AFTER a few indifferent results Lyme Regis 1st team were determined to get back to winning ways when Sidmouth Town 2nds visited the Davey Fort on Saturday.

Against the young and inexperienced Vikings, it turned out to be the right fixture to see the Seasiders rediscover some form and they coasted to a 5-1 defeat.

The Sidmouth second string are firmly entrenched at the foot of the Devon and Exeter Premier division with just two wins from their 13 games.

In bitterly cold conditions, the Seasiders went straight on the attack and could have been one up in a matter of seconds when centre forward Joe Bond blazed the ball over the bar from a good position.

Minutes later Bond was unlucky also when he cut inside and his rasping shot brought a brilliant diving save from the visiting keeper.

Callum Garrett then hit the post from 20 yards after a Brad Rowe corner was cleared and Bond headed over the bar from a Harvey Brimicombe corner – all this in the first eight minutes during which, with a bit more luck, Lyme could have been three or four up.

Lyme continued to dominate for the rest of the first half with Rowe hitting the bar and the keeper making another fine save.

The breakthrough came in the 30 minute when centre back Wally Blackmore went up for the corner and opened Lyme's account with a glancing header from a Rob Fellingham corner.

Goal number two was a carbon copy of the first goal, with Blackmore on the end of another Fellingham corner.

To give Sidmouth credit, they came out after half-time determined to get back in the game and were rewarded when they took advantage of a mix-up in the Lyme defence which left keeper Chris Higgs, back after injury, stranded well outside of his box to make it 2-1.

Higgs, who did not put a foot wrong for the rest of the game, immediately put his hand up and took responsibility for mix-up.

Rowe increased Lyme's margin to 3-1 in the 59th minute when he scored from close-range after clever work by Garrett.

In the 66th minute Ben Bowditch took advantage of a goalkeeping area to poke the ball home from close range to it make it 4-1 and the final goal came in the 80th minute when Bond was rewarded for his strong running up front when he slammed the ball home.

Had Lyme taken all their chances, it could have been a rugby score but it was a fine all-round performance against weak opposition.

More clinical finishing will be required if Lyme want to progress up the table but there were plenty of positives for manager Julien Simier to ponder over before Saturday's more difficult encounter away to Kentisbeare.

It was good to see Wally Blackmore, drafted in to cover Lyme's injured defenders, get two excellent goals. He's a good club servant and always gives of his best.

For me, man-of-the-match went yet again to Garrett who is turning out to be a great influence in a Seasiders' shirt. His work rate was phenomenal.

And striker Bond looks fully recovered from his ankle injury and has lost none of his zest for the game. He waged a huge battle with the Sidmouth centre-half all afternoon, with no quarter given on either side.