WATCOMBE WANDERERS 3 - CREDITON 2

WATCOMBE Wanderers were the visitors to Lords Meadow for a Devon Premier Cup Fourth round clash.

Crediton reached the semi-final of this competition last season so we’re hoping to go one better this year with another strong cup run.

Trenaman was without key players Goss, Carpenter and Ord, with himself also unavailable due to a hamstring strain. This meant the unfamiliar partnership of Groom and Pryce at centre half, with Skinner coming at right back and Khoo returning to his more familiar position at left back.

It was Crediton who started on the front foot and immediately forced a corner from kick off. Bilcock whipped in from the right and Durrant lost his man at the near post to head home and give Crediton the lead inside the opening minute. 

Crediton were firmly on top at the point, exploiting the space in behind the Watcombe wing backs, Blake went close and then McCann fired into the side netting.

The home side doubled their lead in the 10th minute through the unlikely source, skipper Lee. Blake was played in behind and managed to get to the byline where he waited for options.

Lee became that option as he ran from deep and arrived late into the box, with Blake cutting the ball back perfectly into his path, to slot home into the corner, first time from 12 yards. 

Crediton were rampant at this point and looked to get out of sight, however Watcombe got themselves on the scoresheet after some sloppy defending from the home side.

A long ball forward was not dealt with and Srndinko nipped in between Pryce and Groom, before smashing the ball past Waring from close range.

It was Crediton who were still creating the better of the chances, looking dangerous every time they went forward.

Blake found himself in a glorious position unmarked, 15 yards from goal, but could only fire wide with all the time in the world.

Then it was Morish’s turn to miss a great chance. Durrant played him in down the left channel but his right-footed effort was comfortably saved by Bashford in the Watcombe sticks.

Blake and McCann then went close before Crediton were caught with another sucker punch at the other end.

Once again a long ball forward caused mayhem as both Khoo and Groom went for the same ball. Khoo flicked on and the ball ran through to the dangerous Srndinko.

This time he slid it through to Bridget, who finished well from a tight angle to bring the visitors level.

There was still further chances for the home side before the interval, as Durrant went close and Bilcock forced a good save from Bashford with a free kick from 25 yards.

The sides went in level at half time, with Crediton dominating large periods of the half but looking unusually vulnerable at the back. 

The second half saw the visitors make a change and revert to a back four, which seemed to shore them up defensively and limit the goalscoring opportunities for Crediton.

At the other end they were asking more and more questions of the shaky Crediton back line which continued to press high and offer plenty of room in behind.

On several occasions they stepped up and played the offside trap and it was only a matter of time before their ploy was breached.

Bridger found himself one-on-one and managed to round Waring with the goal gaping, however somehow he managed to scoop the ball over the bar and Crediton lived to fight another day.

It was not long before Watcombe were in behind again. This time Skinner misjudged the ball and Srndinko was away.

Groom managed to recover to stop him in his tracks but after doing all the hard work, lost the ball to Lyon, who squared for Bridger to turn the tie on its head and put Watcombe 3-2 ahead.

Townsend and Yao were introduced as Crediton pushed forward in search of an equaliser but neither could unlock the more resolute Wanderers defence.

Crediton were struggling to create chances as the clock ticked on. Groom was thrown upfront in a bid to force the tie into extra time and he nearly made the difference.

A ball forward from Khoo was chested down by the tall front man and he unselfishly rolled the ball into the path of Townsend, with just the keeper to beat.

Unfortunately the youngster fired straight at Bashford and could not find the target with the rebound, as the glorious chance came and went.

Watcombe held on for the rest of injury time to record a terrific victory over their higher league opponents, especially after being two goals behind early on.

A disappointing result for Crediton, who were hoping to do well in this competition once again, but they crashed out and must now focus on their league campaign, where they currently sit top of the table.

Next up for Crediton is an away trip to bottom of the table Alphington. On paper this looks like a game the Lords Meadow side should win, but this is always a tough place to go on a tight pitch, which will no doubt be something of a leveller when the two sides meet.

David Lee