TIVVY ARCHIVE

The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club


Kings Langley 2 - 2 Tiverton Town

Saturday 24/03/2018   Southern League Premier Division
Simon Ellis

With the Yellows squad down to the bare bones and the odd one or two of those involved not fully fit four points from two away matches is certainly not to be sniffed at. Three priceless points collected at Stratford on the previous Tuesday were followed up with Saturdays draw. After a goalless and uneventful forty-five minutes, a penalty each opened the scoring for both sides. Steve Ward sent Armstrong the wrong way after Scott Rogers had fouled Mitchell Weiss two minutes after the interval, before Levi Landricombe won and converted a penalty only minutes later, Tom Bath volleyed home what he and the Yellows thought was the winner twelve minutes before the end only for the hosts to equalise four minutes from time, Callum Adebiyi rose highest to head home from a corner and in all honesty, a share of the spoils was no unfair reflection on what had gone before. Ben Mammola served the final match of his three-match suspension and Callum Hall remained absent with illness, but the fit again Nick Hurst returned to the action after overcoming the hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined since the beginning of February, while the hosts made four changes to the side that had narrowly lost by the odd goal in three at Frome on their previous outing, which included debuts for right back Jacob Cook and under-18 graduate forward Louie Collier.

Neither goalkeeper was unduly extended during the opening forty-five minutes, a Levi Landricombe effort whistled narrowly wide early on, Gareth Price shot high and wide soon after and some fairly routine saves from both Martin Bennett and Armstrong saw the teams deadlocked at the interval. Two soft penalties at the start of the second period kicked a fairly dull match in to life though. Rogers was adjudged to have felled Weiss barely two minutes after the re-start, even home fans convinced the offence had occurred outside the penalty area, but Ward sent Armstrong, who had saved a penalty on his debut in the win at Stratford, the wrong way from the spot. Landricombe scored two of his hat-trick in the reverse fixture from the penalty spot and he repeated the dose only six minutes later, Bennett appeared to win the ball after Jordan Rogers had over hit his through ball, but referee Steven Scott thought otherwise and gave the Yellows the chance to equalise which Landricombe gobbled up for league goal number twenty-one despite Bennett guessing correctly which way Levi would go.

Hurst replaced Jamie Price, clearly still struggling with troublesome knees, on the hour mark after both sides had had half chances to take the lead, Weiss shot high from distance, and a timely intervention from Jorell Johnson prevented Bath from tapping in after Jamie Short had burst forward. Bennett then saved brilliantly from Hurst, his header seemed destined for the far corner after Landricombe’s cross had found him unmarked before Hurst became architect in the Yellows taking the lead. His deep free kick from halfway found Owen Irish at the back post and his header back across goal was volleyed emphatically past Bennett by Bath for his eleventh league goal of the season. Weiss broke clear straight from the re-start but screwed his shot wide as the hosts looked for an instant reply and Hurst’s brave block from a close-range effort seemed to have cleared the danger and the Yellows appeared to have weathered the storm. The resulting corner, however, brought about the hosts deserved equaliser as Elliott Godfrey’s delivery was headed home by the hosts Man of the Match Adebiyi four minutes from time. Both sides pressed for a winner in the minutes that remained, another superb save from Bennett stopped Bath from getting his second of the afternoon while Armstrong saved well from Ward on the end of a free-flowing move.


Tiverton Town: Liam Armstrong, Jamie Short, Jamie Price (Nick Hurst 60), Michael Landricombe, Owen Irish, Tom Gardner, Tom Bath, Jared Lewington, Jordan Rogers, Levi Landricombe, Scott Rogers
Goals: Levi Landricombe 53 pen, Tom Bath 77

Attendance: 160


This report ©2018 Simon Ellis