A ‘BARE-BONES’ Teignmouth side had to settle for a point in their goalless visit to Torridgeside on Saturday.

It was only the second occasion this season that the Teigns failed to find the net on a Peninsula League Premier East outing and, equally, the second time in all competitions that they have kept a clean sheet away from home – the first coming against the same opposition in the Devon St Luke’s Challenge Cup.

‘It was very end-of-season,’ said Teignmouth Head Coach Liam Jones. ‘The sun was out and it was a nice, long trip to North Devon with the bare bones. We had a couple of reserves kindly set up and help us out, so it was one of those games. 

‘Defensively we were solid; I thought we looked good but we just lacked a little bit of an attacking threat and any real quality going forward. It was two teams not playing for much and it had the feel about it, which is probably the first time I’ve felt that this season. 

‘We appear to be getting a serious, season-ending injury every time we play – we’ve got five lads out with injuries so we are really scraping the barrel now.

‘We went up there earlier in the season and knocked them out of the St Luke’s Cup when we beat them 2-0,’ Jones explained, ‘but we couldn’t find that clinical edge on Saturday and we had no subs so we couldn’t change the game. 

‘The preparation wasn’t ideal, so it was one those where, in an ideal world, you nick a goal and see it through and everyone’s happy. 

‘But that’s probably only the second or third team we’ve not scored against all season, so I can’t fault the attacking players – perhaps it’s time the defence nicked us a point somewhere along the line.’

Jones has stressed on numerous occasions the importance of finishing the season strongly, even if there is nothing to play for. The Teigns are putting in a good shift towards that goal.

‘We’ve been in cracking form with one defeat in eight – that was at Sidmouth in the week, and the less said about that the better,’ he said. 

‘We’re in decent nick, so I can’t fault the lads but it does get to a point where numbers start getting low and you’re having to ask the same 11 to play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, so it’s quite inevitable at some point there’ll be a bit of a tail-off. 

‘Mentally, for a lot of clubs, Ivybridge [Town] have won the league by a county mile, Dartmouth are probably adrift at the other end and everyone in between is just trying to see the season through.’