TIVVY ARCHIVE

Tiverton Town 2 - 1 Barnstaple Town

Third time lucky is a phrase often banded about and quite an appropriate one to sum up the Yellows victory over Barnstaple Town in the Southern League cup last night. On the two previous meetings of the sides at the first round stage of the competition Barnstaple had progressed thanks to victories on penalty shoot outs, albeit on their own turf and only an own goal two minutes from the end spared Tivvy from a potential unwanted hat-trick. The Yellows, with more than one eye on the upcoming FA Cup tie against Met. Police, made a raft of changes to the starting line up which included first starts of the season for Scott Rogers and Joel Randall, news that will have been fairly well received in the visiting dressing room after having lost all eight of their opening fixtures and when Josh Key tapped home a Joel Randall cross as early as the sixth minute they would have been forgiven for fearing the worst at that point.

To their credit though, apart from some lack-lustre finishing most notably from Hurst and Randall, the visitors steadied the ship somewhat and got themselves back on terms when James Dart headed beyond the reach of Armstrong on twenty five and only a smart piece of goalkeeping just before the interval denied Stephen Reed, his well hit free-kick punched to safety. from giving Barnstaple the lead. Rob Holmes in the Barum goal made two excellent saves at the start of the second period to deny Hall and Phillips but was helpless when the winning goal did finally arrive, with eighty-eight on the clock, as centre half Jamie Spence inadvertantly diverted a Nick Hurst cross , who was awarded sponsors Man of the Match moments earlier, into his own net and a Jordan Rogers header almost added a third in stoppage time.

Tiverton Town: Liam Armstrong, Josh Key (George Rogers 79), Nick Hurst, Jamie Price, Scott Rogers (Levi Landricombe 72), Tom Gardner, Callum Hall, Archie Reay (River Allen 65), Jordan Rogers, Ethan Phillips, Joel Randall.
Goals: Josh Key 6, Jamie Spence OG 88

Attendance: 109