Eight for Bracknell.

Match Report

Saturday April 11th

At Bottom Meadow

Bracknell Town 8

Tiverton Town 0

Mcgregor 2

Johnson-Schuster 20

Esprit 35,37 Gregory 44

Murphy 54 Marinescu 67

Harris 91

Often fragile during this extremely difficult season, from the outside this always seemed destined to happen at some point. That said, there is still little excuse for a defeat of this nature. I'm sure there will have been plenty of hurting, on the pitch, in the dressing room and on the long coach journey home for the players and coaching staff.

A disappointing day was topped off for Jacob Wellington as he collected a late yellow card. (Viv Curtis)

The Yellows’ lined up for this one, with Toby Stephens and Karim Coulibaly both starters after being playing substitutes against Plymouth Parkway on Easter Monday. Aiden Horne and Sam Lord, making way.

Not for the first time this season, we conceded very early. Giovanni McGregor took aim from outside the box and John Ross wasn't able to get a big enough glove on his shot. The second minute opener set the tone for what evolved into an extremely uncomfortable Afternoon for Asa Hall's men.

The Robins’ were dominant in possession and Tiverton seemed powerless to stop them. In the 17th minute it looked like our hosts had doubled their lead. Wycombe loanee Arthur Gregory slotted home, but saw his goal ruled out for a foul in the build up.

Bracknell though didn't have to wait long for their second. Defender Marcus Johnson-Schuster up for a set-piece, looped his header over Ross to extend their lead, three minutes after the disallowed goal.

A flustered Yellows’ had barely made an imprint in the game.

Then Gabe George's inswinging corner that took a ride on the wind, almost added a third, dropping onto the crossbar. However, the relief for Tivvy was momentary. Two goals in quick succession from proven striker Jordan Esprit saw the rampant Robins’ take total control of the game.

For Esprit’s first he raced onto a ball that opened up our backline and provided an accomplished finish into the corner and then only a few minutes later he got on the end of Harry Murphy's cut back, to slot home from a tight angle.

A Miscalculation at the back compounded our misery at half time.  Arthur Gregory took full advantage of this, to tap the ball into an unguarded goal, with 44 minutes on the clock, to add a Fifth. A clearly second best Tiverton trudged off to the dressing room, five goals behind.

Changes enforced or otherwise were made at the break. Sam Lord and Liam Cartwright coming on and Asa Hall and Karim Coulibaly going off. Such was the dominance of the home team in the opening half, that the outcome of the game was already a foregone conclusion. 

Pride and knuckling down, as much as the tactical side of the game, were clearly on a reduced menu for the players when they returned. Mathematically Bracknell knew that the Three points on offer here would ensure Southern League Premier South football again next season, but their extremely remote chances of relegation had clearly been put to bed.

The second half followed suit territorially, a slightly improved version of the Yellows’ continued the game. Although less than Ten minutes after the restart Harry Murphy added his name to the scoresheet, poking home an inviting ball in.

The Yellows’ kept plucking away against a Bracknell side that rang the changes in the second half. One of those was made at half time with the introduction of 16 year old keeper Callum Miles(the youngest goalkeeper to play in this division) and another substitution saw Mihail Marinescu come on.

It was the Romanian winger who scored the Robins’ seventh, smashing his shot past Ross to end a bright passage of play from the home side, with 67 minutes completed. Gabe George then nearly made it Eight, but struck the bar once again with Ten minutes remaining in a contest that had psychologically ended a long time ago.

Connor Harris rounded off the scoring in the last action of the game, as he headed home. A truly deflating and painful experience for the Yellows’ and a record defeat in this division too.

This won't be quickly forgotten by this young group of players and they will have a chance to give a better account of themselves on Tuesday night versus Wimborne. However, for now there is no hiding from the thrashing dished out by Bracknell and credit to them for their dominant and skilful display.

Tiverton: Ross(gk), Wilkins, Wood(c), Koerner, Hall(45), Kennell(67), Billington, Stephens, Wellington, Coulibaly(45), Poole

Subs: Lord(45), Cartwright(45), Wright(67), Horne