We weren’t going to win it anyway! The FA Trophy, property of the Conference National, everybody welcome as long as you don’t gatecrash our party in May.
Bideford aren’t going to win it either, but after last weekend’s victory at the Sports Ground at least they are a couple of thousand quid better off. They hosted, conquered and can now look forward in anticipation to a home tie against Dulwich Hamlet who play in pink and in the First Division of the Isthmian League.
Sometimes the final score barely scratches the surface of how a game unfolded, and while Tiverton were well beaten on the results page (and in truth well beaten in the first half on the pitch) the game might well have ended differently had possession been translated into chances and chances translated into goals.
It took Bideford half an hour to open up the twogoal cushion that Tivvy of late seem to like offering their opponents. Paul Kendall, once a transfer target of Martyn Rogers was afforded a free header thirteen minutes in, converting a cross by another of Rogers’ scouting results Shaun Downing. And on thirty minutes Kendall again found space at the far post from Matt Hockley’s long free kick, this time nodded the ball back across goal, and Ellis Laight scored from a yard or two out.
By that time Ryan Draper had already been forced into a smart stop to deny Matt Andrew, Jak Martin had hacked a ball off the line following a mistake in the area by Russell Jee, who was otherwise as feisty and determined and reliable as ever in the heart of the midfield. In fact Jee was one of few players that came out of the first half – or indeed the game as a whole – with much credit. Ian Sampson did come out of it with a goal to his name, a simple tap in after Jee had opened up the defence with a clever pass and Adam Mortimer had sprinted on to cross into the area.
Moments after Tivvy’s goal there was a chance for another, again with Mortimer at the heart of it. This time it was the big man’s pass that released Jamie Hatch but the winger’s shot was weak, weaker perhaps that Matt Armstrong-Ford in the Biddy goal expected, and he was down with the ball still bobbling on its way. Eventually the headbanded Armstrong-Ford had to clumsily fumble the ball behind, but his teammates dealt with the corner and that was half time.
And Town started slowly again, Adam Faux halfcleared a corner, Jamie Mudge picked the ball up on the corner of the penalty area, and… we know what Jamie can do when he is in the mood… turn, shot, goal, three-one!
Kendall emulated Martin in the first half by clearing a loose ball from his own goal line after MAF had fumbled a high ball from Martin himself but although Tivvy had more of the ball it was Bideford that looked a threat on the counter attack. Draper saved from Mudge one-on-one then from Downing and Laight in quick succession; Kevin Hill deflected away a Mudge shot that could have been arrowing in, and finally Tiverton got back to basics, put the ball in the area and scored.
David Steele and Perry Carpenter had been on the pitch no more than five minutes between them and their fresh legs combined out on the left wing. Carpenter eventually worked himself into enough space to cross, Jamie Densham flung out a boot ahead of the retreating Hockley and MAF was beaten.
On Tiverton piled one goal away from a replay. All of the ball, all of the territory, not a single shot to threaten young Fordy behind the Biddy defence. Mark Saunders was by now up front but so were four other yellow shirts and that was how the game was lost. Gallant (they had to be after the awful first half) but exposed and vulnerable. A long ball out of defence, a chase for Ben Wood, a skip over the desperately retreating Jee, a cross and a simple header for Kevin Squire. Bideford had mopped up what Tivvy could throw at them and countered with devastating effect, not dissimilar to how Didcot beat Tiverton eleven days earlier.
We will learn…
Bideford: Matt Armstrong-Ford, Shaun Downing, Ben Wood, Steve Orchard, Darren Hawkings, Paul Kendall, Matt Bye, Matt Hockley, Jamie Mudge (Kevin Squire 84), Ellis Laight, Matt Andrew (Craig Laird 77)
Goals: Kendall 13, Laight 30, Mudge 48, Squire 90+2
Booked: Orchard 46
Sent off: None
Tiverton Town: Ryan Draper, Adam Faux, Liam Ellis (David Steele 69), Jamie Hatch, Jak Martin, Kevin Hill, Russell Jee, Mark Saunders, Jamie Densham, Adam Mortimer (Perry Carpenter 71), Ian Sampson
Goals: Sampson 41, Densham 72
Booked: Sampson 17
Sent off: None
Attendance: 268
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