EVERYONE in attendance at the Western Counties Roofing Ground on Saturday, February 21, was treated to an absolute barnstormer of a game as Bovey Tracey AFC’s unbeaten league record was breached.

The Moorlanders fought right until the very end but what assistant manager Rob Farkins labelled as “abysmal defending” cost them in a 7-6 thriller against fellow high-flyers Bridport FC.

Farkins was the main man in the dugout with Ben Gerring still serving a suspension and as a former defender himself, “It was difficult to watch at times.”

Bridport went flying out of the blocks to grab a two-goal lead within the first five minutes, Harley Brook and Sol Ayunga doing the early damage.

Bovey were then able to settle down somewhat and hit back with a goal of their own, Harvey Coggins heading home a pinpoint Cieran Bridger to halve the deficit.

A last-ditch block by Coggins denied the visitors their third but it did eventually arrive, closely followed by the fourth with Fred Parsons notching both.

The home side were in disarray at this point with the boggy pitch regularly hampering their progress, but this wasn’t a viable excuse for Farkins: “We wanted to play the game no matter what and the pitch was a problem for both teams, not just us.”

In between Parsons’ two goals, Bovey made an early sub that saw club captain Cliff Walters replace David Rowe, prompting a shift back to a more familiar four-at-the-back system.

Walters, a veteran of the team, was quick to get into his teammates vocally with tensions clearly rising.

Sloppy or not, the Moorlanders were given a reprieve by Ollie Aplin who was on hand to jump on the error made in Bridport’s six-yard area.

Another Bridger corner was converted this time by Owen Stockon for the seventh and final goal of an unforgettable first half.

Farkins went to his bench once again at the break, sending on Stuart Bowker and Jack Brimming to replace Louie Roberts and Alex Gray.

One would think that a dressing down in the changing room would have the Bovey players well up for the 45 minutes ahead but it was Bridport who took charge once more. Ayunga made it 3-5 for the Dorset-based side in the early knockings and their fever dream was far from over, Riley Weedon heading in the sixth before Parsons completed his hat-trick.

The hosts were then able to turn up the heat and not for the first time, Bridger’s set-piece magic continuing to be the catalyst. Aplin was the first to meet his latest corner and after the initial save, substitute Bowker chested it home on the goal line.

Bowker was the man of the moment now for better or for worse; committing a few fouls out of desperation, talking his way into the referee’s book but also scoring Bovey’s fifth and sixth goals, setting up a grandstand finish.

They kept pushing up and there were half-chances for striker Ollie Aplin and his brother, goalkeeper Dom Aplin who came up for a late corner, but an equaliser eluded Bovey.

Farkins admitted that Bridport “were fully deserving of the three points” whilst also saying: “I don’t think either team defended particularly well at all, both teams were very poor in transition which is something we’re normally very good at.”

Prior to this weekend, Bovey Tracey conceded eight goals in 16 league games, a tally which was nearly doubled in the space of just 90 minutes.

The manager for the day continued, “We were absolutely awful at the back and that’s what has cost us today.

“At the end of the day, it’s a first defeat in the league so we have to pick ourselves up and go again. We have to bounce back against Teignmouth.”

A trip to Coombe Valley awaits on Friday, February 27, for what will be an intriguing South Devon derby. Bovey won the home edition 5-2 back in early September.

This was an opportunity for the title favourites to surely put one hand on the trophy but instead, they now trail Bridport by five points with four games in hand to cash in.

Farkins asserted that “Of course we’re favourites, we’re going to be because of the talent we’ve got and the games in hand too. What we’ve got to do is put points on the board, we can’t defend like we did here, we can’t get complacent and we have to stick together.”

Next month, Bovey will have a chance for redemption when they visit Bridport at St. Mary’s Field on Saturday, March 14.