Pitching In Southern League Premier Division South
Tiverton Town 2 (Parker 29, D Jones 90+2)
Winchester City 1 (Balmer 52)
Saturday, September 21 . Ian Moorcroft Stadium . 3pm
AGAINST the backdrop of blue skies and the sun beating down on a very green playing surface at the Ian Moorcroft Stadium, our opponents Winchester were sure to present a testing challenge to the Yellows. The Citizens had the opportunity to put some daylight between the two sides and Tiverton knew that a win here would see us overtake our visitors in the league table.
Zak Baker was back in the Yellows line-up for the first time since the end of our last campaign. However, the Plymouth loanee goalkeeper aside, Tivvy were unchanged from the side that began in their midweek success 11 days previously at Frome.
Kai Churchley, another on loan from an EFL Championship side, was finally able to be involved after injury during a Bristol City Under-21 game meant he had been unavailable up until this point. He took his place amongst the substitutes, and a youthful-looking bench also included Jeff Forkuo, Ryan Crawford and Farren Simons, along with goalkeeping coach Conor Smith.
Winchester quickly assumed control in the opening stages of the first 45 minutes, the Yellows carelessly squandering possession and the visitors playing all the football. The Citizens, with the gifted Trevor Caborn toying with us in the final third and ex-Oxford City striker Tommy Wright intelligently taking up dangerous positions, wave after wave of attacks threatened our goal.
Tiverton’s last line of defence Zak Baker's early heroics between the sticks made it possible for the team to not have the game taken away from them in a torrid first 25 minutes, two excellent stops and some crucial interventions keeping the sides on an even keel.
Wright headed wide, IK Hill flashed narrowly wide and the inventive and tricky Caborn had a penalty appeal turned down as Winchester were ascendant.
With fans and players frustrated and arguments between the Yellows evident, anger appeared to become an energy. Dylan Jones singlehandedly drove us forward and, embarking on a determined burst from inside his own half, he left two or three Citizens in his slipstream before cutting inside and pulling back a powerful inviting ball for the advancing Joe Parker. Using the pace on the ball, Parker’s first-time shot rocketed past the previously untroubled Luke Cairney in our visitors’ goal.
The Yellows play for the remainder of the half, although not vintage, was a considerable improvement as we gained the upper hand. Parker was denied by the agile Cairney five minutes later and Tivvy, although very fortunate to be ahead despite the quality of our goal, started to play through the team and looked like a different side before the break.
An aggressive aerial challenge on Matt Britton provoked anger from a posse of Yellows and Niall Thompson’s sustained insistence on stronger action from the referee saw a Yellow card brandished, Murray following him into the book a few minutes later after reacting frustratedly to what he deemed was an unfair challenge.
The Citizens made an enforced change prior to the interval, as Kieran Douglas, who gave a strong showing for the visitors in the first half, went off injured.
When the whistle blew for the second 45, the constantly threatening Caborn had been replaced by Olly Balmer and it was Balmer’s corner that provided a leveller for the away side. A dipping delivery evaded everyone before dropping off the woodwork and over the line. For once, Baker did not have an answer.
Tivvy manager Leigh Robinson responded by handing a debut off the bench to Churchley on the hour as Murray made way. A few minutes later, following another bit of persistent running and ball carrying, the irrepressible Dylan Jones teed up Asa Hall. However, the former Torquay man could only shoot over the bar.
Substitute Churchley then fizzed a powerful effort narrowly wide after a good link-up with Parker, whose forward play and control was superb.
Then two pieces of quite brilliant glovework from Baker prevented the Citizens from going in front, on both occasions denying the ever threatening Wright.
Baker got down sharply when the Winchester striker broke though, springing expertly to his right to palm away lowdown for a corner. The second save was simply outstanding. Finding himself one on one with the former Oxford City man, this time a scorching effort to the corner of his goal from point-blank range produced a world class reaction save down to his right again with lightning reflexes and a strong outstretched hand.
In a scintillating finale, the game opened up. Forkuo came on for Theo Jeremy in between both of those show stopping saves, and Crawford entered proceedings, with the impressive Mike Baker hobbling off after another solid performance from the former Yate man.
Matt Britton made a few crucial tackles as the Citizens traded blows with the Yellows.
At the 90-minute mark, the board was raised for a further six minutes. Fittingly, our driving force and man of the moment Dylan Jones rampaged purposefully forward, taking the ball beyond midfielders and then defenders with both skill and strength before unleashing an unstoppable shot past the hugely talented Cairney, sealing victory with four minutes of the six left to play.
A win, coupled with a sense of relief, came as the referee blew for time. In all fairness, Baker’s virtuoso display kept us in it at times.
Whereas the outcomes against Chertsey and Parkway were disappointing, this uplifting result not only backs up the victory at Frome and allows us to climb the table, but also breaks our long winless sequence at home.
High-flying Gloucester City are the next team to visit the Ian Moorcroft Stadium, this weekend coming. Before that, the Yellows are in action on Tuesday night when Axminster Town are our hosts in a Devon St Luke’s Challenge Cup game, 7.30pm kick-off.
Tiverton Town: Z Baker, Thompson, J Jones, M Baker, D Jones, Britton, Hall, Jeremy, Murray, Wright, Parker. Substitutes: Churchley, Forkuo, Crawford, Simons, Smith (GK).
Attendance: 252.
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