THERE really is never a dull moment in non-league football, just ask anyone who watched Newton Abbot Spurs take on Bovey Tracey AFC on Tuesday (August 19) night!

Bovey arrived at The Rec a point ahead of their local rivals but having played one game more- the pair were both unbeaten in the SW Peninsula League prior to kick-off.

A couple of early touchpoints created lively chatter around the ground and by the end of the first half, it was like being right at the heart of a fiery cauldron.

Stuart Bowker headed home for Bovey from close range with 15 minutes on the clock but the visitors were denied by the linesman’s flag, and not for the last time either.

The experienced forward felt aggrieved once more as Spurs centre-half Ross Beer surely clattered into the back of him inside the penalty area. It felt for all the world that the referee would be pointing to the spot but instead, he waved away the vociferous appeals.

Through a third of the game, the visitors were much the dominate side, building up well and creating chances and whilst Spurs were able to hold them at bay, at the other end of the field, Connor Marshall’s men couldn’t make anything stick themselves.

Marshall spoke of his frustrations, as well as praising “the better team on the day.” He said, “Credit to Bovey on the win, they were brilliant throughout and they stuck to their gameplan when sadly we didn’t stick to ours. That is where you get punished.

“We kept playing long which wasn’t part of the gameplan at all, we were constantly going long and playing straight into their hands, they brought in some experienced defenders for the game who won pretty much every header.”

Goalkeeper Kane Gregory was regularly kicking long only for Callum Thomas or his namesake Jordan to head straight back the way it came.

Gregory made a strong save from Bowker to keep it at 0-0 after defensive lapses from Beer and Lewis Breslan. Shortly after, he made a stop from an initial shot only for Levi Landricombe to poke home the rebound, finally breaking Spurs’ resolve.

These celebrations were once again cut short with the referee heading over to speak to the linesman, much to the confusion of The Rec crowd. Bowker seemingly jumped over the ball as it crossed the line but the officiating team adjudged him to have either touched it or interfered with play, both of which seemed unlikely.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, even the calmest of heads associated with Bovey were getting hot at this point.

With the break fast-approaching, the Moorlanders finally had their goal though. Jordan Thomas came through the crowd with a towering header and Spurs defenders felt they’d cleared it off the line, but their appeals were unsuccessful.

This is a second in as many games for the former Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police defender, who looks to be an astute signing for Bovey already.

Talking of defenders and Spurs’ Jeff Angila was the first on the pitch booked before half-time with more cards to follow in the second 45.

Beer was the recipient of one of those having brought down former teammate Callum Noyce on the edge of the area. Bovey captain Lewis Perring then joined him in the ref’s book, his cynical take-down of Chris Harvey giving Spurs a set-piece chance which eventually came to nothing.

Landricombe wasn’t to be denied this time! An inviting delivery from Bowker was met well by his fellow forward, whose looping volley found its way beyond Gregory in the Spurs goal via the woodwork, doubling the Bovey lead.

That may have been the end of the goals but it wasn’t the end of the drama by any means.

Toby Hard came off of the bench to have a couple of half-chances for the home side, using his physicality well.

Meanwhile, the red mist descended for Beer with a bouncing ball causing all sorts of issues. Landricombe was able to get the wrong side of his defender and then went down under pressure- Beer was dismayed at the awarding of a foul but the game went from bad to worse for Spurs all the same, as the ref gave him his marching orders.

Gregory got down well to deny Landricombe’s free-kick attempt and that was the final chance of note on an extremely eventful evening.

This win takes Bovey to the Peninsula League summit with three wins and a draw to their name. Spurs are slightly further down in ninth but six points from three games remains a solid tally and they will be working their way back up, sooner rather than later.

After the game, with the drama aside, Gerring said, “It’s great to get the three points, coming here was never going to be easy.

“It was a great performance, I think from minute one we got after them and on another day, and I’m not being disrespectful here, it could have been three or four.”

Both managers spoke very highly of their opposite numbers and the opposition clubs too, Marshall stressing that “the better team won, no doubt.”

He continued, “I hope that this loss puts some fire into our bellies as we didn’t have that enough in the game, where we’d need a player to grab the game by the scruff of the next, be more aggressive and physical.”

Spurs “know how to rectify” the situation with another mid-week home game coming next. Stoke Gabriel are the visitors at The Rec on Tuesday 26 whilst Bovey, who are “going through the gears now”, take to cup action on Saturday 23, heading south of the border to take on St Austell AFC in the FA Vase.