A convincing Peninsula League East 3-0 home win against Elburton Villa gave Axminster Town a crucial three points that lifted them off the bottom of the table for the first time this season.

Manager Mark Scott was able to go into the game with a more settled squad than of late and, after weathering the storm early on, the Tigers soon began to assert their authority.

Indiscipline proved costly for the visitors when after twenty-five minutes they had a player sent off.

Axminster took full advantage as Gav Herrod bisected several defenders with a telling pass and promising youngster Owen Dibling went on to open the scoring.

Flavio Ribero fired in a second goal when a free kick deflected into his path off the defensive wall and Reece McCabe wrapped up the points with a good finish before the end.

Young goalkeeper Jack Rutter was named as Man of the Match for several good saves especially in the second half.

Honiton Town finally made home advantage count when they beat Teignmouth Town 2-1.

They were indebted though to goalkeeper Scott Wells-Burr early in the game when he pulled off a fine save to prevent Teignmouth taking the lead.

Jordan Harris went close for the home side with a shot that just cleared the crossbar before he opened the scoring after Tom Perryman had set him up.

The same two players combined well again soon afterwards to make it 2-0, Perryman’s corner picking out Harris as he lurked on the far post.

Much of the second half was uneventful with neither team offering much of a threat on goal.

There were a few nervy final minutes for the Hippos though after former Hippo Owen Hanks squeezed one in for Teignmouth following a scramble in the goalmouth but they held on.

Sidmouth Town slipped to their third consecutive defeat as they went down 3-2 against a Bovey Tracey outfit who performed much better than their league position suggests.

Bovey were hungrier from the start and they got ahead when an effort from Neil Last which judged to have been handled by Sidmouth’s Matt Webb.

Last sent Sidmouth goalkeeper Jacob O’Callaghan the wrong way to make it 1-0 and from then on, the home side dominated with O’Callaghan keeping the Vikings in touch with three superb saves.

Louis Jagger Cane posed the greatest threat up front for Sidmouth and before the break he was denied twice by the Bovey goalkeeper with shots from outside the box.

The home side extended their lead following a bright start to the second period, Last supplying Tom Burt who stepped inside his defender before finding the net.

Nathan Cooper then hit the post with a header as Sidmouth staged a recovery with seventeen-year-old debutant Ollie Partridge also going close and Luka Nickles just off target.

Craig Veal did eventually get Sidmouth on the scoresheet after the Bovey ‘keeper had fumbled an Isaac Furness cross but, as the visitors pushed for an equaliser, Billy Spurway made it 3-1 from close in.

A tense finish was set up when Cooper tucked in the Vikings’ second goal but it turned out to be too little too late and Bovey took the points.

Sidmouth Town host bottom side Bishops Lydeard on Saturday while Honiton Town make the trip to Okehampton Argyle. Both games start at 3.00 p.m. Axminster Town have no game.