TIVVY ARCHIVE

Paulton Rovers 4 - 0 Tiverton Town

Tiverton’s stuttering start to the season continued with a heavy defeat at Paulton Rovers, an opponent against whom the Yellows have enjoyed very little success since they were reintroduced to one-another in the Southern League. The final result of 4-0 to Rovers perhaps exaggerated the overall difference between the sides, but Paulton’s ruthlessness in front of goal proved to be of vital importance, as Tivvy retained possession well on the whole, but lacked any real penetration in the final thing, rather dwelling on the ball all too often, and allowing the home defenders to regroup and stay unbreached.

Throughout the opening twenty minutes or so Tiverton seemed comfortable and in control, although half-chances for Nick McCootie and Scott Brice went begging for the hosts, Town goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi smothering the first chance, while Brice missed the target with a header from Brandon Barnes’s free kick. Meanwhile, although not truly able to stretch the Rovers defence, Tiverton did carve out a couple of openings of their own, only for Steve Tully to see his shot well blocked by Mike Reaney, and then Lewis Pierre doing well to push away a smart free kick from Sam Malsom.

Viscosi was beaten just after the midpoint of the first half by Mike Perrott and from that stage Paulton went from strength to strength. The goal arrived following a foul on the ever-threatening Ben Lacey, so often the scourge of Tiverton I recent meeting between the sides, and another free kick from Barnes, swung in from the right, wasn’t dealt with sufficiently, leaving Perrott with the easy task of bundling the ball into the net from just a couple of yards out.

Lifted by the goal, Paulton began to exert their authority on the game, starting to deny Tivvy any time on the ball even in the midfield areas where they had earlier allowed the Yellows to do as they wanted as long as forward momentum was stifled. Another chance for McCootie, this time from a wonderful piercing pass from Dan Cleverley, rasped just a fraction wide of the mark, and from nearly the finisher McCootie turned provider to give Rovers a degree of comfort at the interval, setting up James Billing to beat Viscosi, although the Town goalkeeper will be disappointed that he allowed the ball to squirm past him.

The second half was an end-to-end affair, Tivvy winning a series of corners but showing no end product as Pierre and his defence continued to stand firm, led by the inspirational Brice, while Paulton counter-attacked with purpose and directness with Lacey typically at the heart of their forward play. It was the zippy winger who again went down to win the free kick which led to the third goal of the evening twenty minutes from time. Substitute Dean Evans had taken over from Barnes both on the pitch and on set-piece duties, and his deliveries were equally as effective, this one from the left finding Brice who flicked into the path of Perrott who again steered the ball past Viscosi.

That goal effectively sealed the points for Rovers, and although Evans skied a good chance it didn’t make a great deal of difference as Lacey notched a fourth – one he thoroughly deserved for his individual performance which had seen him directly involved in all four goals, when he raced through the middle before slamming a shot past Viscosi from the edge of the area.

Paulton Rovers: Lewis Pierre, Stuart Tovey, Mike Reaney, Marcus Mapstone, Scott Brice, Brandon Barnes (Dean Evans 63) , Mike Perrott, Ben Lacey, James Billing, Dan Cleverley, Nick McCootie (Josh Klein-Davies 80)

Tiverton Town: Jonathan Viscosi, Steve Tully, Stephen Reed, John Heveran, Matt Villis, Jamie Lowry, Marcus Martin, Shane Krac, Sam Malsom, Dan Smith, Josh Searle

Attendance: 207