Honiton Town stay very much part of the Fresha League top flight title race after a 3-2 success at Seaton Town, writes Steve Birley.

The fact that the Hippos saw any action at all on yet another soggy Saturday when all but two of the Premier Division matches were played, owed much to the Herculean efforts of the Seaton Town ground staff to get the Colyford Road surface fit for play.

The Hippos were quickly into their stride and, with Tom Perryman once again in impressive form, took the lead when Perryman curled the ball into the top corner of the net from the edge of the area.

It was Perryman, who gave the home right back a torrid time all game, who created the second with a mazy run and cross that was met by a towering leap from Tim Genders to nod the Hippos into a 2-0 lead.

Seaton Town are made of strong stuff this season and they kept plugging away and halved the deficit before the break.

The half-time talk, led by Hippos boss Kev Blackwell and his assistant Nick Ogden, centred on the need for the Hippos, to a man, to stay focussed.

However, within minutes of the second half starting a long ball caught the Honiton defence napping and gloves man Matty Long hauled down the on-rushing home striker. The inevitable penalty followed, and was drilled home with real confidence to level things up.

The Hippos, having surrender a two-goal lead, needed to show a response, and so they did!

It was skipper Darren Witt who fired home from close range to restore the Hippos lead.

Seaton came back with a vengeance, but the Honiton defensive four and the midfield trio, the latter being Jack Knight, Joe Dixon and Lewis Couch worked tirelessly to limit the home strikers further time and space and the full time whistle blew to signal a hard-earned three points for the visiting side.

Honiton boss Kev Blackwell said: “The team really showed character in abundance in this game. Having been pegged back at 2-2 it would have been easy to settle for the point, or even worse, buckle and ship a third, but this team are better than that and at 2-2 I sensed them knuckling down to get back on top again. It was a terrific all-round show and for me, very pleasing to get three points against a solid premier side. WE also had with us a strong bench, all of whom have been regular starters previously this term so we can now boats serious strength in depth.”

Next up for Blackwell and his men is a trip to Bow AAC this Saturday (February 6).