The second half of the season provided plenty of twists and turns, as Exmouth Town fought for a play-off place.

From comeback victories to tough defeats, let’s take a look back at the second half of the season.

JANUARY

The new year started off with a tightly-contested 2-2 draw against Melksham Town, with both teams firing back when the other went ahead. January signing Tor Swann made an instant impact, firing in a late penalty to push Town over the line against Tavistock.

Two early goals gave Exmouth enough breathing room to beat Cinderford in a below-par performance, and earning a good away point at Willand. Town were the best away team in the league at that point, and this form peaked with an excellent performance at Trungle Parc, beating Mousehole 1-0.

FEBRUARY

A dominant display against Didcot marked the start of February, with a Tom Bath brace marking the fourth consecutive game the striker had found the back of the net. That run carried on despite defeat, as a Cameron Beard goal during stoppage time saw Town lose at Shaftesbury.

Bath’s brace against Bashley saw Exmouth win 3-0, but the away form continued to slide, as Town were dominated against Malvern. Despite being the second best team, the score-line was only 2-1 to the hosts, and Town came close to securing a second heist of the season.

MARCH

A disappointing defeat against Westbury would begin a tricky month for Town. That was followed up by a frustrating draw away at Cinderford, with another late goal denying all three points.

It looked to be another defeat when Bristol Manor Farm led Exmouth 2-0 at half-time, but a superb fight-back saw Town win 3-2, including a rare Callum Shipton brace. Unfortunately, that did not kickstart a positive run, as two games against fellow play-off contenders Bemerton Heath Harlequins and Bishops Cleeve saw a return of zero points. 

APRIL

It was another cagey occasion against Evesham, with neither side able to break the other down for a second 0-0 draw. A midweek game against Bemerton Heath felt like a season decider, and it saw the visitors come out on top, beating Town 2-1 at the Complete Infrastructure Stadium.

Exmouth could have been down and out after another disappointing defeat, now sat outside the play-offs, but the resilience of the team shone bright as they embarked on a season defining run.

It started with a 3-0 win against Falmouth, avenging two previous defeats in the last two seasons. Quick starts became the order of the day for Town, who romped to a second successive 3-0 win away at relegated Cribbs.

Bank Holiday Monday saw tensions rise, as a Helston side who had conceded goals for fun in previous weeks had a new-found defensive strength, but eventually Town broke the Cornish outfit down, with Ace High and Tom Bath getting the goals. 

On the last day of the season, Town still sat outside of the play-offs, with a reliance on other teams to extend their season further. Despite being completely under the cosh in the first 30 minutes, Exmouth left no reasonable doubt, winning 4-0 at Plain Ham.

Melksham held Mousehole to a draw, meaning Town now had a short-notice trip to Evesham, in the Southern League Division One South play-off semi final. 

It was not to be for Exmouth though, as despite going 1-0 up through a wonderful Ben Griffith effort, a second half romp saw the score-line read 4-1 at the end of the night. An unfortunate end to a historic season, 24/25 will live long in the history of this football club.