NEWTON Abbot Spurs are still “aiming as high as possible” in Connor Marshall’s first season in charge.

They have had a fascinating start to the South West Peninsula campaign with plenty of talking points, both positive and negative.

At the time of writing, Spurs sit fifth in the Premier East and yet, as of just a few weeks ago, they were third and in touching distance of second.

As one of the younger managers in the division, Marshall admitted that it has “definitely been more challenging” than the expectations he brought to the table.

He continued, “You look at last season compared to this season and everybody seems to have gone up an extra gear. Whether that’s with budget, players, experience or young players getting involved more, it’s been far more challenging than I expected.

“Even with higher clubs looking to poach our players, I wasn’t expecting so much of that so quickly.”

Starting with that and early player departures have been a source of pride and a source of pain for Marshall.

The versatile Tyler Joint is now plying his trade in the Southern League with Brixham AFC whereas young duo Toby Hard and Coby White, who both only arrived in the summer from Torquay United, have made the short journey to Buckland Athletic of the Western League.

Beyond that, captain and defensive stalwart Lewis Breslan has taken a step away from the sport, top goalscorer Toby Pullman taking on the armband in his absence. Talking of Pullman though and whilst he remains a Spurs player, he’s also dual-registered with the aforementioned Buckland.

These moves have left Marshall with a lot to reflect on: “It’s a hard one, it’s a great feeling but also the selfish side of myself as the gaffer at Spurs, of course I wanted them to stay, they’re great players.

“Again, I’m really proud of them, any opportunity they get is a great one. They should be taking them with both hands which they are doing and that makes me really proud.”

He joked, “Every time we’re in a good run of form, I seem to have a player taken away.”

Matches against the teams around them have been the difference maker for Spurs for better or for worse.

Losing home and away to local rivals Bovey Tracey AFC will have been a bitter pill to swallow with the Moorlanders out in front, two points clear of Bridport FC with a game in hand currently.

On the topic of Bridport and both the performance and the result from Spurs against them at The Rec were a source of huge pride for Marshall.

It was comfortably their best performance of the season “from minute one to minute 90” with Spurs soaring into a 3-0 lead, although conceding twice in added time made for a far more nervy conclusion that was necessary.

They’ve also beaten Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police on home soil who are currently third, whereas they followed up the Bridport victory with a 3-1 defeat to Cullompton Rangers, who have replaced them in fourth as a result.

The silver lining is that “Whilst winning has been a great feeling, the losses have been a great learning experience for myself and for my players.”

Marshall then expanded on this: “The defeats have taught me so much about my players and myself, about systems and tactics, even experience.

“A lot of the young lads are going up against really tough, experienced players who have played higher or have played in this league for a long time, they’re having to adapt and overcome these different situations just as much as I am.”

Looking forward now and there are tough away trips to Bridport, Stoke Gabriel and Cullompton still to come for Spurs, plus they’ll need to continue collecting three points against the sides in the lower reaches of the division.

Marshall spoke of reaching for the stars before a ball was kicked and that remains the case: “I always believe that you should aim for the highest spot and that is top of the league and we’ll keep doing that.

“Whether we win, lose or draw, we’ll keep doing that, that’s how I am as a person, I don’t settle for anything less, otherwise I don’t see the point in being a part of anything. It’s not even Christmas yet, the league is still going on, people will drop points just like we have.”

Beyond the challenges of the Peninsula League, Spurs exited the FA Vase and St Luke’s Challenge Cup within a matter of days, narrowly losing to Bridgwater United and Torridgeside AFC respectively.

Last month though, they beat Crediton United 4-1 in Newton Abbot to advance in the Walter C Parson League Cup.

Marshall would like to “try and push as far as possible” in that competition, also noting that “Top four in my first season would be amazing to achieve.”

It will definitely be a second half of the season worth watching, five teams separating themselves from the rest at the top and Spurs looking to continue making strides forward.