BUDE made the short trip north off the border to Barnstaple to face mid-table North Devon in what turned out to be an epic game of hockey that saw the away side upset the tables and rightly take home the precious points based on their performance.

Bude started brightly with a relatively unchanged squad so had the benefit of consistency and momentum which led to the first few warning shots on the North Devon goal.

Slightly stunned by Bude’s play, the hosts were struggling to find any rhythm or passes and eventually the pressure tolled with a fine passing move that carved open the home side and allowed Charlie Falla to skip in and sweep the home the opening goal.

North Devon responded well and created some pressure, then a hopeful ball hit hard into the middle caused some confusion and they were quicker to pounce on the loose ball and fire it home from close range to level the scores up slightly against the run of play.

With their tails up, they continued to ask questions of the Bude defence who gave them too much time and space in the attacking third which was gratefully taken by the left winger who cut in and fired the second goal in not long afterwards.

Bude then pulled together and locked in to steady the ship. They were able to reset and began to build with solid possession and excellent passing meaning chances came thick and fast from all over the pitch. This dominant spell was capped with a goal from Matthew Horton to rightly restore the parity just before half time.

North Devon had the better opening chances of the second half and would have scored early on had it not been for some resilient last ditch defending by the collective Bude defence.

Chances then came for both sides but it was the home side that nudged back in front as a shot, which was only half saved, fell kindly to the North Devon player who forced home the ball from close range.

With time on their side, Bude did not panic and began to really show their true colours with phenomenal team hockey that was far too hot for North Devon to handle. This resulted in a stunning equaliser as Charlie Falla continued his incredible goal scoring form by netting his second goal of the game with another perfect finish.

As they entered the final phase of the game, Bude dug deep and never giving up on any tackles or passes. It was this determination and sheer willingness to relentlessly work hard that proved the difference as Henry Gwynn-Thomas chased down a ball that looked like it was going to roll off the pitch.

He caught it with millimetres to spare and after dribbling along the baseline, he looked up to see Zack Davis charging into the D. With a perfect pass, Henry found Zack who deflected the ball with one sublime touch into the net to get Bude back in front.

The away side then stubbornly held on for the final few nervy minutes as North Devon threw everything at them. Despite some close calls, the ball stayed out of the goal and eventually the final whistle came as Bude earned a well-deserved victory.