunity in and around the box as none of the shots troubled the keeper. Exmouth became more and more excited about the prospect of a point from the match and camped players behind the ball in order to hold out for a draw, Ottery on the other hand became more and more anxcious about the imminant result and began to crack with players taking it upon themselves to change the match, all to no evail. At the final whistle Exmouth celebrated like they had just won the title whilst Ottery were very dissapointed in their performance and knew they should have rectified the dissapointment of the previous week, instead the suffering will go on until Ottery's next fixture on Sunday 25th November.

04/11/07

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery St Mary 2-4 YMCA Kitto Parkway (aet)
 
 
Scorers: R. Pike, J. Youlden
 
 

 
Ottery arrived for this match in style, having arranged for a 53 seater coach to take players, coaches, friends and family to Plymouth. No matter what they were going to make the most of it. Ottery arrived nice and early allowing plenty of time to assess the conditions and prepare for the fixture as well as possible. The blues travelled to the game in high spirits not knowing what to expect from the Plymouth outfit. The Ottery players had been kept in the dark about the quality of the opposition so as not to intimidate the boys. The Plymouth side Ottery faced were of a high standard and have close links with Plymouth Argyle youth academy therefore the match was never going to be easy for the Ottery squad.
 
In the time up to kick off Otteyr players looked sharp and ready for the test facing them. Each and every one of them was alert and raring to go.
 
The match started brightly with Ottery pressing the ball well and coming close on 2 occassions and it looked as though the quality of both sides was set to show all the spectators a fantastic match. Unfortunately this was not to be as the man/boy in black was to hog the spotlight with some decisions that could only be described as unbelievable. Neither team were happy with the refereeing decisions however it was Ottery that appeared to suffer the most. 25 minutes into the match, after some excellent football from both teams J. youlden floated a Beckham-like pass over the defence for C. Toogoog to latch on to. C. Toogood raed clear only to be challenged from behind and brought down on the edge of the box. A stone cold red card surely, but it was not given. The referee awarded the free kick and let matters be. The first of many mistakes. R. Pike stepped up and dispatched the free kick comfortably but the damage had been done by the referee's decision not to dismiss the Parkway defender. Ottery were fired up after this passage of play and looked to see out the half with their lead intact. Yet again however the referee had different ideas. After sending the Ottery player to the sidelines for recieving treatment a Parkway player was treated on the pitch minutes later, this player however was not asked to leave the field of play and within seconds of recieving treatment found himself 12 yards from goal and able to roll the ball past the Ottery keeper. 1-1 at half time and the Ottery bench were fuming. The manager calmly approached the referee to find some answers for his decisions but found nothing other than a lost, confused young man, not able to run a game of such importance. The second half improved little. It would be a waste of a good game to continue talking about the refereeing so it shall be left that the referee spoilt the match from start to finish. The second half was played in much the same manner as the first, high tempo, high quality and with a little bit of bite. Parkway were awarded a corner 10 minutes from time and a tiring Ottery stood still as the home team striker rose above everyone to nod home from 3 yards. Ottery looked finished, but a fresh pair of legs in the form of M. Balloch changed the whole game. Ottery went on the attack again with M. Balloch driving down the right wing, cutting in between two defenders and rolling the ball across the goal only for it to be cleared to the edge of the box where J. Youlden was waiting to batter the ball in off the post. A stunning strike which left the Parkway players dumbfounded and the Ottery fans in raptures. Extra time when D.Hathaway found himself one on one with the Parkway keeper, but under pressure from behind was only able to toe poke the ball into the keepers awaiting grasp. Extra time was imminent when the Ottery keeper C. Atkinson to make a match winning save from point blank range to keep his side in the match for a further 20 minutes.
 
Extra time was a strugle for Ottery as they had worked tirelessly throughout the match against a team who appeared to have an extra player (wearing black).
 
Parkway cut through the Ottery defence as legs started to tire and were able to get themselves a 4-2 lead by half time in extra time. There appeared no way back for Ottery who pressed and harried until they could run no more. Parkway looked to waste time as much as possible and the referee, perhaps unsurprisingly, never once listened to the objections.
 
The Ottery squad can be delighted with their performance and can certainly hold their heads up high as they gave the match everything they had in very difficult circumstance.

28/10/07

Report; Scott Halliday

Ottery St Mary 4 Uplyme 1  AET  90 minute score 1-1

This game was a quarter final in the Chairman's Cup and it was the chairman himself who took charge of the fixture.
Both teams started the game cautiously as they both believed that a victory in this match could set them on their way to the final. It was Uplyme who started the brighter of the two teams putting th Ottery players under a lot of pressure on the ball. Ottery tried to move the ball around quickly, but on a slippery surface found it difficult to adjust to the quick pace of the ball. Uplyme took advantage and took the lead after 15 minutes.
 
