Carlsberg South West Peninsula League division 0ne East

Okehampton Argyle 0

Budleigh Salterton 1

OKEHAMPTON opened their season with this hard fought encounter at Simmons Park against last season's third placed team.

In wet and windy conditions, both sides played good football and the game was balanced on a knife edge throughout.

Argyle had two good chances early on but failed to convert them and Budleigh punished them on 31 minutes when they forced a corner on the left. The Okehampton defence failed to stop Brett Wright's low driven corner from passing across the face of the goal and Budleigh captain Carl Everest dived full length to head home at the far post.

Honours were otherwise even in a tightly contested first half.

Argyle pressed continually in the second period to try to force an equaliser but ran into the in-form Budleigh keeper Jordan Hockold who made some superb saves — two from fine efforts by Brad Ausden that would have beaten most goalies.

He was finally beaten when Matt Mortimer hit a tremendous first time shot from a corner, only for Argyle to be frustrated as a defender cleared off the line.

Ten minutes from time, Luke Alden ran at the Budleigh defence and unleashed a shot which was only inches wide, but this was to be the last real chance for Argyle to save the game.

Okehampton will be disappointed with this result as they definitely deserved a point, but they are desperately in need of a goalscoring striker to take advantage of their outstanding approach work.

Man of the match must go to the Budleigh keeper, but for Okehampton, Tom McGrattan and Alex Wren had outstanding games in a rearranged Argyle defence and keeper Jordan Lee did not put a foot wrong throughout.

Young substitute Ollie Crimmins who made his debut in the last ten minutes also looked a class player on the wing.