Sholing had played a league game the previous Thursday and despite overnight rain and again on Friday, groundstaff and volunteers did an excellent job to make it playable for the Lambs visit, writes Eric Pinch.

Absent from the squad were the injured Josh Grant and the unavailable Taylor Scarff. Josh Parry would revert to the bench replaced by Alex Battle with Liam Prynn and Sean Thomson welcomed back into the starting line-up.

It was a good start for the Lambs when in the second minute Ed Harrison saw his effort go straight into the arms of ‘keeper Ryan Gosney but after five minutes the Lambs would go behind.

Difficulty to defend from corners and free-kicks had been a matter of concern in recent games and so it proved again. Jake Cope’s corner found Jordon Rose at the far post to head down goal wards, taking a deflection off defender Ben Cross to sail past keeper Josh Oak.

Leon Baker-Neto then volleyed wide from another Cope corner on eight minutes. The Lambs then had a trio of chances, Joe O’Connor’s turn and shot was blocked, Harrison then just failed to get on the end of a Tallon Burns corner and the best chance arrived on 15 minutes as Prynn found himself clear to get his shot away past Gosney but sent it the wrong side of the post.

Another set-piece for the Boatmen arrived on 18 minutes. Again Cope’s corner was sent to the far post for Robert Flooks to head back across goal for Rose to head home from close range.

Thomson shot over the bar on 24 minutes and then immediately after from a Burns corner Harrison’s header was cleared off the line. Cope’s free-kick on 35 minutes sailed wide and another good chance came the Lambs’ way on the stroke of half-time as Prynn set up Harrison in space on the edge of the area but his effort went straight to the ‘keeper.

Two-nil down at half-time and a mountain to climb if the Lambs were to get anything for the game. A training ground routine constructed by the Lambs on 50 minutes was blocked for a corner; Cope would go close as the Lambs cleared his effort off the line before the home side went further ahead on the hour. Again another set piece. From the corner, Dan Mason’s effort was blocked but Rose reacted the quickest to send in a shot through a crowd of players get Sholing’s third of the day.

The Lambs would finally get on the score sheet when on 70 minutes, Thomsom was adjudged to have been fouled in the area for the referee to award a penalty. Up stepped Prynn to coolly slot past Gosney to what proved to be just consolation.

The home side would have the final say on the day on 85 minutes when Charlie Wagstaffe was tripped on the edge of the area for sub Cohwen Whittaker to send the ball over the wall and despite Oak getting a hand to it, the ball flew into the top corner.

A disappointing day for the Lambs but they remain in the final play-off position. Meanwhile Sholing consolidated their position to host one of the play-off games.

With many games during this week there is a plethora of permutations as to who will finish in this fifth spot, Tavistock, Bashley, Frome and Evesham are all in the mix.

It will all become much clearer come Thursday, April 20, with the backlog of fixtures.

The Lambs’ final match is this Saturday when they entertain Frome Town at Langsford Park. Kick-off is 3pm in what could be a decider as to who gets this fifth spot.

But regardless of what happens the Lambs can be ever so proud of this first season at Step 4 and Southern League football.

The expectations at the start of the season was one of consolidation to remain in the league. They have certainly done that beyond all expectations remaining in the play-off positions and the top half of the table throughout also with a decent FA Trophy run of four rounds before going out to Hungerford Town.

Saturday sees the launch of a Tavistock AFC appeal, ‘Friends of Football in Tavistock,’ headed up by our President, Sir Geoffrey Cox MP.