Honiton Town had the daunting task of starting a busy April with a visit to South West Peninsula League Eastern Division title chasing Newton Abbot Spurs.

Honiton Town had the daunting task of starting a busy April with a visit to South West Peninsula League Eastern Division title chasing Newton Abbot Spurs.

The game ended with Town beaten 8-0, their 14th and heaviest defeat of the league season.

The Hippos made the worst possible start, falling behind in the eight minute when a Liam Moseley free-kick fell to the unmarked Adam Dyson in the area and the division’s leading scorer had time a plenty to pick his spot and rifle the ball past Rowan Symonds in the Town goal for his 20th score of the season.

The home side doubled their lead in the 26th minute, Ollie Aplin heading home from close range and, just five minutes later it was 3-0 with Dyson scoring his second. Three became four in the 38th minute with Aplin netting his second. An excellent save from Symonds denied a further goals, but there was still enough first half time left for the home side to net a fifth through Shaun Bowden to leave the Hippos 5-0 down at the break.

Two minutes into the second half a Dyson header made it six before Liam Jones scored there seventh and the Hippo’s pain was not over then, for an eighth was scored in the 69th minute with Aplin becoming the second home hat-trick scorer of the day.

That proved to be the end of the scoring, though the Hippos did have the ball in the back of the home net, but the ‘goal’ was chalked off for off-side.

Chris Long and Ben Clay both picked up yellow cards for Town on a thoroughly disappointing all-round afternoon at Mountbatten Park.

The defeat leaves Town with eight games to play and work to do to avoid a bottom two finish. Next up is a Wednesday evening Mountbatten Park meeting with Alphington, who are one of the three teams below them in the table. If Town were to lose to the Alphas then the Exeter side would move to within three points of the Hippos and they would have eight games to play to Town’s seven.

The remaining eight games for Town are:

April 11 H Alphington

April 15 H Torridgeside

April 18 H St Martins

April 21 H Axminster Town

April 24 H University

April 28 H Bovey Tracey

April 30 H Newton Abbot Spurs

May 7 A Appledore