TIVVY ARCHIVE

Tiverton Town 1 - 0 King's Lynn

The Yellows recent 'chalk and cheese/Jekyll and Hyde' themed form continued on Saturday with a well-earned win over the league's second place side King's Lynn Town, Tom Bath with his seventh goal in the competition just three minutes from time and Tivvy were indebted to their on-loan goalkeeper, Alexis André Jr, who made several top-drawer saves with the game still goalless and was rightly named the Yellows Man of the Match. Tivvys other loan signing, George Rigg made his Ladysmead debut and Scott Rogers, fresh from celebrating the birth of his second daughter, returned to the starting line-up in place of Jared Lewington, while again the injured duo Hurst and Price missed out, as manager Martyn Rogers looked to ensure there would no repeat of the previous matches disappointment against Kettering Town.

This would be only Tivvy's third ever victory over The Linnets, the previous times both by one goal to nil, so add Tom Bath to the list that only had Paul Chenoweth and Jamie Mudge as winning goal scorers versus King's Lynn. Time after time during his Tivvy career, especially this season, Bath has weighed in with crucial goals. His was the winner on the opening day of this season against Bishops Stortford and the equaliser in the two-all draw with the now table topping Hereford to name a couple and again he popped up in the right place at the right time to bag the winner in the dying embers of a thoroughly entertaining match. Yes, King's Lynn will probably have made the long cross-country trek home wondering how they'd not taken anything from the match but failure to make the most of periods of superiority can cost dearly, just ask the Yellows.

Tivvy started like a house on fire, intent on ensuring and showing the manner of the previous defeat was nothing more than a blip, and had they lead at half time it would have been no more than they deserved. A corner after only thirty odd seconds was cleared, George Rigg had an effort cleared off the line after 'Lynn keeper Alex Street had gone walkabout and when Street did the same soon after, closing down the on-rushing Levi Landricombe, Jordan Rogers shot from distance landed agonisingly wide while at the other end, the first of several top notch saves from Andre Jr stopped Michael Gash from opening the scoring for the visitors after he had got on the end of a Simon Lappin free-kick, all inside the first quarter of an hour. Again, Andre Jr saved from Gash as the half wore on, while Street did well to keep out a pile-driver from Bath and then managed to regain his composure quick enough to deny Hall from the rebound.

The second of three successive corners for the Yellows at the start of the second half almost brought about the opener, Shorts' dipping effort well turned over by Street before a full-stretch Tom Gardner blocked a Ryan Jarvis cross after a quick free-kick had caught some of the Yellows backline napping. Leon Mettam replaced Craig Parker on the hour but just nine minutes after joined his team mate for an early shower after being shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Ben Mammola and to all intense and purpose it seemed like the match was going to peter out, King's Lynn intent on just trying to keep possession and frustrate the Yellows, for a scoreless draw. That until the impressive Rigg and Short had combined well down Tivvy right and Shorts' pull back from the byline was emphatically drilled in to the far corner by Bath and cue the relevant 'enthusiastic' celebrations both on and off the pitch. The four minutes of injury time that was announced struck fear into a healthy section of those who had braved the near arctic conditions and despite their best efforts 'Lynn couldn't find a way back in to the match.

Tiverton Town: Alexis André Jr, Jamie Short, Callum Hall, Michael Landricombe, Ben Mammola, Tom Gardner, Tom Bath, George Rigg, Jordan Rogers, Levi Landricombe, Scott Rogers
Goal: Tom Bath 87

Attendance: 211