TIVVY ARCHIVE

Weymouth 3 - 1 Tiverton Town

If Tiverton Town had spent the season defending effectively from corners and free kicks then there would be hopes of pressing forward for a place in the playoffs rather than looking forward just to heave from the relegation places. It almost seems an age ago now but it was just three matches past at the Wessex Stadium that struggling Weymouth inflicted upon Town another defeat that was gifted due the Yellows inability to clear their lines in sequences that should be perfected on the training ground.

It took the Terras just seven minutes to break through, by which time they had already had two decent opportunities. But Tivvy are frankly half-decent when they don’t require or are not afforded too much time to think. It was a natural forward movement from the defence that caught left winger Matteo King offside five minutes in; Matt Wright’s initial shot scuffed through to King as the Yellows stepped up, and although the Weymouth wide man put the ball in the net the flag was already up, the whistle had already peeped and Ryan Draper was already pondering his distribution from the free kick inside his goal area. The home support cheered and then quickly jeered the officials’ decision, but they would not need to wait long to finally celebrate the lead.

Just a couple of clicks later Wright reached the by-line and again set up King, this time purposely, and Draper was sharp enough to stand up and ricochet the ball off his legs and behind for a corner. Yes, a corner, a real threat which former Tiverton loanee Richard Groves whipped in and Ben Gerring met unchallenged to head home. Bluntly, there was little difference between Wright’s goal and the goal scored five days earlier by Paul Kendall for Bideford. I closed that match report by claiming “We will learn”; not yet.

The rest of the first half was a tight affair and in truth Weymouth hardly inspired as didn’t Tivvy. Chances came and went, denied or wasted at both ends of the pitch. Draper saved from Groves and again from Warren Byerley, a smart stop after Byreley’s shot took a wicked deflection. Russell Jee had Town’s best chance after Ian Sampson had won the ball in midfield but Tom Manley in the ’Muff goal emulated Draper from earlier by saving with his legs. Jamie Densham and Kevin Hill both sent shots over Manley’s crossbar, Gerring headed a Groves free kick onto the bar, and on the stroke of half time Adam Faux picked up a yellow card for a clumsy foul on Wright that will see the Town captain suspended for one match.

There was only one goal in it, Tivvy were far from dead and buried, and a positive start to the second half could potentially turn the game on its head. But the positive start came from the hosts and King crossed from the left for Wright to head home the Terras' second of the game ten minutes after the restart. Telling perhaps that the move came down the Tivvy right, Faux had since retired with a groin strain and Perry Carpenter, deputising at right back was off the pitch hitching up his undershorts.

Just after the hour mark it was curtains drawn on any hopes Tiverton had of getting something from the evening when Jak Martin sliced down Byerley in the area and the Terras striker picked himself up to nail it from the penalty spot.

Tivvy did muster a lifeline when Jee’s free kick into the box was finally worked through for Sampson to turn in from close range but the damage had already been done with early concessions at the start of each half, something the management team are aware of and rightly concerned about.

For all their determination there was no way through again for the Yellows; Tobi Ibukun made his debut but only once had even the faintest glimmer of an opening, Liam Ellis unleashed a piledriver from way out that sailed up and is possibly still sailing up, and referee Pottage did his best to distribute as many yellow cards as he could just to keep everyone on their toes as the game petered out.

Weymouth: Tom Manley, Matt Oldring, Alex Halloran, Sam Clarke, Ben Gerring, John Litherland, Richard Groves, Bradley McGookin, Matt Wright, Warren Byerley (Sam Charles 89), Matteo King
Goals: Gerring 7, Wright 54, Byetley 62 (pen)
Booked: Clarke 73, Groves 90+2, Wright 90+5
Sent off: None

Tiverton Town: Ryan Draper, Adam Faux (Perry Carpenter 50), Alex Faux, Liam Ellis, Jak Martin, Kevin Hill, David Steele, Russell Jee, Jamie Densham (Tobi Ibukun 62), Mark Saunders (Adam Mortimer 62), Ian Sampson
Goal: Sampson 66
Booked: Jee 31, Hill 42, Adam Faux 45, Saunders 55, Martin 67
Sent off: None

Attendance: 461