Ottery St Mary remain at the top of the Devon Football League South West Division following a 3-0 win at Bere Alston United on Saturday (September 19).

Peter Grover scored twice whilst Ryan Burrows also netted to secure all three points for the Otters.

Manager Billy Rouse said: “I was really impressed with the result on Saturday. We took five lads carrying knocks who shouldn’t really have played.

“Two of them got through 60 minutes and the other three were on the bench. We were solid and nullified Bere Alston to one shot all game.

“Ryan Burrows opened the scoring for us which was great for him personally after the Waldon game and Pete Grover bagged another brace to take his tally to four in two.”

Rouse said the team are starting every game with a ‘cup fixture mentality’ which has paid dividends. He said: “We don’t know a lot about any teams in the league so it’s ensuring that we approach every game with the mindset that it’s going to be a hard game. The boys have been brilliant at that and are taking every game as it comes.”

When asked what aspect of the season had been the most impressive, Rouse highlighted the impact from the bench. He said: “Every game they’ve come on and had an impact on the game. It shows the quality we have as well as the hunger to push for a starting place.”

Rouse has also been taking in reserve training sessions and was impressed with what he saw. He said: “We have had a lot of games so it’s been hard for me to keep tabs with the reserve and development teams in training. That said, I was really happy to take a session on Tuesday (September 22) for all three teams.

“The standard is constantly improving and everyone is asserting themselves to improve. You can see that on the pitch with all three teams picking up wins last weekend!”

Next up for the Otters is PAFC FITC Development tomorrow (September 26). Ahead of that game, Rouse said: “It’s going to be a tough one as it’s our sixth game in three weeks! The squad was stretched last week.

“Unfortunately, Ash Small suffered some bleeding on the lung and a few cracked ribs so he’ll be out for a few weeks but we wish him a safe, speedy recovery.

“Danny Pym will also miss out as he is suffering with a back injury. On the positive side of things, Luka Nickles and Liam Carey both return from holiday and are available for selection. Hopefully we have another three points in the bag at 5pm Saturday!”