Unfazed Ottery fought back. They composed themselves and started to move the ball around keeping posession and allowing Uplyme to chase. As the pressure from Ottery increased holding midfielder J. Youlden found himself uncharacteristically in the edge of the box, he struck a shot that was blocked, but luckily the rebound fell into his path for him to strike the ball again this time succuessfully into the net. The game then lost its appeal until half time when both teams went in feeling they could have been doing a lot better.
 
After half-time both teams looked to grab a winning goal as it became apparent that the next goal could well win the game. Uplyme attacked quickly with direct ariel balls but they were dealt with well by the consistantly impressive centre back partnership of J. Barker and D. Rugg. Ottery came close when substitute R. Harris rolled his marker only to hit the foot of the post while another attack led to the ball smashing off the underside of the crossbar, bouncing down seemingly over the goal line only for it not to be given. With lady luck seeming to favour Uplyme they pushed for one final attack before the game headed to extra time. Fortunately for Ottery J. Barker was on hand to make a sublime sliding tackle to stop a certain winning goal just seconds from time.
 
This gave Ottery the scare they needed to up a gear in extra time and allow their high fitness levels to take control of the game. Uplyme were flagging and Ottery were all too aware of this. Fresh legs were added to the Ottery midfield with M. Balloch replacing S. Pratt. This substitution proved crucial when R. Harris held up the ball brilliantly with his back to goal, fed in M. Balloch who shimmied between two Uplyme defenders before neatly sidefooting the ball into the net having only entered the field of play 10 minutes previously. Ottery never looked back and the more Uplyme pressed, the more tired they got. Thus, the more pressure Ottery were able to apply to Uplyme and the goals started rolling in to seal the match. R. Pike cut inside from the left and as everyone expected him to loft a typical curler into the top corner of the net he fooled everyone including the keeper and drilled it along the ground into the bottom corner leaving the keeper rooted to the spot. Barring a 5 minute disaster Ottery would be through. Just to make sure D. Hathaway created space for himself on the right hand corner of the box. His shot was blocked but fell invitingly for him to strike again which he duly did, this time lacing the ball past the helpless keeper to make it 4-1. The performance was again sub-standard from an Ottery side playing well below their potential, however with the job done they can move on to the semi-final awaiting a tie with Colyton or one of two Exmouth teams.

21/10/07

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery St Mary 6 Honniton Town 0

It was a crisp Sunday morning and the Ottery team were well and truly up for this match. They all turned up wide awake and in the mood for football, which is a rarity for these boys. For the first time in 3 seasons they were without their manager on the sidelines but they had been well drilled and well prepared for this fixture with that in mind. Ottery came out of the traps at a rate of knots, with C.Toogood  coming close on two occasions early in the match. Then the brake through came, Ottery picked the ball up in midfield, the ball was then sprayed out to R. Pike on the left, he cut inside and played the ball to captain S. Pratt who with one touch played a killer pass through to C. Toogood, who let his feet do the talking, he went round two players, drew the keeper then played the ball across the box where R. Bonetta had a simple tap in from 2 yards. It was a great end to an excellent move. The second goal came quickly. Once again the supplier was C. Toogood who crossed for R. Bonetta to volley in his second. By this stage it looked like it was going to be a white wash as Ottery were all over Honiton, but then Honiton started to put some pressure on the Ottery defence. Ottery’s defence was stubborn and were not going to be beaten on this day. Anything that went over the defence was swept up quickly by the keep C. Atkinson. J. Balloch showed some class defending to stop the only Honiton threat and then created the third goal. Honiton had a brake but J. Balloch slowed down the attack, bided his time then nipped the ball from the Honiton striker, he then drove forward with the ball, spotted the run of C. Toogood and dispatched the perfect pass. C. Toogood latched onto the ball, took one touch and finished like a pro. His second soon followed just before half time with another superbly taken goal. Ottery had total domination of the game, playing the good football that they are known for and finishing when their chances arose.

 The second half seemed more difficult though for the visitors. Honiton applied some serious pressure for a good twenty minutes of the half but the defence was solid. With J. Barker and D. Rugg solid as rocks, they had one thing in mind, and that was a first clean sheet of the season against last years main rivals. C. Atkinson’s handling was of the highest quality, and Ottery’s midfield and defence pressurised Honiton when they didn’t have the ball, something they had worked hard on previously on the training field. This limited Honiton to long range shots that didn’t trouble the Ottery keeper.

