TIVVY ARCHIVE

The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club


Tiverton Town 2 - 3 Chippenham Town

Wednesday 29/01/2003   Southern League Cup
John Reidy

Henry Ford may well have thought history was bunk but many would disagree. He may have been right in as much as the past might not have any direct bearing on the present‚ but it can certainly act as a guide to the direction in which the current situation might develop. Dynasties come and go. The Greeks were replaced by the Romans. Spain‚ France and Britain all had their moments of world domination. Then the upstarts in the American colonies rose to the zenith. Some lasted for era´s‚ some made the climb and either faded or were smashed into oblivion. And likewise in football. The might of 60´s Spurs faded. Manchester United had their day(s). Liverpool‚ Leeds and even Nottingham Forest ruled the roost for a while. Lower down‚ and locally‚ Tivvy dominated their level of the game. The Yellows left their rivals and moved on. Their mantle as the upwardly mobile outfit of the Western League scene was donned by Chippenham Town who stormed into the vacant slot. The new ´yuppies´ of the Screwfix rose even more quickly than their predecessors. Their ambition and rapid progress was of Wimbledonesqe proportions. Politically their meteoric rise might have been compared with the rise of the Third Reich - though it would probably be unfair to compare the leader and architect of the Bluebird´s ascent to that of the man responsible for the creation of the 1000 year Reich‚ despite certain similarities. It has taken just two seasons for Chippenham to close a four season gap. And here they were edging ahead as they made their first visit to Ladysmead in a Dr Martens game. History was on the side of the hosts. Henry Ford might well have been taking an interest‚ certainly the fans of both teams were eager for the rivalry of the past to be re- examined.
Just how far Chippenham had moved on since their last game at Screwfix League level - a singularly unimpressive single goal Les Phillips Cup Final victory over 1st Division Exmouth Town at Bideford - was clear from the first whistle. They were sprightly‚ swift and played direct free flowing football from the start. The Yellows had to work hard to contain them‚ but contain them they did and it was not until a free kick was conceded on the edge of the penalty area in the 7th minute that there was the first sniff at a goal attempt when Steve Brown´s low drive through the wall was deflected wide for a corner. As Tiverton got the measure of the visitors the game opened out and the action became more evenly distributed‚ though the fierce competitiveness of the contest left the man in the middle struggling to maintain control and left him with little option than to enforce his presence with the use of his whistle‚ which disrupted the flow of play somewhat. Danny Haines‚ retaining his starting place after his Man of the Match winning performance against Folkestone in the previous game‚ found the opposing defenders a tad pacier than those from Kent but never-the-less managed a forty yard run in the 14th minute to feed Richard Pears far out on the left. Pears hammered in a low cross that beat Bittner in the ´Chipps´ goal but failed to curl enough to avoid flying across the goalmouth and wide of the upright. Seventeen minutes gone and there was a fortunate escape for Tivvy. Nathan Rudge‚ generally keeping his cool under the taunts of the visiting fans and nigles of one or two of his former colleagues in blue shirts‚ swung a boot first time at a long through ball and succeeded only in slicing his attempted clearance into the path of Martin Paul‚ leaving the former Newport County striker with a clear run on goal. The saviour for the Yellows came in the guise of Rob Cousins who nipped in to intercept and dispossess Paul before he could tee up his shot. But it was to be a short respite for the home side as Chippenham forced two corners in rapid succession a minute later. The first was defended well enough‚ though straight out for the second. That one was flighted over and pushed back wide only for the second cross by Paul to be lofted to the back post where Charlie Griffin rose clear above both his fellow forwards and the Tiverton defence to show the striking ability that saw him enjoy a spell with Swindon Town as he firmly and accurately directed his headerpast a static Paul Edwards and into the net.
The Bluebirds were in front and the general consensus was that they deserved their lead. Just two minutes after the goal‚ Tivvy´s defensive frailties were again exposed. Griffin chased a long ball (distance not shape - the game was physical but nowhere near approaching Rugby) down wide on the left. Paul Edwards dashed out to the side of his penalty area but arrived in second place and the Chippenham man was round him in a flash but the angle was too acute and despite Griffins attempt to curl the ball it found the side netting. Eddie‚ being given his chance to fight for his place was looking far from confident‚ not really surprising considering the experience he has had playing behind the current Tiverton back line. The Yellows were still absorbing pressure. The back line was holding but there was little progress beyond midfield‚ though in the 23rd minute Jason Rees did split the visitors with a through ball that sent Pears away towards the left flank. Richard covered the ground but was on his own and even though he was held up as he approached the by-line‚ Jamie Mudge was still a couple of yards short with his run through the middle as Rico chose to shoot low and weakly across goal. The ´system´ obviously wasn´t working and had to be - and was - changed. Phil Everett was moved up. Four across the back‚ three in midfield‚ three in the front line. It is a formation that many of the tactical pundits among the Tiverton fans feel should be used more frequently‚ particularly at Ladysmead. It is a more attacking‚ more