TIVVY ARCHIVE

Tiverton Town 0 - 1 Metropolitan Police

Tiverton’s erratic form this season showed no signs of settling down and it was Mr Hyde rather than Dr Jekyll that turned up at Ladysmead to take on Metropolitan Police. Off the back of a victory in rather less than convincing fashion against Wimborne, and previously a schizophrenic performance in defeat at home to Dorchester, Tivvy really needed a victory to help get back on track, but more so they needed a decent performance, something which has been missing for the bulk of the season (even the 4-1 win against Kings Langley rather flattered to deceive).

Met Pol would certainly provide a different type of opponent that the Yellows had faced in their previous two matches, the Londoners an all-round better team with less intent to sit behind the ball and defend for lengthy periods in the hope that they would be able to capitalise on what little counter-attacking opportunities they may be presented with. Unlike Dorchester and Wimborne, Met’s more progressive nature should have – in theory – led to an open and attacking match. That turned out not to be the case, and for the third time in eleven days the Devon crowd was served up 90 minutes of attritional football with little to get excited about.

It is true that Tiverton could have been ahead inside the first minute, and indeed Louis Morison could consider himself unlucky that his strong curling shot from the edge of the area was well read and even more well saved by the visitor’s goalkeeper Liam Beach. However, that was pretty much the sum total of goalscoring chances created by Tivvy, aside from a tame effort by Jordan Lam, and a slight opening for Matt Wright which was extinguished before he was able to pull the trigger. And although Town had the bulk of the possession and the territory, profligacy reigned, with the away side faring little better as the attacked the Swimming Pool end of the ground. Ollie Knight latched onto Liam Ferdinand’s through ball just before the interval, with Lewis Williams up to the task for Tivvy, meaning the opening period was completed in deadlock.

It would be difficult to describe the second half in detail without simply referring to the prose covering the first 45 minutes, such was the relative caution of both sides as the game progressed. We were witness to two teams matched evenly and as keen not to let things slip as they were to force the issue for their own benefit. Both Jack Mazzone and Jonathan Hippolyte might have opened the scoring, but the former shot lamely at Williams, while the latter was incredibly unlucky to see his effort deflect off a defender, onto and over the crossbar. As time passed it was the visitors who were more willing to show adventure, with Mazzone becoming an increasingly influential figure, and the Tiverton defence made to earn their keep. Nevertheless, the first ripple of the net came when Wright broke free to steer the ball past Beach, only for the offside flag to deny him.

The response from the Met was almost immediate: Mazzone the architect and instigator of a move down the right, Ollie Knight with a precise delivery, and Ferdinand, making up ground from deep, was not picked up as he rushed forward, and it was he who was able to caress the ball past Williams and into the bottom corner. It left Tivvy with fifteen minutes or so to seek out an equaliser, but the away side remained solid at the back, and even more solid in midfield where they were able to thwart any pending attack before it was beyond an embryonic state. Beach remained untroubled at his end of the pitch; Williams had to save from Ferdinand in time added on, and a fifth home defeat of the season was the outcome for a shot-shy Tiverton.

Tiverton Town: Lewis Williams, Kyle Egan, Craig Woodman, Aaron Dawson (Chris Shephard 60), Gary Warren, Austen Booth, Louis Morison, Dan Hayfield, Matt Wright (Levi Landricombe 63), Jordan Lam (Andy Watkins 46), Nelson Iseguan
Booked: Woodman
Sent off: None

Metropolitan Police: Liam Beach, David Titov, Alex Fisher, Ollie Robinson, Bernard Tanner, Louis Birch, Ollie Knight, Rudy Allen, Jack Mazzone, Jonathan Hippolyte
Goal: Ferdinand 74
Booked: Birch, Mazzone
Sent off: None

Attendance: 306