Match Report - Gosport Borough

Tiverton Town 2 

Koita 23, 74 

Gosport Borough 0

Attendance: 662 

Saturday 19th April 2025

The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium 

Forget the unresolved outcome to the end of the season, one thing that is for certain, is that Asa Hall and Steve Orchard have brought the pride back into the club. 

There have been times during this campaign when it has looked like a lost cause. Winning had become a rarity, and a winning mentality appeared to be absent. Whatever happens from here, the management team and this group of players have applied themselves with credit and belief in what they’re trying to achieve has been restored. 

A feel-good factor was very much evident, as our league winning Under 16 girls celebrated their title success, by parading the trophy around the ground and with it being Twyford Spartan’s day at the match, following their announced partnership with Tiverton Town. 

Bradnich Eagles Under 10 team were our Mascots and Tivvy Senior Reds were also in attendance as our match sponsors, amongst a bumper crowd totalling 662 people. Support that I know was welcomed and appreciated by the team. 

Debutant Will Howard took the gloves, as an injury suffered when training with his parent club Bristol City, ruled Joe Duncan out. The ex-Yeovil and Torquay academy player was the only change for The Yellows’ and apart from Howard, the entire matchday squad was the same again. 

Gosport Borough had secured their status in The Southern League Premier South by reaching 50 points, by virtue of defeating Hanwell the previous weekend. However the mid table team was stacked with players, who have played higher up the football pyramid and were sure to present a challenge to Tivvy. 

It was a fairly open beginning to the match and Dan Koita who was to play a massive part, as the afternoon unravelled at The Slee Blackwell Stadium, got ahead of his defender and brought a decent save out of former Plymouth Parkway keeper Adam Parkes, low down in the seventh minute. 

There were a few shaky moments in the opening 20 minutes for The Yellows’, but some wayward shooting, meant Will Howard was largely untroubled, when Gosport fashioned a few opportunities. Though the front pairing of Koita and Joe Parker were linking up well and causing a few alarms for our visitors. 

Then in the 23rd minute, Dylan Jones’s cross was hit with pace into a dangerous area. Reacting the quickest was Dan Koita who latched onto the ball and touched home decisively from around the penalty spot, before keeper Parkes could blink. 

Continuing his rich vein of scoring form, this was his third in as many games. With his growing confidence, his all-round game is strong at the moment. The tall, powerful marksmans pace, power and technical ability was hard for Boros’ defence to contain all afternoon and he won most of his aerial duels too. 

Chances came and went for both sides. Gosport prized us open with a neat interchange of passes and flowing football on a couple of occasions, but Howard was down smartly on the first of those and another chance was blazed into the boards. 

Tivvy breaking away rapidly, then looked to have the perfect opportunity to go further ahead. Niall Thompson was in on goal, and such is his electric foot speed that it was hugely unlikely that a Gosport defender would be able to get back to dispossess him. However unfortunately for both the player and team the combination of a bobble and a loss of balance stopped his progress. 

An astute pass from Asa Hall, using the outside of his boot found Jones just outside the area, but some excellent defending from the Gosport backline, saw him ushered out wide and the door was closed very quickly. 

Then from point blank range after Howard had parried a snapshot from the visitors, from in-between the penalty spot and the six yard box Asher Yearwood lifted over. This was a real let off for the Yellows’ 

Although it was the superb link up play from Koita and Parker that was a standout feature of the first half. Firstly, Koita skilfully carried the ball away from a pair of Boro’ defenders and found the onrushing Parker, only for Parkes to deny him with his feet. 

Parker then in the 43rd minute after good movement found himself out wide and delivered a measured cross into Koita, but this time his effort although close, was fired the other side of the woodwork. 

Tiverton had been busy and once again pressing all over the pitch. An entertaining first half drew to close, with Tiverton being one up.  

The combination of Hall and Matt Britton organising and encouraging on the pitch and Steve Orchard orchestrating things from the touchline was working well. Toby Down and Charlie Cummins both giving committed displays, at the heart of Tivvys backline. 

The side’s both returned to the field following the interval, knowing how vital the next goal would be. It was a little bit more ‘Cat and Mouse’, in the first Fifteen minutes of the second half, with Gosport looking more threatening, but there was no addition to the score. 

Former EFL Players Asa Hall and Danny Holland’s both managing their sides from the middle of the park and both encouraging their sides in the heat of battle. Holland’s is a wily operator and even at 39, affording the former Bournemouth and Charlton man time and space could have proved fatal. 

The game was being played mainly between the two boxes and although there was some attractive approach play, both backlines’ were holding firm. Jeff Forkuo has revelled in his new role at full back and some excellent pieces of defending, when putting himself between man and ball and his assuredness in possession have definitely helped the cause. 

With twenty-five minutes remaining, Gabe Billington came on for Jamil Roberts. He had put in a good shift and his departure saw Jones move into his left Back position. Billington knitting play together well when he came into Tivvy’s midfield. 

The Yellows’ desire for a second goal almost was answered when Koita was played through again, but Parkes's agility meant the scoreboard didn’t move favourably. Then the hardworking Matt Britton headed over from a corner, with 68 minutes on the clock. 

A minute later Howard had to be alert to beat a couple of onrushing attackers to the ball and was quickly off of his line to gather. A Gosport player then had a very presentable chance, after an intricate passing move around our box, but relievingly screwed his attempt, wide of the target. 

Attacking midfielder Marcus Day then came on for Skipper Matt Britton, who had left nothing out there and obviously with the Bank Holiday fixture at Taunton in mind. It was a bright cameo, from the former Bristol City trainee, who got us on the front foot. 

In the 74th minute Joe Parker did have the ball in the back of the net, but Yellows’ celebrations were cut short by the raising of an offside flag. However, we didn’t have to wait very long for that telling second goal. 

A goalkeeping misjudgement saw Koita one-on-one with Parkes. At first glance it appeared that although the striker had rounded Gosport’s number one, that he had taken the ball slightly away from goal, which would allow the Gosport players to get back to recover the ball.  

Koita though had other ideas, and his audacious back heel went back across Parkes and into the opposite bottom corner, sending Ladysmead wild! It was a fine individual strike from a player brimming with confidence. That goal arrived hot on the heels of Parker’s disallowed effort. 

Five minutes later it could have been three, when the industrious Thompson shot powerfully over the bar. In the 83rd minute the outstanding Koita left the field to a rapturous applause and was replaced by ex-Hungerford centre forward Joe Beardwell. 

Howard then produced a very good stop, to thankfully not leave the fans with a tense finish in the 89th minute. Sam Gleeson then entered with the impressive Joe Parker departing and despite Six minute’s additional time being played, there were no further causes for concern. 

It was must-win, and the side did what was needed and more. It’s a compliment to the players that with the pressure they were under, that they were able to produce a performance in front of their home fan’s that was as good as anything that had gone before this, this term. 

A spirited display that was full of quality in an excellent atmosphere, that will hopefully give us momentum going into Monday’s game at Taunton, where slipping up is once again not an option. 

Of course, we will be outnumbered supporter’s wise for the Easter Monday fixture, but it’s really important that we do all we can to be there tomorrow, giving the lad’s plenty of support and making ourselves heard. 

Tiverton Town: Howard, D. Jones, Down, Cummins, Forkuo, Britton, Hall, Roberts, Thompson, Parker, Koita. 

Subs: Beardwell, Billington, Day, Gleeson, J. Jones.