Axminster Town gave themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the South West Peninsula League, Eastern Division, wooden spoon when they won 1-0 at Exwick Villa on Tuesday night, writes Steve Birley.

As if to underline the up-and-down season this has been for the nomadic Tigers, the clean sheet success came just 80 hours after they had been walloped 7-0 on another visit to Exeter – Saturday’s heavy defeat at University!

Ben Vine, a player who has been one of the highlights of the season for Town, scored the only goal of the contest.

The win sees Town move to within a point of second bottom Newton Spurs and the final placings will be decided by how the two teams fare in their last outings of the season.

For Newton Spurs that last game is tonight (Wednesday, April 29), when they host Budleigh Salterton.

The Tigers need to better the Spurs result when they complete their season on Friday night with a second meeting inside seven days against University who they once again travel to meet in Exeter.

There is light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel with the Tigers, at long last, finally getting access to their new home at Tiger Way.

It all means that chairman Ray Self, the driving force behind all things Axminster Town for longer than he probably cares to remember, will be able to plat a bright new future during then close season when it is expected he will name a new manager to lead the Tigers into the 2015/16 season.