Ford full of praise for Puritans on the final day

But Ford felt his side deserved more than that in Saturday’s premier division stalemate at Tiverton Town.

Ford told Puritans Radio: “When you get a group of players together, that is how you want them to perform every week, irrespective of whether it’s a game against a team at the top, bottom or mid-table. That performance epitomised what this club has been about for the last three seasons.

“I’ve got nothing but praise for my players in a game that didn’t have anything on it. We caused them problems throughout, especially in the first half, but we missed several good opportunities in a game we deserved to win.”

Looking back on United’s ninth place finish, Ford added: “The top teams have got more points than normal because the bottom teams have accumulated so few but to finish ninth with 72 points is an excellent season. Only the top five teams have got a better away record than us, scored more goals, or lost less games than us but we have to work out why we haven’t finished higher.”

The simple fact is United have not seen off the teams in the bottom half of the table, dropping points from winning positions, mainly through late goals. But another top ten finish in the premier division is another sign of progress.