TIVVY ARCHIVE

Salisbury 2 - 2 Tiverton Town

For anyone that wasn't able to see the latest match at the Ray Mac Stadium, the scene of one of the greatest afternoons in the Yellows recent history, there will be the obvious question asked. One point gained or two points dropped? The fact that the Yellows were two goals to the good at one stage points toward the latter but had a draw been offered to the Yellows prior to kick-off, based on the fact that Salisbury had won five of their last six league matches, hands would more than likely have been bitten off, so to speak.

The point that the Yellows did collect means they have now already equalled the total of fifty one amassed throughout the entire 2018/19 season and so done with sixteen matches still to play is another reason to not be too downhearted. Alex Fletcher and Jordan Bastin scored goals two minutes apart from one another in the first half before Dan Fitchett reduced the arrears to one at the break and former Yellows midfielder Ollie Knowles completed the comeback eight minutes from the end of the ninety, shortly after both sides had been reduced to ten men as River Allen and Dan Fitchett were both shown straight red cards for off-the-ball offences.

The Yellows welcomed Josh Key back into the starting XI for the first team since the 1-0 win at Blackfield & Langley in mid-December but had to make do without the other Exeter City loanees Jordan Dyer and Noah Smerdon while the hosts made two changes to the side that had comprehensively beaten Dorchester last time out as Owen Howe and Dan Fitchett replaced Toby Holmes and Warren Bentley.

The hosts will argue that they could and probably should have been in front by the time the Yellows opened their account for the afternoon but if chances created are not taken, there is often little sympathy shown in football. Stand out chances for the Whites early on saw Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick denied the opening goal by the thickness of a coat of paint on Rhys Lovett's near post and the hosts thought they should have had a penalty soon after as Fitchett tumbled in the area after finding himself goal-side of Landricombe but referee Flynn waved away the appeals, to the obvious displeasure of the hosts dugout and the majority of the 642 crowd before a quick two-goal salvo put the Yellows in front.

Jordan Bastin cut in off the right wing and fired a shot goalbound that was too hot for Whites' keeper Marcus Beauchamp to handle and Alex Fletcher was on hand to fire in the rebound and goal number two just two minutes later was as near as makes no difference a carbon copy of the first, just with the roles reversed as again Beauchamp failed to hold Fletcher's effort, after Chris Shephard had played him, in and Bastin gobbled up the rebound and had the ball not got stuck under Ryan Beckinsales feet in front of goal a few minutes later, the Yellows might even have had a third.

Dan Fitchett then justified his return to the starting eleven as his goal got the Whites back into the match nine minutes before the interval with an excellent effort from the edge of the area that curled into the top corner before Hippolyte-Patrick blazed over when well placed and was then superbly denied by Lovett in first half stoppage time as the hosts pressed for an equaliser before the break. Twice more in the second period the hosts were denied by the frame of the goal as on both occasions Fitchett was thwarted from a second of the afternoon by the crossbar and some excellent saves from Lovett seemed to point towards the Yellows holding on for all three points but the hosts eventually took one of the many chances they had created with eight minutes of the ninety left as Ollie Knowles fired high into the roof of the net after a cross from the right had found him in the area.

Tiverton Town: Rhys Lovett, Josh Key, Michael Peck, George Nancekivell, Michael Landricombe, Steve Colwell, Ryan Beckinsale (Tyler Elliot 63), River Allen, Alex Fletcher, Jordan Bastin (Lewis Williams 90+8), Chris Shephard (Brad Riggs 80)
Goals: Alex Fletcher 23 Jordan Bastin 25

Attendance: 642