TIVVY ARCHIVE

The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club


Taunton Town 2 - 1 Tiverton Town

Wednesday 26/12/2018   Southern League Premier Division
Simon Ellis

There must be something in the air when it comes to the Yellows and Boxing Day that means the two just don`t get along. Four times in the last six seasons the Yellows and the Peacocks have faced each other on the festive day and on only one occasion could Tivvy claim the bragging rights. In 2013, when a Michael Nardiello brace ensured a two-one victory at Wordsworth Drive against a Taunton side that included Messrs Price and Mammola in their starting line-up. Fast forward five years from that date and the latest instalment saw the hosts claim all three points and maintain a strangle hold at the summit of the Premier Division table as goals from Andy Neal and Matt Wright in the first half were enough to ensure victory despite a valiant second half Yellows performance which included, albeit only a consolation, a first goal for recently signed midfielder Steve Colwell and any hopes of completing a comeback were dashed when Harrison Davis, who had replaced an injured Tom Bath, received a straight red for an alleged stamp.

As well as the first goal for Colwell, there was another first as Stewart Yetton, who had re-joined from Plymouth Parkway, made his first appearance in his second stint at the club, a gap of over thirteen years between his last and this appearance and Yetton replaced Smallcombe in the only change to the starting XI from those who had drawn with Swindon Supermarine last time out while the hosts will be without the travelling Lloyd Irish for the foreseeable future, youngster Michael Davies his replacement.
Early chances for both sides were comfortably dealt with by opposing defences, Bath denied the opening goal of the day by a linesmans flag after Michael Landricombe had played him through while at the other end Mammola did superbly well to get back and block a goal bound effort from Neal, until the hosts were handed a golden chance to take the lead on twenty one, when Wright went over an outstretched Mammola leg just inside the penalty area, referee Rothwell pointed to the spot and Neal sent Armstrong the wrong way to open the scoring and one became two on thirty six when a Matt Buse cross was headed against the crossbar by a Yellows defender and Wright was on hand to convert the rebound from close range. It was, however, by no means one way traffic as many home fans had predicted it would be before kick-off. Levi Landricombe was on two separate occasions narrowly off target and only a brave block from Buse prevented Bath from reducing the arrears just before the interval.

Tivvy pressure in the second half was eventually rewarded on sixty nine minutes when Man of the Match Josh Key went on a powerful run down the right and his cross somehow evaded Yetton, goalkeeper and defenders to allow Colwell the simple task of tapping in his first for the Yellows and just rewards for the second half performance thus far and in an instant, game on. The task of finding an equaliser was going to be a difficult enough task, which was then made nigh on impossible six minutes later, when Davis, brought on in place of the injured Bath at the start of the second half, received a straight red card for an alleged stamp on Peacocks midfielder Ryan Brett. The Yellows, to their credit, huffed and puffed for the equaliser, a Jamie Price header from a Tom Gardner cross that Davies pushed around a post as close as they came, but ultimately came up short and the hosts held on for all three points and the league double.


Tiverton Town: Liam Armstrong, Josh Key, Callum Hall, Jamie Price, Ben Mammola, Tom Gardner (Max Smallcombe 83), Stewart Yetton, Steve Colwell, Tom Bath (Harrison Davis 49), Levi Landricombe, Michael Landricombe
Goal: Steve Colwell 69

Attendance: 1377


This report ©2018 Simon Ellis