TIVVY ARCHIVE

Tiverton Town 1 - 0 Wimborne Town

Tiverton looking to bounce back after a frustrating midweek defeat; Wimborne desperate for points to kickstart their season: all set up perfectly for a droll and unsavoury game of football then. And the teams didn’t disappoint, or at least they lived up to these initial expectations in a match that was a battle of who could be least uninspiring. The sun was shining down on Ladysmead, so it wasn’t all misery and desperation.

For fifteen minutes very little was in evidence to quicken the heart rate. Austen Booth headed miles over from a corner, and Olaf Koszela kept getting tackled when he tried to beat his man on the Tivvy left, too often electing to dribble rather than pass or deliver a cross. It was unquestionably a turgid affair in the early stages, and therefore somewhat refreshing when there was a hint that the game may spark into something resembling entertainment. Wimborne’s primary outlet, their left wing, was the source of their first shot on goal, a long range shot from full-back Connal Morrison which bobbled up into the arms of Lewis Williams. And opposite number Billy Terrell saved from Koszela after the Tiverton forward broke through the middle.

The Wimborne Twitter feed noted that the game was “end to end”; the Tivvy Twitter feed didn’t say much, and there was not really much to say. The tempo had increased, there were spaces slowly opening, but, aside from another chance from Koszela (wide), and a very wild shot from Wimborne’s Lewis Beale, it was a match dominated by defences. Both sides lacked creativity or ingenuity going forward, so when the dealdlock was finally broken deep into time added on at the end of the first half, it was unsurprisingly from a set piece. Louis Morison lifted the ball to the back post, Jordan Lam headed into the goal area, and Koszela was in place to poke it into the net from a yard or two out. Not a pretty goal, not a pretty game.

It would be fair to say that Koszela grew into the game after his ineffectual start, and he always remained a willing runner. And for all of the faults of the game as a spectacle, one could still pick out individuals who were doing their job well. Matt Wright continued his excellent form with another battling display up front, and Gary Warren was as faultless as you would wish of your most experienced defender, both with his positioning to thwart Wimborne attacks early, and also the time and space he was able to find on the ball to launch attacks or to take the pace out of the game when required. Kyle Egan, too, looked sharp and close to his best (albeit on his less-favoured side of the pitch), but will have been disappointed not to have increased the Yellows’ lead with the home side’s best chance of the second half. Played in by Wright, Egan may have shot first time, but chose an extra touch, and that allowed Terrell to diminish the angle just enough to be able to pull of a superb save.

Fresh legs up front helped Tivvy briefly: Nelson Iseguan on for Koszela, and Theo Simpson for Wright. The former cut in from the right, but his shot was lacking conviction, while Simpson’s afternoon lasted barely three minutes before he crumpled in a heap when turning to chase near the dead-ball line. Simpson went off on a stretcher, and with Craig Woodman already off the bench, Tiverton had to see out the final throes with ten men. The mere thought of that handicap got Wimborne’s tails up, and the final ten minutes belonged to the visitors both in terms of possession and territory. How they failed to equalise is a question for the football Gods to whom Tiverton pray, for Addwell Chipangura had a shot very neatly saved by Williams, and James Carswell, from no more than a few feet out, somehow contrived to lift the ball over the bar, following some rather careless defending by Booth. The late Dorset dominance amounted to nothing and Wimborne’s frustrations will have been enhanced by news that Merthyr had won at previously unbeaten Metropolitan Police to create a bit of a buffer towards the foot of the table. Tiverton will of course be happy (and relieved) at the three points, although aside from MetPol, all of the other teams who started the day above the Yellows and were in league action also won.

As the full time whistle sounded, the sun disappeared behind the clouds for one last time, and a match that will be little remembered and fondly forgotten can now be safely consigned to the history books. We can move on safe in the knowledge that there is unlikely to be a game played for the remainder of the season which is nearly as uninspiring, and indeed across the next three weeks there Tivvy play five games, all of which should be intriguing and tasty affairs.

Tiverton Town: Lewis Williams, Joe Belsten (Craig Woodman 85), Kyle Egan, Aaron Dawson, Gary Warren, Austen Booth, Louis Morison, Dan Hayfield, Matt Wright (Theo Simpson 83), Olaf Koszela (Nelson Iseguan 71), Jordan Lam
Goal: Koszela 45+2
Booked: None
Sent off: None

Wimborne Town: Billy Terrell, Dan Strugnell, Connal Morrison, Callum Chugg, Curtis Young, Harry Morgan, Jamie Henry (Billy Maybury 61), Mark Jamison, Dan Cann, Charlie Gunson (Jake Carswell 74), Lewis Beale (Addwell Chipangura 39)
Booked: None
Sent off: None

Attendance: 307