Sidmouth Town Football Club have appointed Jack Howe as the new club captain to replace Matt Salter, who is now on his travels around Asia.

The elevation to captain is a great moment for Howe, a player with Sidmouth Town in his blood, and he is clearly excited to lead the Vikings in their forthcoming adventures in the South-West Peninsula League.

It will, however, be a baptism of fire, as Sidmouth have a significant backlog of games to play before the end of the season.

“This is my boyhood club, I’ve lived in Sidmouth all my life and, as a player, you can’t get a higher role than being the captain,” said Howe.

“I came into the club one evening and spoke to the chairman Jay Thorne, who told me the club captaincy was available and my name had been mentioned a couple of times because the previous captain has been away travelling.

“A couple of weeks later, I got a message from Jay to say he, the committee and manager would like me to take on the role.

“The pitch here is one of the best around, the clubhouse is unbelievable, so modern, and the people around the club are one massive group of friends.

“I’ve never really looked at myself as a leader but obviously others have. I will look at everyone’s opinions and, coming into a game, I’ll look at who we are playing and how that can impact us.

“The club is massively on the up and that has shown with the media coverage from the club. All three teams are doing well and we want to make sure everyone feels involved in the club and has a part to play.

Chairman Jay Thorne added: “It was a no-brainer for us. Jack has been connected to the club for a long time, he is well respected within the club and someone to look up to. He’s just a good guy and Sidmouth through and through.”

Early on the agenda for the new Sidmouth skipper will be the Morrison Bell Cup, with Sidmouth Town proving too strong for Budleigh Salterton on the weekend.

The Robins matched the Vikings for long periods and conjured the first chance when Jack Hocking headed narrowly wide from a Jake Pond cross. Sidmouth responded with the opening goal, and it was a stunner, Liam Carey curling a fabulous strike into the top corner.

Budleigh regrouped and found a leveller eight minutes before half-time, when a terrific switch pass from Hocking picked out Oscar Walsh, who jinked through the Sidmouth defence before lashing into the net.

Sidmouth restored their lead when Budleigh failed to clear and the ball fell to Louis Jagger Cane for a smart finish. Budleigh had chances to equalise but were denied by good saves, and Sidmouth sealed the win ten minutes from time from a corner, Tiernan West slotting home.