 The passion of the game was easy to see by both sides and at one stage boiled over, but both players regained control and continued to play the game in the way it had been for the previous 50minutes. Then came the killer blow for Honiton. D. Hathaway picked the ball up on the right, played a through ball to C. Toogood who knocked it on one more and R. Pike cut in from the left to lift the ball over the on coming keeper. At this stage the game was won. C. Toogood, D. Hathaway and J. Balloch then all made way for R. Harris, M. Balloch and J. Broadbent. The captain S. Pratt then moved out to the right wing where he caused Honiton’s left back all sorts of trouble coming close twice before he got his goal. He knocked the ball past the full back, sprinted onto the ball and fired the ball underneath the goal keeper. It was a good end to a well fought match and it proved that Ottery can both play pretty football and ugly football and still come out on top. The whole team played at the top of their game.

14/10/07

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery started this match slowly. The ball moved painfully around the centre of the field until D. RUgg took it upon himself to try and lift the tempo of the match with some sharp passing and intricate footwork. Unfortunatley this didn't lift the Ottery game as they continued to play lazy football in all areas of the pitch. SOme of this could however be put down to a flu virus that has been going around the squad. Nevertheless, Ottery took the lead, S. Pratt rolling the ball home from just outside the 6 yard box. The second followed shortly with R. Harris grabbing his first goal for Ottery. A smart through ball saw him attack the goal at an angle, he calmly fired the ball high over the grounded keeper and wheeled away to celebrate his first successful strike.
Ottery slept for the next five minutes allowing the visitors too much time and space to attack. A defensive mistake allowed the Feniton dtriker to cut in from the right and slot the ball past the helpless goalkeeper to make the score 2-1. The game looked scrappy and uneventful and lacked any real spark. The goals went in on almost regular intervals however this was the only action of the match. R. Bonetta scored two before half-time and S. Pratt grabbed another with a slightly mis-hit shot from the edge of the box after a neat cut back from R. Pike. There was just time for D. Hathaway to slot home before half-time also. Having missed a couple chances previsouly D. Hathaway was as relieved as anyone to finally get his name on the score sheet. The half-time score stood at 6-1 to Ottery with little else to comment on. At half-time J. Youlden was added to the Ottery midfield, he provided the bite that Ottery had been lacking in the first half and the ball began fizzing around the pitch a little better. R. harris was able to net his second of the game as was D. Hathaway while the injured C. Toogood was brought on to enable him to keep his record of scoring in every fixture of the season alive. R. Bonetta finished the scoring with a superb overhead kick from 8 yards. An excellent way to cap his hat-trick. Despite the lack of quality in their play Ottery ran out convincing winners in a game that showed little enthusiasm and very little of the hard work ethic and practice put in on the training field.

07/10/07

Report Scott Halliday

Ottery St Mary 5   Chudleigh Athletic  2

 

Ottery went into this match having never experienced a Devon Cup match before. They were unsure of what to expect as the quality in this competition is undoubtedly higher than they are used to playing. With this in mind Ottery went out with confidence but more than aware of the threat that they may face. They started brightly moving the ball well in patches. They were put under pressure by Chudleigh as the visitors looked to loft the ball over the top of the Ottery back line. The back four dealt with this threat well with J. Barker and A. Evans taking a lot of the credit for dealing with the arial attack.
 
15 minutes into the game Ottery got the goal that they had been deserving since kick-off. C. Toogood broke clear of the Chudleigh defence to lift the ball over the advancing keeper after some neat interchange between J. Youlden, D. Hathaway and R. Bonetta. Ottery carried on playing their passing football but were caught out by one of many balls over the heads of the defenders, J. Barker raced with the forward and made a last minute lunge for the ball, everyone watching immediately complimented the stunning challenge and were gobsmacked when the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Nevertheless the Chudleigh striker tstepped up and thrashed the ball into the net, C. Atkinson in the Ottery goal made a valliant attempt to keep it out, but the power took it off his hand and into the net. Straight from the kick off Chudleigh capitalised on another defensive mistake, Ottery had not composed themselves from the shock of the penalty decision when the Chudleigh attack cottoned onto a free ball to again put it past the Ottery keeper, who appeared to pull away from teh ball. It was discovered at half time that this was due to keeper having hurt his hand during his attempted penalty save.
 
2-1 down at half time Ottery had not been in this position before this season. They were down and unhappy at half time but were soon picked up when told they had done little wrong and were more than capable of winning the match. Slight changes were made and out they went to claim a place in the next round. The Chudleigh defence were camped in their own half for the majority of the half and Ottery constantly battered the Chudleigh back line. Ottery didnt look as dangerous as they have in previous weeks but were still able to level the match soon after the break. R. Pike twisting and turning in the box before roofing the ball. The goal was met with great raptures by the Ottery fans as it was the least Ottery had deserved. Soon after C. Toogood was able to get his second of the match slotting in from close range following a flowing move. The pressure continued on Chudleigh's goal with J. Youlden coming close and M. balloch just lifting a header over the bar from a fizzing corner by R. Pike. Soon after R. Pike got his second with a rocket from his right foot. With the game now looking comfortable Ottery were able to relax a little. They saw out the match, still not allowing Chudleigh any time or space on the ball and were able to grab a fifth goal. M. Balloch showing great calmness in front of goal, sidestepping two defenders and passing the ball into the net. The Ottery pressure was relentless throughout and they fully deserved their passage into the next round where they will travel to Parkway in Plymouth on the 4th November.

