Report ©Tom Besford. Photo from Ipplepen’s County Cup game against Budleigh Salterton ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR
Following the end of the 2022/2023 season it was decided that the two divisions of the A&S Interiors Devon Football League would merge to make a stronger county wide division. This meant the league would reduce from the twenty two teams that finished last season to a maximum of eighteen clubs for the new campaign.
Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police won promotion to the South West Peninsula League whilst complications with their ground lease meant that Windmill FC were forced to leave the league. The following clubs resigned from the league due to the extra travelling distances which would be required following the merger of the divisions: Paignton Saints, Newton Abbot Spurs Res, Buckland Athletic Res and Fremington.
Plymouth Marjon and Elmore would join the league prior to the 2023/2024 season following relegation from the South West Peninsula League Premier Division East.
AUGUST:
The new season began on Tuesday the 8th of August with a few local derbies. New side to the division Plymouth Marjon drew 1-1 at Mount Gould whilst Feniton and Topsham Town also drew 1-1; little would many people realise this would be the only point Feniton would pick up until December. Plymstock United and Appledore also started the season with wins on the opening day.
Appledore completed the month of August unbeaten and top of the league, although University of Exeter were yet to kick off their campaign. With four wins and a defeat, Beer Albion would finish the month in second place.
It would be a month without registering a single victory for Feniton and Bere Alston United who only remained off bottom of the table due to University having not played a game. The result of the month came at Ipplepen Athletic as they became the first team to take any points off Mount Gould in over twelve months. Joshua Haynes scored twice as Ipplepen won the fixture 2-1.
SEPTEMBER:
Although they started a month after everyone else, University of Exeter found themselves top of the division at the end of September with six wins out of six, and they even found time to play a fixture in the Devon Premier Cup.
Fellow University side Plymouth Marjon were finding life in their new surroundings difficult as they finished the month in thirteenth spot with two wins, four draws and one defeat; Marjon would go on to become the draw specialists in the division.
Newtown enjoyed an 8-1 victory over North Molton whilst Lakeside Athletic also scored eight on the same day as they beat Thorverton 8-2. The heavy score lines continued into the Devon Premier Cup as Topsham Town were knocked out of the cup 7-1 at lower league side Ilsington Villa and Ipplepen Athletic beat Plymouth Hope 17-0 with Joshua Haynes scoring four and Billy Courtier bagging a hat-trick. Appledore enjoyed a weekend without a fixture as their opponents Brixham AFC Reserves were unable to raise a side.
Elmore had a mixed start during their opening two months in the league as they won four, drew three and lost three of their opening ten games. Thorverton were flying and found themselves ending the month in fifth whilst Plymstock United were also enjoying a positive start to the season and occupied seventh spot.
OCTOBER:
The season was in full swing now and gaps were starting to form with Feniton and Ipplepen Athletic finding themselves adrift at the bottom. League newcomers Elmore were sitting comfortably in second whilst Appledore had slipped to fifth.
It was a slow start to the season for Newtown, the club sitting in thirteenth position with just twelve points from eleven games.
October was a wet month with just twenty eight fixtures played throughout the month, although clubs managed to once again play another round of the Devon Premier Cup. The County cup provided more shocks as Appledore crashed out against South Devon League side Kingsteignton Athletic and Plymouth Marjon lost 3-2 at home against Boca Seniors.
NOVEMBER:
Come the end of November the league table was incredibly close as everyone seemed to be able to beat each other. Just eleven points separated the top fifteen in the league with the top eight all separated by just one win. Feniton were still struggling to get their first win of the campaign whilst Thorverton were going strong, just two points from top of the table.
Lakeside Athletic were also enjoying life in the new single division; with just three defeats in their opening fourteen games, the Plymouth based side were only three points from top of the league with games in hand over several teams above them.
The wet weather continued and this time only eighteen league games were played, we were beginning to struggle against the elements.
DECEMBER:
University of Exeter sat top of the tree at Christmas time but Appledore were hot on their heels with just two points between the top two. Budleigh Salterton had climbed into sixth spot and at the bottom Feniton had picked up some more points with a 2-2 draw against Newtown and a 1-1 draw at Plymouth Marjon.
The University beat Ipplepen Athletic 8-0 whilst Beer Albion won 8-2 at Plymstock United in a month full of goals. Plymstock United were starting to slide down the table and Thorverton were slowly falling with them. Ottery St Mary had played the most games come the turn of the year but with only five wins they found themselves down in twelfth spot.
JANUARY:
This is the month where eighteen became seventeen as we started the new year with the resignation of Mount Gould from the league. Just months after they had won every league game on route to the South & West Division title, the club were no longer in the Devon Football League!
Ipplepen Athletic were affected by the withdrawal of Mount Gould having lost six points from the table but with Feniton still looking for their first win, the now only relegation spot still seemed a distance away.
Elmore were on a run of eight league games without a win and this poor form had seen the club drop dramatically down the table, now occupying thirteenth spot.
FEBRUARY:
Newtown had climbed up to fifth and the league table had began to spread out a bit more now with teams no longer all clustered together. University of Exeter had a fifteen point lead over nearest rivals Appledore whilst at the bottom of the table, Feniton had secured their first win of the season. The win came in dramatic style as they beat Plymstock United 6-1 at home.
Just sixteen games beat the weather as the rain never seemed to end. Bere Alston United fell to a heavy 9-1 defeat at University whilst Beer Albion knocked the league leaders out of the Devon Premier Cup 3-2.
MARCH:
Lakeside Athletic had fallen a long way down the table as they now found themselves in thirteenth; a poor run of results and waterlogged pitches saw them in a poor state of form including conceding 40 goals in a spell of seven games.
Ipplepen Athletic lost heavily at Park United in the county cup as teams started playing catch up from the poor weather we have endured throughout the season.
APRIL & MAY:
Never before did I think we would see waterlogged pitches into the final months of the season but the rain was relentless and had no plans in stopping. Teams did manage to get the season completed although it was a lot later than originally planned.
Just like it had looked all season, University of Exeter were crowned champions and celebrated with an 8-0 demolition of Ottery St Mary before lifting the trophy. Appledore were given runners-up before being deducted three points for failing to fulfil a fixture. The North Devon side beat Bere Alston United in their final match to secure second place once again.
The Thirst Fitness League Cup had a scare in the semi-finals when the air ambulance was called but the match was able to finish with Beer Albion progressing to the final where they took on North Molton SC following their dramatic late winner to come from behind against Newtown. In the final it was Beer Albion who managed to regain the trophy following two quick goals at the beginning of the second half to win the match 2-0.
It was double success at the end of the season for Beer who went on to lift the Devon Premier Cup after beating North Devon Premier League side Park United 3-1 in the final.
It was a tough season which looked like it would never end due to the constant rain but we finally got there and now the wait for the new season begins!