TIVVY ARCHIVE

The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club


Tiverton Town 0 - 4 Farnborough

Saturday 27/11/1999   FA Trophy
Nigel Davis

A 50 minute break‚ whilst a fault in the floodlights was corrected‚ changed this game and Tivvy can count themselves a little unlucky against a good Farnborough side. In the first half Tivvy dominated the game and dare I say made Farnborough look very ordinary and should really have gone in at the interval with two‚ possibly three goals. Farnborough did not really worry Tivvy at all with only one worthy attempt on goal. The second half started with Farnborough predictably pushing forward‚ but then with just 10 minutes gone‚ the floodlights failed and the game was stopped. The problem was eventually fixed and the game recommenced at just before five O´clock. Things then went a bit wrong for Tivvy. Phil Everett was dispossessed and probably fouled‚ but the ref played on and the resulting cross was headed home to make it one - nil to Farnborough and when a goal keeping error made it two - nil‚ Farnborough never really looked back. To their credit Farnborough played some good football and made it very difficult for Tivvy to get anything out of the game once they had taken the lead.

The game was only 2 minutes old when Dominic Richardson lobbed McKenzie the Farnborough ´keeper only for ball to come back to him off the bar and with an empty goal beckoning‚ Dominic sent the ball over the bar. Phil Everett‚ having another excellent game at left back and surely the answer to Kevin Keegan´s and England´s left back problems‚ put Pete Varley through and following excellent work which saw him leave two defenders completely wrong footed‚ dummy the ´keeper and then put his shot just over. Pete Varley again just minutes later tried a near post shot but couldn´t get enough behind it.

With the second half just 10 minutes old Ladysmead was plunged into darkness and the game stopped. When the game restarted 50 minutes later it was Farnborough who looked the stronger and on 57 minutes Steve Watson crossed‚ following a dubious challenge on Phil Everett‚ for Bruno Mendonca to head home Farnborough´s first goal. This seemed to settle Farnborough and 2 minutes later a poor pass out of defence from Paul Tatterton was gratefully received and put straight back in to Steve Darlington and although Paul Edwards managed to gather the ball‚ it somehow ran loose and Darlington put the ball into the empty net. At two - nil it still looked as if Tivvy could still salvage the game as they pressed forward and created chances‚ but with some desperate defending and headers off the line‚ Farnborough were in no mood to let Tivvy back in. The game‚ however‚ was well and trully over for Tivvy in the 79th minute when Warner´s shot took a wicked deflection off Mendonca to make 3 - nil. Darlington touched home Farnborough´s fourth in the final minute to give a somewhat flattering scoreline to Farnborough who‚ obviously a good side‚ were more than matched by Tivvy over the 90 minutes. Tivvy should take heart from their performance. They were by no means outclassed and will not need anyone to tell them that at this level‚ they really must convert their chances. If they had‚ then the scoreline might well have looked more like that of five years ago.


Tiverton Town: Paul Edwards‚ Luke Vinnicombe‚ Neil Saunders‚ Paul Tatterton‚ Hedley Steele (Scott Rogers 83)‚ Pete Conning (Richard Pears 86)‚ Kevin Nancekivell‚ Peter Varley (Geraint Bater 83)‚ Dominic Richardson‚ Steve Daly‚ Phil Everett.

Attendance: 842


This report ©1999 Nigel Davis