BARUM ARE OFF THE MARK

recorded their first points of the season in a muchneeded victory at Paulton

Rovers in a game that ended 4-1 to the visitors.

In front of Paulton’s highest crowd of the season, Barnstaple put in a terrific display to run out worthy winners and were underway after Tallon Mitchell claimed the game’s first goal after five minutes.

Rovers had chances to equalise but failed to do so, and soon after, Barnstaple doubled their lead in the 19th minute with a goal from James Dart.

A Stephen Reed penalty meant Barnstaple went into half-time leading 3-0, with a first league win of the season firmly in their sights.

Any hope of a comeback from Rovers may have been dashed after Joe Hillaird saw his penalty saved after Liam Monelle had been brought down by Oliver Gardiner.

Eighteen-year-old Jordan Lovibond did get one back for the hosts but Barnstaple regained their three-goal advantage after Kyle Darragh found the net in the 81st minute to secure the 4-1 win.

Elsewhere, a dominant performance from

Bideford saw them score four goals against

Cirencester Town to overtake them in the league table.

Bideford took the lead after just two minutes and never looked back.

Leading 2-0 at the break, they went on to add two more in the closing ten minutes to dismantle a Cirencester side that were in the play-off places prior to the match.

An impressive display from Billy Tucker gave Bideford the upper hand.

His assist allowed Ryan Turner to open the scoring before his shot struck the back of the net via a deflection from Cirencester defender Ellis Dunton.

Turner got onto the scoresheet in the second half to make the score 3-0 to confirm victory before Liam Gregory added a fourth to compound Ciren’s to misery. Meanwhile,

Moneyfields also put in a dominant display as they thrashed their hosts Mangotsfield United 4-0. A single first-half goal Steve Hutch meant the away side led at half-time and the striker added his second goal of the game after a Lloyd Drowlatt strike to put Moneyfields three goals to the good.

It was a day to forget for Mangotsfield, who succumbed to a 4-0 defeat after Matt Sims added a fourth in the closing stages.

It was a somewhat unexpected performance, given Moneyfields had just one league victory prior to the match but the manner of victory will give them the confidence they need to kickstart their season.

Elsewhere, an impressive performance earned Fleet Town their first league victory of the season away to Slimbridge in an assured 3-1 win.

With the first half ending goalless, the match finally sparked into life after 55 minutes, Lamar Koroma’s strike through a crowded penalty area giving Fleet the lead.

Harryson Wikens doubled the visitors’ lead and an extraordinary goal from Meshach Williams put the game to bed.

With Slimbridge goalkeeper Lewis Adams out of his goal, Williams was able to score from 40 yards.

Slimbridge did manage to get the goal they were searching for but it was too little too late against a Fleet team who have so far struggled this season.

In a mostly actionpacked day in the Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South, a close encounter between

Larkhall Athletic and AFC Totton failed to quite live up to the rest of tje excitement elsehwere as the game finished 1-0 to the Larks.

A single first-half penalty scored by Lewis Powell was enough for Larkhall as they edged their opponents to move up the league.

The result prevented Totton from entering the play-off places, having been kept out on goals scored before the day’s play.