Barum eyeing up a push for the title

Turning draws into wins will be the simple message at Barnstaple Town for the second half of the Toolstation Western League season.

Barum have only tasted defeat once in their 17 games played so far but seven of those fixtures have ended in a stalemate, and with games in hand on the leading trio of Clevedon Town, Helston Athletic and Bridgwater United, the prospect of a late title push is still very much alive.

The latest challenge was a potential banana skin at home to Saltash United, who, despite languishing in the bottom four of the division, have enough quality to cause an upset, and so it proved, as the visitors frustrated Barum for the opening 45 minutes.

It took a moment of class to break the deadlock, Tor Swann executing a delightful chip to calm any concerns among the home faithful. From there, Barum always looked in control and Swann sealed the points when he charged down the Ashes goalkeeper and rolled the loose ball into an empty net.

There are bigger challenges ahead for Barum, starting with a trip to mid-table St Blazey on Saturday, but winning those games in hand will be pivotal to their promotion aspirations.

Bideford are another North Devon club dreaming of something special in the coming months and, while their recent winning streak came to an end on Saturday, the 1-1 draw with Mousehole kept the unbeaten run intact.

The Robins enter a crucial period sitting fourth in Division One South of the Southern League and just three points behind the leaders Wimborne Town, who were trailing 3-1 at Larkhall on Saturday when the game was abandoned.

The latest point for Bideford was earned in tricky circumstances, as they had to play the closing stages with ten men following the dismissal of Aaron Taylor.

The Robins dominated the first half and deservedly led through a goal from Josh Webber but Mousehole are regarded as one of the best footballing teams in the league and they battled back to level through Tallan Mitchell. The red card for Taylor meant Bideford were happy to settle for the draw.

Next up for Bideford is a trip to mid-table Melksham Town, who will want a response from their 6-1 loss at Bishops Cleeve on Saturday.