I am not one to needlessly sing the praises of individuals but Alex Faux put in a faultless performance against Bideford, had pretty much sealed the Man of the Match distinction after an hour, and then popped up to get the goal that his showing deserved to bring to an end a run of form that had seen Tiverton turned over on their last four outings. Faux’s masterclass of wing play was the direct result of a shift in formation from the 4-4-2 system that hasn’t been working to the previously maligned wingback concept that last season got Tivvy everything but relegated. However, the crucial difference is that Vinnicombe’s ideas demanded that the wide players press forward at every opportunity, a contrast to the tactic employed by Martyn Rogers who required the wingbacks to be primarily defenders.
On the second short trip to Bideford in ten days it looked in the early stages that a similar fate would befall Tivvy as the hosts came out of the blocks looking sharp and dangerous. Shaun Downing’s early cross looped over the head of returning goalkeeper Chris Wright but Kevin Hill was placed perfectly to head clear, and Jamie Mudge got the better of Wright and Chris Vinnicombe only to send his shot from a tight angle onto the outside of the post.
At the other end, once the Yellows had settled, Jamie Densham looked energetic and eager, and after racing on to a direct ball from David Steele he forced Matt Armstrong-Ford into a diving save. Densham later challenged and forced Armstrong-Ford to spill a routine take but strike partner Adam Mortimer was unlucky to see his follow-up blocked at close quarters.
Bideford still threatened and Paul Kendall sent a free headed off target (aye, another free header) but it was Town that struck first. Faux and Russell Jee combined down the left, forcing Biddy to concede a corner, and Ian Sampson’s hanging cross from the quadrant was too teasing for MA-F who could conspire only to punch the ball into his own net under pressure from Mortimer.
Sampson shot wide close to half time, and Kendall headed goalwards from a Nick Barker corner, forcing Wright to palm the ball up and eventually over the top. A second corner from Barker again found Kendall, this time his header was blocked, the ball bounced around, to and fro, and eventually Matt Hockley bundled it over the line amidst protests from the Tivvy players that there had been a handball in the melee.
Early in the second half Mortimer came close to restoring Tivvy’s lead but M A-F did terrifically to deny the big man, and with Tivvy on the front foot Densham became the subject of the crowd’s mirth when he went down too easily in the area. But it was academic; in the build up Densham had skinned Kendall as the centre-half tried to upend the Tivvy man, but while Densham was heading for the area and his best impression of Greg Louganis so Kendall was squealing in agony. The game stopped. For a long time. As Kendall writhed in front of the Tiverton dugout Mark Saunders was quickly out of his seat to offer some comfort. Both physios did their thing, an ambulance was summoned, Kendall shipped off to hospital with a bad break to the ankle that will keep him out for most of the rest of the season.
Back to the action, Sampson volleyed over when Faux delivered a pinpoint cross from the left while the other penalty box saw a scramble of immense proportions but no shot on goal. Indeed, Bideford had a lot of the ball and the bulk of the territorial advantage but Wright was well guarded by a defence that, although depleted, was determined, solid and hugely effective.
With twenty still to play Tivvy struck what proved to be the winner as Steele found just enough space wide on the right to cross. The centre was high enough to leave M A-F helpless and Faux raced in at the far post to place a side-footed volley past the stumbling ’keeper. It could have been more but Densham nodded wide and Mortimer was inches off turning in another Steele cross. But 2-1 was enough and Tivvy not only won but deserved it too.
Bideford: Matt Armstrong-Ford, Shaun Downing, Nick Barker, Dominic Rivens, Darren Hawkings, Paul Kendall (Ben Wood 52), Matt Bye (Ellis Laight 89), Matt Hockley, Kevin Squire, Jamie Mudge (Ben Shepherd 65), Matt Andrew
Goals: Hockley 45
Booked: Bye 45+1
Sent off: None
Tiverton Town: Chris Wright, Ian Sampson, Chris Vinnicombe, Liam Ellis, Kevin Hill, Russell Jee, Perry Carpenter, David Steele, Jamie Densham (Nathan Walter 90+5), Adam Mortimer, Alex Faux
Goals: Armstrong-Ford 35og, Faux 71
Booked: None
Sent off: None
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