Midweek magic for Buckland Athletic in the South Devon Football League

The Yellows of Buckland Athletic picked up a much-needed three points when they made the short trip across town to Newton Abbot Spurs 3rds on Wednesday evening.

Goals from Keiron Fletcher, Patrick Marsh and Hugh Stronge won the game and the bottom of the division is just as close as the top as it looks to be any two from four for the drop and the rest of the teams would seem to be promotion contenders.

Buckland carried their midweek form into the weekend, picking up another three points with a 2-1 win over fellow relegation candidates Watcombe Wanderers in a tetchy affair that moves the Yellows out of the bottom two for the first time in 2026.

Liverton United are the team that replace them in the bottom two and they suffered another big scoreline when they faced Beesands Rovers who put 12 goals past them without reply. The South Hams outfit remain top on goal difference but have played three games more than the other contenders.

WBB continue to impress and a 3-1 win at Elburton Villa is a good result in anybody’s book and keeps the Claymen well placed and one of the teams the others need to beat. Jake Cuff, Ryan Clarke and Ashton Sowerby were the target men foe Wattsies.

The clash between the two pre-season favourites in Mount Gould and Bovey Tracey ended in a 1-1 draw. The result leaves Bovey with some work to do to catch Wattsies but Mount Gould are still in with a shout if they turn the games in hand into points.

Barton Athletic are also in a bit of form at the moment and a very tight 1-0 result at Paignton Villa allows the Blues to leapfrog Villa into third place and just two points off the leaders (full report on Davesworld) and why anybody would want to pay to watch pro football when this standard is available week in week out free of charge is beyond me, well done to both teams.

If you thought Division One was close, then the Premier Division is a competition that keeps on giving. Both of the bottom two picked up points in the fight for survival, Totnes and Dartington had a credible 1-1 draw with Paignton Saints and Buckfastleigh Rangers won 2-0 at Newton Abbot 66 after going one up within two minutes thanks to Harrison Russell.

They were reduced to ten players on nine minutes when the goalkeeper was sent off for deliberate handball outside the penalty area. The visitors had to dig in at times and the second goal came late in the game just after 66 missed a golden opportunity to level things up, when the Greens broke away and Denver Ongeche sealed the points and closed the gap to four points.

At the other end of the table, it was business as usual for the league leaders as Windmill cruised to a 6-2 victory over last season’s champions Newton Abbot Spurs 2nds who now need the Plymouth three to lose twice if they are going to retain the title.

One team that has broken the dominance of the Plymouth three are East Allington United, they had a great result with a 2-1 win at True Blues and by all accounts both teams were a credit to the SDFL, Ben Tapper and none other than Seth Gloyn were on target for the Pirates.

The final Premier Division game between Lakeside and Kingsteignton Athletic was abandoned due to the worsening state of the pitch and will be replayed.

Only two league games were played in Division Two and the basement battle between Upton Athletic and Newton Rovers ended in a 1-1 draw that really does not help either of the teams in the quest for survival at this level as the bottom team Watcombe Wanderers 2nds have given the league a notice of withdrawal and that will cause some points to be adjusted.

Ashburton got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win at Ivybridge Town and although they are down in seventh place, the games in hand could put them in the top three.

In Division Three, Kingskerswell kept their 100% record intact with a 4-0 win over a decent Liverton United 2nd team and they are now the only unbeaten team in all the divisions.

The bottom two sides, Totnes and Dartington 2nds and Waldon Athletic 2nds, shared a 2-2 draw that neither of these teams wanted as bottom club Ipplepen Athletic leapfrogged both of them with a 3-1 win at Buckfastleigh Rangers 2nds to record only their second win of the season.

In Division Four, Chudleigh Athletic 2nds are motoring away at the top. This week it was courtesy of an 8-0 win at home to Newton Rovers 2nds. Teign Village are right on their tails as they became the first team to inflict a league defeat on Waldon Athletic 3rds, I am told it was not pretty to watch but the village side were good for their 3-2 victory.

Third placed Paignton Villa 3rds slipped to their heaviest defeat of the season losing 10-1 to an improving Barton Athletic 2nd team that wiped out Villa’s positive goal difference in one swoop, Bere Alston United are also keeping pace with the leaders and a 6-4 victory over Kingsbridge / Kellaton United in an entertaining game keeps their hopes of a promotion alive in the first season in the SDFL.

Brixham Town 2nds are also in the mix and a 5-0 win over Paignton Saints 3rds keeps the Fishermen in fifth place with games in hand.

There were some delayed cup ties that were played and a big well done to South Brent who beat Alphington 3rds by 2 goals to 1 to make it into the semi-final of the County Intermediate Cup, where they travel to Axminster on March 28 to take on Millway Rise for a place in the final.

Galmpton United won 8-0 against Broadhempston United to be in the hat for the quarter-final of the Herald Cup, as did Chudleigh Athletic who had a comfortable afternoon scoring 12 versus Harbertonford in the same competition.

In the Fred Hewings Cup, Newton Abbot Spurs 3rds made it into the semi-final with a 3-1 win at East Allington United 2nds to join Newton Abbot 66 2nds, Kingsteignton Athletic 2nds and Barton Athletic 2nds in the hat.

Games to catch this weekend:

In the Premier Division, there is a six-pointer at Totnes and Dartington who host Buckfastleigh Rangers in a game that, should the visitors win, would leave Tots with a lot to do and move Bucky to within a point of Kingsteignton.

Lakeside Athletic will be looking to avenge an early-season defeat by Newton Abbot 66 when Sixes visit the Parkway Social Club and in previous years, Kingsteignton v Ilsington Villa was a game between two sides in the top three but is now a fixture between teams in 7th and 10th and both needing points for different reasons.

But my game of the day is the much-awaited Division Three fixture between Kingskerswell and Galmpton United at the Kerswell bowl. which has a 2.30 KO. A home win should secure another divisional title for Kerswell but a win for the visitors not only removes the last unbeaten record in the league but would put them sic points clear of their rivals.

Enjoy your free grassroots football and thank you for supporting the TCS South Devon Football League.