TIVVY ARCHIVE

Dorchester Town 1 - 5 Tiverton Town

No prizes or trophies are handed out in December but any side who finds themselves at the top of their respective table at Christmas does have reason to be cheerful and the Yellows can quite rightly be happy with regard to their position after the first twenty matches of the season. Their fourteenth win of the current campaign, which eclipses the thirteen wins recorded during the entire 2018/19 season, saw them score five in a match on the road again after handing out the exact same punishment to Harrow Borough two weeks earlier. A first half brace from Man of the Match Chris Shephard and a second half strike from River Allen had the Yellows three up before an hour had been played before Klaidi Lolos sparked feint hopes of a comeback with a goal, hopes that were quickly dashed as Alex Fletcher and Jordan Bastin added the Yellows fourth and fifth goals of the afternoon.

Alex Fletcher was restored to the starting XI after missing the one-nil midweek win at Blackfield & Langley with Josh Key absent and facing a spell out of the side after picking up an ankle injury during the midweek win while the Magpies were forced into a change in goal, the suspended Nick Hutchings replaced by Shane Murphy and their top scorer and former Yellow Tom Bath had to make do with a place amongst the substitutes. The Yellows previous record at Dorchester in the league made for grim reading prior to kick off, no wins and no goals scored in three previous attempts, but they quickly banished one part of that record and led after just six minutes.

River Allen released Jordan Bastin down the Yellows left and Bastins pull back, after he had skipped around a non-existent Kyle Egan challenge, was swept into the far corner by Shephard and just before the interval, after the Magpies had enjoyed large spells of possession and had created some decent chances, one of which Lewis Williams did superbly well to deny Egan, the Yellows made them pay for not converting their chances as Bastin swung in a corner from the right that Murphy managed to punch clear, only for the ball to sit perfectly for Shephard to volley home his and the Yellows second of the afternoon from the edge of the area.

The two goal lead became three shortly before the hour mark as River Allen brilliantly curled home, left footed, past the despairing dive of Murphy from the edge of the area for his tenth league goal of the season and the second part of the statistics (no previous wins) regarding the Yellows previous record at The Avenue was as good as banished too. The Magpies previous match had seen them share eight goals with Gosport Borough equally and they sparked hopes of another comeback with a goal from Klaidi Lolos on sixty-five minutes, after they had caught the Yellows back-line high up the pitch, Tom Blair raced clear down their right side and squared to him but barely two minutes later those hopes were shot and the Yellows lead was back to three again.

Quite who Magpies keeper Murphy brilliantly saved from initially was not clear too see but what was clear to see was the ball fell perfectly for Alex Fletcher and he side footed into the net for his first Yellows goal since joining on loan from Plymouth Argyle and four became five with seventeen minutes remaining as Jordan Bastin arrowed a beauty into the far corner from the left for his ninth league goal of the campaign after Chris Shephard had chipped a delightful ball over the Magpies defence. Sterner tests of the Yellows credentials follow with ties at Truro City and at home to Taunton Town but the delight of all involved at the final whistle was obvious and to top the table at Christmas is just rewards for the excellent performances thus far. Merry Christmas Yellows!

Tiverton Town: Lewis Williams, Pierce Mitchell, Noah Smerdon (Michael Peck 76), George Nancekivell, Jordan Dyer, Steve Colwell (Tyler Elliott 74), River Allen, Alex Fletcher, Jordan Bastin, Chris Shephard (Luke Mortimore 74)
Goals: Chris Shephard 6, 43 River Allen 56 Alex Fletcher 67 Jordan Bastin 73

Attendance: 247