Billington & Horne bright sparks in narrow drizzly defeat in Hampshire.

Match Report 

Saturday February 21^st 

At Westleigh Park 

Havant & Waterlooville 3 

Seager 6(pen),36  Aston 50 

Tiverton Town 2 

Billington 2  Horne 23 

Darren Holmes

An entertaining game saw the Yellows play their part in a narrow 3-2 loss. Giving a good performance, Asa Hall's side can take a lot of positives away from Westleigh Park, with the Hawks' rapid climb up the table, which has seen them become a transformed outfit under Aaron Martin after being candidates for relegation before the new year.  

The youthful-looking Tiverton matchday squad saw a bench comprising four teenagers. Defender Jaydon Biss is on loan from Yeovil, and Ryan Crawford, another new signing from Exmouth. Karim Coulibaly and Zack Williams. The starting Eleven saw Matt Wood partner Toby Down in central defence, and despite player departures, it had a fairly familiar look. 

An eventful start to the game yielded two goals, one for each side. In the second minute, Corey Koerner’s pass split the Hawks’ defence and released Horne, who, withstood an attempted foul, pulled the ball back for Gabe Billington to slot home. Though Tivvy’s joy was short-lived as our hosts were soon back on level terms. 

An exposed John Ross was left One-on-One with midfielder Harry Thorpe and committed a foul, resulting in a penalty. Extremely prolific marksman Ryan Seager converted in the 6^th minute in a hectic and exciting opening for the supporters, but a less settling one for the respective coaching teams. 

Enterprising forays forward by Brooklyn Wilkins and Jack Kennell asked questions of the home side, as Tivvy broke and with a little under ten minutes gone, a Dan Koita cross went into the side-netting, as Asa Hall’s men looked to regain the lead. A short while later, though, John Ross was saved well from Leon Maloney, and a flowing attack ended when Thorpe fired over the rebound. A superbly measured pass from Ross then found the head of Koita, but as he won the ball, his marker, George Milner-Smith, went down with a head injury, and play stopped for a couple of minutes. 

In the 23^rd minute, the Yellows were back in front. Hall swept the ball up to Koita, whose progress was halted at the expense of a corner. From the delivery in, Horne’s predatory instincts saw him net from point-blank range. 2-1 at that stage to Tiverton. Around the half-hour mark, though, the players held their breath when an inviting ball in from Josh Dockerill hung in the air and dropped marginally over Ross’s crossbar. 

The Hawks were playing attractive and threatening football, and following a corner, the ball was recycled and it opened up for Maloney, who couldn’t find the target with his shot, much to the relief of Asa Hall’s men. However, the warning signs had been there, and ex-Southampton forward  Seager levelled in the 36^th minute. Ross again being left One-on-One after Laidlaw’s ball from out wide had found him, and his accomplished headed finish did the rest. 

A determined effort and a dominant spell from the Yellows followed. Tivvy surged forward and Horne, at full stretch, from Koita’s driven cross that flashed across the face of goal, almost immediately restored our advantage. Then Jack Kennell drew a fantastic stop from Brighton loanee Lorenz Ferdinand( Rio’s son), from his thumping shot in the 39^th minute. 

Although it was the cultured Hawks who finished the half strongly. Maloney arrowed a ball into Seager, whose hat-trick was denied, as Ross tipped his header onto the bar, and them from Harvey Laidlaw’s free kick Seager spun his man and fired just wide. And the Yellows also had an unnerving moment to deal with as half time approached, with a fantastic block from Ross and last ditch defending, firstly keeping out yet another Seager hat-trick attempt and then Thorpe. That left the sides all square at the break in a very watchable and high-energy half. If our hosts had started the season the way they are now performing ,they would be playoff placed, so this was a heartening display from a squad disrupted by departures over the past few weeks. 

When the players returned, our habit of conceding at crucial ttimesthis season once again reared its head. It was a blistering long-range strike from Mitchell Aston, from almost 30 yards that gave the Hawks’ the advantage, though and little blame could be attached to anyone this time. Far from being despondent, however, back came Tiverton. Ferdinand had to smother Billington’s attempt after the waspish Horne’s cut back. 

Asa Hall then prevented the home side from extending their lead when Brendan Willson’s header from a corner saw him clear off the line. Then, with almost an hour played, a spot of pinball ensued after Maloney’s ball in, but fortunately, Seager fired over. Moments later ,an aerial coming together between Horne and Willson meant both pplayersrequired treatment. Horne was substituted not long after, and this saw the introduction of attacking midfield player Karim Coulibaly. 

In the 63^rd minute, Billington’s scorching effort produced another superb save from Ferdinand and in Koita’s hunger to be first onto the rebound, he fouled a Havant player. The Yellows were then indebted twice to player-manager Hall, as it was pandemonium in the Tivvy box. Two goal-line block’s thwarting Willson on both occasions. 

Shortly afterwards ,Steve Orchard and David Steele made a second change. Jack Kennell is making way for Zack Williams on 67 minutes. Five minutes later, some strong hold up play from Koita saw him force his way into a good crossing position. However, although his cross was inviting, there were no taker’s. A Koerner corner fell to Hall at the back post, but he could only screw his shot wide of the upright. 

A smart save by Ross, from substitute Dolling, as he was played in by Thorpe, kept the Yellows’ hopes alive after 77 minutes ,and then a strong penalty shout for an alleged foul on Thorpe was waved away by the Ref and was met by a chorus of disapproval from Hawk’s players close to the incident, less than a minute later. 

In the 80^th minute, new boy’s Jaydon Biss and Ryan Crawford entered the action, with Koerner and Wood departing. A bit of quality came from Coulibaly as he flicked over the last man on halfway, but as he headed on, the ball deflected off of his marker and out for a corner, with a few minutes remaining. The corner though didn’t threaten. 

There was time for one more half chance for Ethan Giwa- McNeil on as sub, in added time. But the Yellows’ stood firm and blocked his shot. The game was a good spectacle, ending in a 3-2 victory to Havant & Waterlooville. Tiverton are quickly back in action though as they welcome a Dorchester side fighting relegation, on Tuesday night to the Slee Blackwell Stadium. Asa Hall’s team running out 3-1 winner’s in the away fixture, back in August. 

Tiverton: Ross(GK), Wilkins, Wood, Down(c), Koerner, Hall, Billington, Kennell, Wellington, Horne, Koita 

Subs: Coulibaly, Williams, Biss, Crawford