TIVVY ARCHIVE

Tiverton Town 1 - 2 Gosport Borough

On another day, the Yellows could have got, at the very least, a draw for all their efforts.

That is not taking anything away from Gosport's victory, though, in what was a hotly contested match with the pressure cooker turned up to a very high temperature.

Our visitors came to the Ian Moorcroft Stadium in search of the win that would see them into the end-of-season play-offs and the Yellows knew that a minimum of a draw was the order of the evening.

Captain Jamie Richards returned to what was, in essence, a three centre-back system, with the deeper lying Matt Britton and Ben Gerring completing the Tiverton rear-guard. The Joneses – Dylan (illness) and Josh (suspended) - were unavailable.

Joe O’Connor, who could be part of the squad on Saturday, is still nursing an injury; Javan Wright partnered Joe Parker up top, with Alex Fletcher on the bench and Alfie Moulden moved into the No. 10 position.

The match started at a decent tempo on a heavy, but very playable, pitch, and a couple of early set-pieces were forced by the two sides. A Chesham corner was cleared to safety and a Tiverton free-kick in an advanced wide area was met by Gerring’s head, but, agonisingly, Matt Britton was a whisker away as he lunged for contact on the ball that would probably have seen us take the lead.

No one started the game more brightly than Wright, who, along with the dangerous and lively Parker, tested and stretched the Boro backline from the outset. Niall Thompson was also a good outlet down the Gosport left.

For the visitors, Rafael Ramos, with his tall, powerful yet athletic build, was causing problems when Gosport played their way into the final third, the architect often being former EFL midfielder Danny Hollands.

A further couple of corners were gained by the Yellows, as we tried to make hay in the evening sunshine. River Allen then found himself in acres of space down the visitors’ right and picked out Jack Rice, who, frustratingly for him and the side, could only arrow his shot straight at goalkeeper Toby Steward, the Portsmouth loanee.

Wright, whose nimble movement and quick feet were asking questions of the Boro defence, was then chopped down as he burst forward. It gave the referee a decision to make, and he opted for the card to be yellow.

The increasing threat of Ramos was becoming all too evident. He left a few Yellows trailing in his wake and fired a cross into Dan Wooden’s path, who, luckily for Tivvy, flashed an effort wide of the target, that 36th-minute effort being another near miss in an entertaining first half that ended goalless.

The scoreline rapidly changed at the start of the second period. A fast incisive attack saw Ramos drive home a cross in from the left to put Gosport in front. This sparked the visitors, and especially Ramos, who quickly added to his first with an attempt from range that beat goalkeeper Zak Baker low down to his left side, a real hammer blow for Tiverton with those goals both arriving with less than five second-half minutes played.

There was no lack of spirit and determination on show from the Yellows all evening. Britton made a series of crunching tackles and interceptions to win back possession for his side.

We continued to play some really neat expansive football and, when Carlo Garside’s astute slide pass sent Joe Parker through, he emphatically reduced the deficit with a decisive finish.

The determination to, at the very least, grab an equaliser was there to see and numerous half-chances amounted to nothing. Fletcher, on as a substitute for the impressive Wright, then missed a glorious chance as he lost his footing when in on goal.

Marcio Neves dazzled with his close control and skilful trickery when he came on for Alfie Moulden in an excellent cameo.

You could not fault the attitude or ignore the strong performance of the players who had slightly the better of things territorially against second-placed Gosport. What was not quite enough to get the job done may be enough on Saturday. However, we will have to take our chances and stay fully focused at the back against champions Chesham.