30/09/07

Report: Scott Halliday

Ottery St Mary 8  Colyton 2

Ottery started this match brightly, moving the ball well and playing some delightfully entertaining football. They soon got their reward as C. Toogood nipped in behind the Colyton defence to grab the opener with his normally unused left foot. Ottery looked to use the expert deliveries of R. Pike and R. Bonetta on the wings to their advantage and when R. Pike fizzed a ball across the box that eluded everyone R. Bonetta was on hand to swing it back in and land it right on the head of C. Toogood for his second of the game. Ottery managed to win a fair few corners in the half that were excellently dellivered by R. Bonetta, J. Balloch was sent up from the defence to add an extra ariel threat in the oppositions penalty box, but as it happened it was with his feel that ne so nearly scored. The ball dropped to him on the penalty spot and he struck it superbly but was unlucky to be denied by a superb block on the goal line. Head in hands he jogged back into position hoping for another opportunity to venture forward. Ottery continued to play their passing football much to the delight of their manager and supporters. R. Pike was felled 30 yards from goal and stepped up to take the freekick but unfortunately he swung it agonisingly over the crossbar. Just before half time Colyton grabbed one back from some unlucky bounces in the Ottery penalty box. This was almost immediately cancelled out by R. Bonetta and at half-time the score was 3-1 to Ottery. Ottery were asked to do more of the same in the second half and duly ablidged. More goals flew in, another for Bonetta and two from R. Pike while C. Toogood managed to score his 3rd of the game with his right foot, making it a 'perfect' hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header). The last goal of the game came from D. Hathaway, superb interchange by R. Pike, R. Bonetta and R. Harris saw the ball drop to Hathaway 15 yards from goal, he hit it first time on the half volley and it lashed into the top of the goal. As is often the case Ottery slept for the last 10 minutes allowing Colyton the opportunity to grab a second goal. Their nippy left winger turning the ottery defence inside out before striking high into the net. The Ottery team can take a lot of credit for this performance as the entire team worked wel, especially the defenders who had been worked especially hard at the previous training session in order to prepare them for the match. With the first round of the Devon Cup on Sunday the Ottery team are going to have to continue with their steady progress as they come up against the unkown Chudeigh.

23/09/07

Report Scott Haliday

Exmouth Amateurs 2   Ottery St Mary 5

Ottery came into this match missing 3 regulars from their back line. This meant that the team was shuffled around to tailor for the losses. Due to this it was always going to be a struggle for Ottery to keep their shape and play their normal flowing football and the weather did little to help either team. Visibility was very poor as was the rain. This caused the match to be full of mistakes by both teams, but from the start Exmouth looked to be adapting quicker.
 
They pressed Ottery looking for gaps in their defence and found one 10 minutes in when their striker was able to get behind the defence while they were sleeping. He slottted the ball home past the keeper who could do little to stop it.
 
This gave Ottery a scare as they then realised they were going to have to work for this victory. D. Hathaway was sent clear on goal from a cutting S. Pratt pass but could only find the feet of the goalkeeper, C. Toogood also went close firing just wide from the angle. As Exmouth continued to press Ottery the ball skidded around the pitch, eventually landing at the feet of D. Hathaway, he looked up and slipped a pinpoint pass throught to C. Toogood who raced towards goal and passed the ball gently into the net.
 
All level at half time the Ottery team recieved a telling off at for not attempting to play football. They had resported to long ball hoof and were second to most free balls.
 
 
With their new instructions fresh in their minds Ottery went out looking to improve on a somewhat lacklustre first half performance. R. Harris was brought on to make his debut for Ottery and add a little more strength to the forward line. This appeared to pay off as it created more space for C. Toogood to capitalise on. He soon had Ottery infront with another calm finish and completed his 3rd hat-trick of the season minutes later.
 
Ottery had a 3-1 lead and again went to sleep as they had done in the first half. Exmouth pounced on their opportunity and grabbed another goal only for Ottery to catch Exmouth on the break 5 minutes later. D. Hathaway finding R. Pike in space who then rolled the ball into the path of Toogood for his fourth of the game.
 
Ottery finished the match with R. Bonetta polishing off the only well worked move of the match, D. Hathaway cutting in from the right to find the feet on C. Toogood who turned and layed off Bonetta to fire cross goal.
 
Over all a dissapointing performance for Ottery, not helped by the conditions but the desired result still obtained.

16/09/07

Report: Scott Halliday.

Ottery St Mary U13s 1