adventurous and more entertaining line up. And it worked. Instantaneously there was a swing in the game. Tivvy gained and held more possession. They pushed forward more. In the 28th minute they even won their first corner of the evening! And from that corner there was the first real excitement to raise the spirits of the fans behind Bitter´s goal. As the ball was headed clear‚ Everett spun and shot just wide of the keepers right hand upright. Bitter´s goal kick was weak. it was sent right back towards him with Everett in pursuit and as he closed on the keeper‚ Phil unleashed a shot that the custodian had no knowledge of as it thumped against his chest and flew over his head for another corner. Tivvy were certainly now in the ascendancy and were rewarded in the 31st minute. Rees floated in one of his typical free kicks from ten yards or so inside the Chippenham half. The ball fell to Chris Curran just inside the penalty area. Fell is probably the wrong word for it reached Chris at waist height and he with his back to goal. Chris turned‚ the long way round‚ and lobbed the ball over the defence and into the top corner of Bittner´s goal‚ far beyond the keeper´s reach‚ for a finish that must be in contention for Tiverton goal of the season. All square‚ and things looking decidedly brighter for the Devon men. There were two more realistic chances before the break and both fell to the Yellows. Mudge cracked in a rising shot from the corner of the penalty area that had Bittner reaching but two foot short of making contact as the ball flew inches past and inches above the angle of crossbar and upright and another Pears left wing burst ended with Scott Rogers firing a snapshot on the turn a foot past the base of an upright. The break came with the fans of both sides feeling justified in their decision to brave the cold. I suspect the Tiverton contingent were more optimistic.
There is a cliché that is frequently trotted out when a team concedes a late goal‚ that points out that a football match lasts 90 minutes and therefore players have to play to the final whistle. At the opposite end of the spectrum they have to play from the first whistle‚ a lesson hammered home at the start of the second half - although with their record Tivvy should not need reminding. Forget about still being in the dressing rooms as the second half started‚ the Yellows were definitely on the pitch. They kicked off‚ played the ball back. Curran came under pressure as Chippenham charged forward. Curran tried to slip the ball inside to Rudge. It was short. In nipped Brown‚ took the ball in his stride and advanced on Edwards before sliding the ball under him to re-establish the Bluebirds lead just 10 seconds after the first touch of the half. So much for half time optimism. Tivvy struggled to re-assert their supremacy of the later part of the first period. The visitors were back on top. Chris Holloway battled a little too much and collected a yellow card for his efforts and Edwards showed that he had lost none of his ability to bring off the reaction saves as he tipped a Griffin header over his crossbar. Things had to be changed again and Steve Ovens replaced Pears on the hour but still it was the visitors that were having the better of the exchanges. Kevin Nancekivell replaced Jason Rees after 69 minutes but even that added little to the Yellows ability to penetrate an extremely competent and well organised defence. Chippenham looked livelier‚ more comfortable on the ball and generally in control‚ whilst Tiverton expended oodles of energy as they huffed and puffed but did little constructive as they lost all shape and pattern to their play. The frustration on the terraces was matched by that on the field of play. With ten minutes remaining Rogers allowed his to boil over and received a yellow card for an off the ball kick and while play was stopped David Steele was introduced in place of Holloway whose ´enthusiasm´ was threatening to earn him a second look at a card. Chippenham were still seeking chances‚ though they were content to take no risks, and when Simon Charity lobbed a high ball forward over the Tiverton defence, Man of the Match Charlie Griffin pounced, shrugging off the challenge of Rob Cousins to lob the ball over the rapidly advancing Eddie.
At 3-1 with five minutes plus added time remaining there was little hope of extra time being forced. Town made one final effort. Steele made ground down the right wing and whipped in a low cross. Everett ducked in a the near post and made a glancing contact that diverted the ball past Bittner. Consolation goal is the normal term. There was little consolation for the Yellows fans that once again had watched an inconsistent performance by their favourites and if they were honest should have conceded that Chippenham were certainly the better overall side on the evening.
Fuehrer Tommy Sanders has built a team that showed why they are occupying a place so close to the top of the Premier Division. It was hardly blitzkrieg, more a relentless march into the semi-final of the Dr Martens Cup. Tiverton fans, management and players were left to consider what might be done to redress what threatens to become a parallel to The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire - or should that be The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin?

Tiverton Town: Paul Edwards, Phil Everett, Danny Haines, Chris Curran, Nathan Rudge, Rob Cousins, Jason Rees (Kevin Nancekivell,69), Chris Holloway (David Steele,80), Richard Pears (Steve Ovens,60), Scott Rogers, Jamie Mudge.
Subs (not used): , Paul Chenoweth.
Cards: Yellow: Holloway (55), Rogers (80).

Chippenham Town: James Bittner, Simon Charity, Wayne Thorne, Colin Towler, Tom Gould, Mark Badnam, Steve Brown, Gary Hogan, Martin Paul, Charlie Griffin, Matt Coupe.
Subs (not used): Shane Andrews, Liam Bull, Matt Rawlins, Johnathan Mills, Mark Harrington.
Cards: Yellow: None.

Referee: Mr Jon Cordy (Bristol).

This report ©2003 John Reidy