Exmouth Town got their 26/27 season off to a fantastic start, as a brilliant second half performance saw them beat Bovey Tracey 3-0 at Mill Marsh Park, seeing them advance to the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup.
After a difficult first 45, an early Alex Cairo set the tone for what was to be a much better second, with goals from Tom Bath and Aarron Denny sealing the win.
A home tie against Bridgwater awaits, which will take place on August 22nd.
It was a scrappy affair early on, as Town struggled to keep hold of the ball and that would inevitably see momentum swing towards the hosts.
Cieran Bridger was dictating the game in midfield, and his cross almost set up Owen Stockton, who headed over from close range.
The captain Stockton would have another golden opportunity to open the scoring, diverting a closer header just over the crossbar.
There would be one final opportunity for the hosts, as another deep cross was floated into the back post, but the Moorlanders defender couldn’t turn it home.
Exmouth would begin to come alive later in the half, as Matt Wright and Bath would link up, with the former setting up Cairo, but his flick went past the post.
The visitors would carry that momentum straight into the second half, where a corner would find Bath, and fall perfectly for Cairo who was on hand to divert the ball home.
That goal sparked life into Town, who would have a perfect opportunity to make it two, when Denny got in front of a defender at the right time to be brought down in the box.
The referee would point to the spot, and Bath would step up to slot the ball straight down the middle.
A two-goal salvo would be enough to knock the stuffing from Bovey Tracey, with Town doing a much better job of dealing with the influential Bridger.
It would go from bad to worse for the hosts, as manager Ben Gerring would receive a second yellow card for dissent.
Town were continuing to pile the pressure on the counter-attack, with Bath’s touch stopping him getting a clear one-on-one opportunity.
Exmouth would seal the victory at the death, as Denny would outpace his man and beat the goalkeeper to the ball, before tapping into an empty net.
Attention turns to Tuesday, where Town begin their Southern League Division One South season away at Bideford.
Line-Up: Wonnacott, Belsten, Cann, Landricombe, Morison, Knowles, Slater (Harris, 93), Denny, Cairo (Shipton, 68), Bath, Wright (High, 80).
Subs Not Used: Rowe, C.Wright.
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