May fixtures in recent seasons for local football teams

Those matches saw Upottery win 3-2 at Bampton while Kentisbeare lost 2-0 at Okehampton Argyle. However, the season was also blighted by lots of wet weather and so, at the time the league came to a halt there were as many as 26 fixtures already set to be played in May.

In the past 10 season’s the May fixtures in the Premier Division, have been – starting from what would have been the 26 this time round: 26, 9, 23, 3 (in the 2016-17 season), 19, 15, 29 (in the 2013/14 season). 21, 9 and 21 (2010/11 season).

So, how has the month of May played out in terms of the final matches of each of the last 10 Devon & Exeter league campaigns.

Season 2018/19

Indeed, thanks to some excellent late season weather there was no lengthy back-log of fixtures and so just the last couple of games of the campaign were being played.

Feniton played a May 9, Morrison Bell Cup semi-final which ended with them being narrowly beaten 5-4 by Peninsula League outfit Sidmouth Town.

The following day (May 10) Upottery were also in action and they wrapped up their Premier Division league campaign with a 3-1 Glebe Park win over Clyst Valley. That win left the villagers finishing seventh. The match was the penultimate game of the season for it all ended on May 16 with the Morrison Bell Cup final at Ottery St Mary where Cronies defeated Sidmouth Town 2-1. There were just nine Premier Division matches played in the month of May this season.

Season 2017/18

This season the final action took place as late in the campaign as May 30, and even then, it was not ‘technically’ the last game of the term! The penultimate evening of the month saw Beer Albion defeat Alphington Reserves 3-2 in an East Devon Senior Cup semi-final and, with no football allowed in June, it meant the final, versus Cronies, was delayed until the following season and it was played on August 9 as the very first competitive fixture of the new term and it ended with Cronies winning 4-1. They were still playing Macron League games in late May. Beer Albion were in Macron League top flight action on May 13 when they drew 0-0 at Hatherleigh and they were back in league action six days later, going down 4-0 at Heavitree United. In a busy period for the Fishermen, they also had a May 16 Seaton Cup final to contest – one that saw them lost 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after the sides had each scored one goal in ‘normal time’. The final Premier Division game that season was played on May 23 and it saw Cronies defeat Topsham Town 3-1. There were 23 matches played in the Premier Division in the May of this season.

Season 2016/17

Seaton Town and Upottery met in the final game of the season – that being a May 19, Seaton Cup final which saw Town win 1-0. There were three Macron League Premier games played that May. Upottery defeated Exmouth Amateurs 2-0 on May 1. Two days later Feniton went down 2-0 in a league game at Elmore and three days later (May 6) saw the final game of the league term with that being a 5-0 win for Heavitree United at Bow AAC. There were still four cup finals to be played and they saw Upottery lift the Seaton Cup with a 3-1 win over Combe St Nicholas. Five days after that cup win Upottery were back in action, beaten 2-1 in the final of the Morrison Bell Cup. May 16 saw the staging of the East Devon Senior Cup final in which Newtown defeated Cronies 3-2 and the curtain came down on the campaign with that Seaton Cup final on May 19. Just three matches in the Premier Division were played in May of this season.

Season 2015/16

The final game of this season was a May 24 meeting of Axminster Town and Seaton Town, played at Tiger Way and won 1-0 by the home side. Three days before Hatherleigh and Newtown drew 1-1 in the final game of the Premier Division season. On May 20, Seaton Town defeated Beer Albion 2-0 to lift the Seaton Cup and three days before that (May 17), Seaton were in action at Ottery St Mary where they lost a penalty shoot-out to Budleigh Salterton in the final of the Morrison Bell Cup. There were also four Macron League Premier Division games played on Saturday, May 14. Feniton went down 5-0 in a derby at Beer Albion. Honiton Town were 7-1 winners at Bow AAC while Seaton Town won 4-3 at Clyst Valley and the other game was at Hatherleigh Town where Topsham Town won 3-1. There were 19 matches played in the Premier Division during May of this season.

Season 2014/15

There were no fewer than 14 Premier Division games played in the Devon & Exeter League this May! Seaton Town were involved in two of them, going down 6-1 at Tiverton Town Reserves on May 2 and then drawing 1-1 on a May 4, visit to Beer Albion. Feniton won 4-3 at Heavitree in another May 4 game and there were three top flight league games played on May 9 with Hatherleigh and Topsham Town drawing 1-1; Chard Town Reserves went down 1-0 at Thorverton and University Reserves defeated Bow AAC 7-0. Local teams were involved in the final three matches of this campaign with Honiton Town winning the Seaton Challenge Cup with a 4-1 win over Seaton Town on May 16. On the same day, Beer Albion went down 4-0 in the final Premier Division game of the season and the curtain came down on the campaign on May 19 with Sidbury United lifting the Morrison Bell Cup thanks to a 1-0 success over Feniton. There were 15 Premier Division matches played this season.

Season 2013/14

The last game of this season was played on May 27 with Feniton defeating Upottery 1-0 in the final of the Morrison Bell Cup.

Five days earlier Feniton had also lifted the East Devon Senior Cup, beating St Martins 5-4 on penalties after neither side could find a goal in ‘normal’ time.

The final Premier game of the season was a May 17 fixture at Hatherleigh Town where Budleigh Salterton Reserves were in action against the home side in a game that ended 5-5! The final Premier Division game was played on May 15 and it saw Tiverton Town Reserves defeat Hatherleigh 7-0. There had been two Premier Division games on May 14 with Seaton Town losing 4-3 at home to University Reserves while Hatherleigh Town won 2-0 at Heavitree United. Feniton actually played six matches in May of this season, three in the Premier Division and three in cup competitions! There were 29 Premier Division matches played in May this season.

Season 2012/13

The Premier Division ended on May 15 with two games being played. Seaton Town were 1-0 home winners over Exmouth Amateurs while, in the other game, Morchard Bishop and Heavitree United drew 2-2. The last action of the season was a May 21, East Devon Senior Cup final tie that ended with Tiverton Town Reserves lifting the trophy high into the Crediton night sky after a 3-1 win over Newtown. Feniton won the Premier Division that season and finished the campaign in real ‘champion style’ as they won their final three league games, all played in May, scoring 25 goals in the process as they won 11-2 at Budleigh Salterton Reserves on May 6, 6-0 at University Reserves on May 8 and then 8-0 at Exmouth Amateurs on May 13. A total of 21 matches were played in the premier Division that May.

Season 2011/12

Beer Albion played the final game of that season when they hosted Willand Rovers Reserves on May 16 in an evening game that the Fishermen lost 4-2. There were nine Premier Division matches played in May of that season, but only one other had East Devon involvement with that being a May 7, 4-0 defeat for East Budleigh on their visit to Barnstaple Town Reserves.

Season 2010/11

Seaton Town were involved in the final game of this season, a May 21, 5-4 win at University Reserves and Seaton ended that campaign as runners-up to champions Sidmouth Town. There were 21 Premier Division matches played that May.