TIVVY ARCHIVE

The unofficial archives of Tiverton Town Football Club


Wimborne Town 0 - 3 Tiverton Town

Saturday 12/10/2019   Southern League Premier Division
Simon Ellis

April-May 2017. The relevance ? The last time the Yellows won five league matches in a row, granted two of those wins were play-off matches, but league results none-the-less. This side, whilst in its infancy of time spent together, has the potential to earn the right to be mentioned alongside some of the great sides from the past, including the side that won promotion in 2017, such is the standard of football they`re currently playing and the on-song Yellows side racked up their fifth league win on the bounce to maintain their position at the head of the Southern League table with two goals from Man of the Match River Allen, for his sixth and seventh of the campaign so far, either side of a fourth of the season from Noah Smerdon and condemned Wimborne Town to a third successive defeat.

Of course, to get overly carried away with the start they`ve made would be foolish, but it`s too difficult not to wax lyrical about it in the same breath such is the enjoyment of watching them play the way they are. Chris Shephard returned to the squad for the first time since injuring his hamstring in the FA Cup win at Burnham just over a month ago, although he was an unused substitute, otherwise it was as you were from those who had secured a narrow, last minute win over Dorchester last time out while Wimborne made one change to their starting XI from their three-one defeat at Merthyr on the previous weekend as Stefan Penny replaced Connor Doe at right back and it was Penny who was the architect behind the hosts almost taking the lead as early as the fifth minute as his through ball released Burbidge behind the Yellows defence, Williams though stood tall and denied him with a fine save.

The early warning, although Williams again was called in to action soon after to deal with a mis-placed back pass, was enough to kick the Yellows in to gear and quickly set about making chances of their own. Jordan Bastin was denied a tap in by an outstanding tackle from centre half Joe Byrne and after Jared Lewington scampered through, similarly to the Burbidge chance at the other end, Magpies keeper Cameron Plain made an excellent save and the young keeper made two more great saves as the half went on from Josh Key and Tyler Elliott before River Allen fired home from an acute angle, on thirty three minutes, for his and the Yellows first of the afternoon.

As is often the case in football, superiority in matches can count for nothing if you don’t make the most of it and put away the chances you create and there was more than a whiff of that in the air as the second half rolled by. Chance after chance came and went for the Yellows to extend their slender advantage, Lewington and Elliott both fired wide and Plain made a great save to deny Key before the inevitable chances for the hosts came. Williams spilled a cross with ten minutes left and only a crucial clearance from Nancekivell denied Curtis Young a tap in, Franklyn Clarke drilled an effort inches wide and Clarke came even closer to drawing the sides level when his header crashed back in to play off the crossbar. That, thankfully, was as close as the hosts came to spoiling the party though before, with just five minutes of the ninety left to play, Noah Smerdon sealed the win with his fourth of the season with a fine finish after Key had played him in and River Allen added his second and the Yellows third five minutes in to stoppage time with another unstoppable, acute angle drive.


Tiverton Town: Lewis Williams, Josh Key, Noah Smerdon, George Nancekivell, Michael Landricombe, Jordan Dyer, Steve Colwell (Jordan Bentley 89), River Allen, Jared Lewington, Tyler Elliott (Brad Riggs 90+2), Jordan Bastin (Luke Mortimore 77)
Goals: River Allen 33, 90+5 Noah Smerdon 85

Attendance: 344


This report ©2019 Simon Ellis