The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club
Chippenham Town 4 - 1 Tiverton TownTuesday 17/08/2010 Southern League Premier Division | Tivvy Archive |
Chris Vinnicombe’s Tiverton Town side slumped to their first defeat of the Southern League season at old rivals Chippenham Town last Tuesday evening. Former Yellows’ forward Lewis Powell struck a devastating hat-trick, and although Liam Ellis briefly drew Tiverton level, there was seldom any doubt that the points would be staying in Wiltshire and Shaun Lamb’s penalty sealed victory for the Bluebirds. Vinnicombe was left with a selection headache with Mark Saunders and Adam Mortimer unavailable, Colin Marshall now departed for sunny Spain and a house-sharing agreement with a Valencia reserve team player, Jamie Densham ineligible following his move from Bideford, and both Jamie Hatch and Perry Carpenter still sidelined due to injury. Russell Jee was drafted into the team and enjoyed a lively first half, but Dave Hambly - Saunders’ replacement – failed to make an impact in the engine room in what was his first Tiverton start since April 2006 in a defeat at Hitchin Town That day Hambly was part of a midfield trio alongside Chris Bale and Kwame Ampadu; four years on he teamed up with former Willand partner David Steele, flanked by Liam Ellis and Alex Faux, but Tiverton struggled to find any meaningful time and space as Chippenham harassed and harried and refused to let the Yellows settle. The home side took the lead after just four minutes when Powell swept the ball sweetly past Chris Wright from the edge of the area with Tiverton twice half-clearing lopping balls into the box, the first from former captain Nathan Rudge and the second from the vastly improved Alan Griffin. But a brief spell of pressure from Tivvy resulted in a stunning equaliser. Joe Bushin forced home ’keeper Ian Gill to palm a header around the post, Liam Ellis then saw a shot deflected from the resulting corner, and from a second corner Ellis met the ball perfectly in mid air to leave Gill static and send an unstoppable 25-yard volley into the top corner. The equaliser came from a move that saw Tiverton counter attack with devastating effect after Tom Gardner had cleared a Chippenham shot off the line, but Powell spurned a chance to restore Chippenham’s lead almost immediately when he shot across the face of goal. However, his instinctive finish from close range five minutes before the interval in a crowded area ensured that the sides changed ends with a scoreline that reflected the balance of play. Kicking down the slope in the second half Chippenham dominated for long periods, and only some lax finishing saw the one-goal margin retained until past the hour mark. Chippenham effectively sealed the tie on 66 minutes as Powell was once again well positioned to tap the ball into the net after Wright had parried Luke Gullick’s shot, and Rudge should have extended the lead but glanced a header wide from Scott Lye’s corner. There was little respite for the Yellows, although Joe Bushin worked tirelessly in a lone-striker role, and his persistence gave scant reward when Shaun Lamb tackled to bring to an end a penetrating dribble through the heart of the home defence. And with 15 minutes remaining Tiverton’s uphill struggle turned into a mountain when captain Adam Faux was shown a straight red card for a foul on Mike Perrott in the area. Lamb tucked away the penalty despite Wright’s best efforts, and Chippenham comfortably saw out time. The game will serve to illustrate that Vinnicombe needs to do a lot of work to ensure his Tiverton side avoid being dragged into a relegation battle for a second successive season, but the alarm bells should be put on hold. Chippenham are undoubtedly one of the strongest sides in the league, they boast both continuity and experience, and their unique sloping pitch acts as a huge advantage to the home side. Tivvy’s small squad has already been stretched to breaking points during the restless start to the season, and Vinnicombe will be desperate to welcome back the missing faces to help a team that is playing the right way but not yet delivering the results. Chippenham Town: Ian Gill, Alex Kite, Shaun Lamb, Ashley Williams, Steve Casey, Nathan Rudge, Scott Lye (James Martin 79), Luke Gullick, Lewis Powell (Shaun Benison 69), Alan Griffin (Mike Perrott 73), Sam Allison Goals: Powell 4, 39, 66, Lamb 76p Booked: Gullick 62, Williams 88, Lamb 89 Sent off: None Tiverton Town: Chris Wright, Dean Coppard, Chris Vinnicombe, Liam Ellis, Adam Faux, Tom Gardner, David Steele, Dave Hambly, Joe Bushin, Russell Jee (Ian Sampson 84), Alex Faux Goals: Ellis 29 Booked: Adam Faux 22 Sent off: Adam Faux 75 Attendance: 446 |
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