TIVVY ARCHIVE

Staines Town 2 - 4 Tiverton Town

Tiverton Town came away from their first visit to Staines F.C ground Wheatsheaf Park on a Tuesday night in February with a very welcoming 3 points against a Staines F.C team who are now bottom of the Evo Stick League South Premier South Division with only 9 points from their 30 games. The nearest team to them is Frome Town who have 21 points more having gained 30 points from their 30 games so far.

Tiverton were boosted by the returning Mike Landricombe and Steve Colwell along with Josh Whadham who were all welcome additions to the team that were beaten in a second half blitz by Wimborne Town only two days earlier in Devon.  Tivvy lined up with Liam Armstrong in goal with a back three of captain Jamie Price, Jordan Price and Dan Ball. The wing backs were Josh Key and Callum Hall. The midfield boiler room housed the dependable Mike Landricombe along with the experienced Steve Colwell. Ethan Phillips was given a free role to conjure up some magic just behind Levi Landricombe and Stewart Yetton. The subs were Tom Bath, Josh Wadham and Max Smallcombe.

This match had all the hallmarks of a disaster waiting to happen and the vultures were ready to swoop down on any remains that would be left in London. The Tivvy team were determined not to let this happen and started brightly with Callum Hall looking very sharp on the left wing. Twice in the first ten minutes Callum was intelligently fed the ball and he obliged with two gorgeous looking balls across the face of the goal to Levi Landricombe who just failed to get a good contact on the ball on both occasions and both efforts didn't trouble the keeper. Tivvy were having the lion share of the game in the first fifteen minutes and that first goal looked like it would arrive before another plane could land at Heathrow. It was the Swans however who got that first important goal to send shivers down the spine of Tivvy team. Yiannis Constantinou broke into the box shrugged of a defender and whilst everybody from Devon looked for the freekick the ball was dispatched with aplomb by the former Arsenal and West Ham Utd youth player past Liam Armstrong.

Five minutes later after some good build up play Stewart Yetton got the equaliser. Leading the line expertly using all his experience and encouraging the Devon lads he riffled home the ball from inside the box with the look of a “Yeti” who no one was going to stop from getting his 449th goal of his career. Four minutes later though the Swans had stunned Tivvy for the second time in the game when the impressive Constantinou scored his second of the match. I must admit that I originally thought it had taken a big deflection of one of our defenders but was later berated by one of his fans on Social Media and I was told that it was a wonder goal. Disrespecting the quality of the finish completely apparently. Whatever happened we didn't have a big screen to see the strike again or Match of The Day for pundits to discuss it with every camera angle but whatever way you look at it Tiverton were 2-1 down and looking down the eye of a horrendous storm by the Thames. To be fair if there was no deflection on the shot and my 47-year-old eyes were deceiving me then I hold my hands up and congratulate Constantinou on one hell of strike and I must bring my glasses to the next game.

Staines were growing in confidence and in the 39th minute they had a further chance form a corner when George Pilbeam had a header well saved by Liam Armstrong. This spurred on Tivvy and the game turned just before half time when another delightful cross was swung into the box by Dan Ball showing his class and Levi Landricombe rose like a salmon and with a flick of the head arrowed the ball into the corner of Alex Lazurca's net to get Tivvy back on equal terms.

The second half team talk must have been worth witnessing as Tivvy came out with purpose and belief and began pilling on the pressure. Ethan Phillips was stroking the ball around “River Esq” and Tivvy began getting a stranglehold on the game with Staines butterfly's visibly fluttering.  The Swans goalkeeper Lazurca spilled a ball from a free kick on 53 minutes and it was somehow hacked clear when a goal looked on the cards. Tom Bath came on to bolster the midfield on 57 minutes with Jordan Dyer being sacraficed and Mike Landricombe was dropped back to shore up the defence to make sure that no further wonder strikes would occur. Jamie Price was controlling the game at the back and pushing the team forward, “Stay High” was the shout and it worked a treat. There then followed ten minutes of sheer joy for Tivvy with Dan Ball on 59 minutes scoring his first Tivvy goal from close range with Staines failing to clear and then that man “Yeti” with a trademark close range header for his 450th career goal. Two substitutions were made Josh Wadham replaced Josh Key and Max Smallcombe replaced Stewart Yetton to see out the match.

Tivvy were not finished and had a huge shout for a penalty when it appeared that a Swans player clearly handled. (Please refer to previous note I was probably disrespecting the defending) All the Tivvy players went up for the appeal but the referee wasn't impressed and gave nothing.

The game then went through a scrappy period where Tivvy were happy to see out the game and Staines were desperate for a third goal.  Liam Armstrong in the last five minutes pulled of two super saves and looked up to the sky to pay tribute to his grandfather who had recently been taken from the family. Huge respect for Liam playing in the last two matches. Your Grandfather would have been proud watching down on you Liam.  The match was petering out when on 90 minutes Veron Kokurinkov was shown a straight red card for pulling down Levi Landricombe when he was clean through. Then the numbers were evened out by the referee when Ethan Phillips was given a yellow card in added time for an innocuous challenge and then another one ten seconds later for apparently a further indiscretion. There was no further time to play and the referee ended the match much to the relief of all involved with Tiverton. Staines had put up a great fight and again had caused their opposition problems when attacking but were ultimately undone by conceding four goals for the third match in a row.

Tivvy continue their relegation dogfight away to Hartley Wintney on Saturday and Staines continue to fight even though even the most optimistic Swan must admit the die has been cast on their season.

Tiverton Town: Liam Armstrong, Josh Key, (Josh Wadham), Callum Hall, Jamie Price, Jordan Dyer, (Tom Bath) Dan Ball, Ethan Phillips, Steve Colwell, Stewart Yetton, (Max Smallcombe) Levi Landricombe, Michael Landricombe
Goals: Yetton 2, Landricombe, Ball

Attendance: 118