Exmouth visit for Bank Holiday bash, with plenty of familiar faces.

Match Preview

Exmouth Town v Tiverton Town

Monday 31st August

3pm KIck off

At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium

Darren Holmes (Words)

Viv Curtis (Pictures)

The second part of Tiverton's bank holiday weekend will be spent facing another Devon rival at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium, Exmouth Town, on Monday. By virtue of league positions in recent seasons they have elevated themselves to the county’s sixth best side. The Yellows' have had to concede the fourth best side tag to Parkway, but should be reluctant to drop lower in status.

This is a much anticipated clash and has the potential to be an exciting spectacle.Tiverton have without catching fire made a good start to the season. They’re finding ways to win and achieving good results, without perhaps reaching top gear or being totally convincing.

This is a third Devon derby in succession and if Tivvy can maintain the strong mentality that they’ve demonstrated across those first two games and at home to Barnstaple then they should be hugely competitive in this one. However, if standards taper off Exmouth will be sure to take advantage.

There were contrasting fortunes on Saturday, when hosts Tiverton safely negotiated their opening round of the FA Trophy at Bideford, with Owen Howe and Jacob Wellington on the score sheet. Exmouth on the other hand exited the Trophy after losing to University and fellow Southern League Division One South outfit, Hartpury, 4-1.

Town have grown into a strong force at this level, as a fifth place play off finish in the 2024/25 season and finishing in eighth position last term illustrates. This has been achieved with a core of players returning season after season and manager Kevin Hill being a constant.

Football relationships that have been built over time, that make tactics and formations easier to implement. There is an abundance of experience and pedigree inside Town's dressing room too. Although loyalty is best personified by Hill who made a record 474 appearances for Torquay over 11 years and was a one club EFL man.

A midfielder who started in non league football with Torrington and when his EFL days were over, played for Dorchester before signing for Tiverton in 2010. He played a century of games for the Yellows’ over a three year spell and the popular Hill even answered an emergency call from Martyn Rogers to play for an injury-hit Tivvy in 2022, aged 46.

Captain Mike Landricombe, who was missing from Saturday’s line up, is 38 now. He has a memorable association with the Yellows’ and is sometimes glaringly overlooked when fans talk about our best players of the past decade or so. He is an intelligent, calming player, commanding in the air, strong positionally, solid in the tackle and neat and tidy in possession.

Landricombe was a highly competent and dependable midfielder, who always had the ability to slot into the centre back position he now occupies. A successful and popular 185 game, five year stint at Ladysmead, coincided with promotion to Step 3 in 2016/17 and the ex Plymouth Parkway player is a key player for Exmouth, for whom he has played over 140 times.

A promising prospect and young pro with Exeter City, Louis Morison played over 100 times for the Yellows in a central midfield role. He has recently returned to Town, where he is also utilised in a defensive capacity. A gifted playmaker and a strong competitor, he is a specialist penalty taker, with good dead ball ability.

Right back Joe Belsten is another player who was popular amongst the Tivvy faithful, during his stay at the club. Also a Grecian academy product, Belsten is both technical and hardworking. The tenacious full back has also played for Plymouth Parkway and Buckland and is close to 100 games for Town.

Callum Shipton is a classy midfielder with good vision, who is adept at knitting the play together. He has made around 200 appearances for the club, since his first start in the 2020/21 campaign. Ross Edwards was for so long a regular in the heart of Willand’s defence, but moved to Exmouth last season and the centre back is becoming established at his new club.

A vastly experienced and versatile player is Ollie Knowles. A top performer for Town, he also came through Exeter’s academy. He has a whole host of top non league clubs on his CV. Truro, Salisbury, Frome and the Yellows' are amongst them. The defender/ midfielder is noted for his ball- playing abilities.

Matt Wright was a hugely influential and powerful target man with Taunton. Relishing a physical battle, the aerially strong Wright is into a second season with the East Devon club and scored a noteworthy 16 goals from 31 games in this division last term. An ex-yellow, his football journey has also taken him to Truro and Plymouth Parkway.

Talented Forward Ben Steer, is a mainstay of this Exmouth team. Returning for a second stint at the club, following a short spell away at Tavistock in the 2024/25 campaign, he first played for the club, in the 2022/23 season.

Part of the Tiverton squad that achieved promotion in the 2016/17 season, Tom Bath’s football career has been a fairly nomadic one. Still only 28! Bath has represented; Dorchester, Plymouth Parkway(2 spells), Willand(3 spells), Exmouth(2 spells) and after an initial three season stay with us that ended in 2019, he returned for a short spell in the 2023/24 season.

The enigmatic Bath has nearly 100 Southern League goals to his name and is capable of scoring spectacular goals. In possession of the gloves is Matt Wonnacott and the gifted shot-stopper who had a couple of loan spells at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium was a good piece of business done by Kevin Hill, after he was released by Torquay.

This will be a good early measure of where both clubs are at. Two games in three days will definitely see some utilisation of the two squads. It’s always a tough ask for the players and it will be interesting to see how both sides react, so early in the season.

Aiden Horne who has been nursing a knock was absent at Bideford and the coaching staff will be hoping to have all striking options available to them. There will be plenty of familiarity when the two sides take to the field and reunions that will be put to one side, for what promises to be a hard fought encounter.

Get yourself down to the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium and be part of this Bank Holiday, Devon derby.The