HUNGERFORD 1 - 1 TIVERTON
- media91681
- Aug 9
- 6 min read
Match Report
Saturday August 8th
At Bulpit Lane
Hungerford Town 1
Bell 38
Tiverton Town 1
Jagger Cane 23
Darren Holmes (Words)
Viv Curtis (Photos)
The Yellows' got their season underway with a very good point away at Hungerford. Both sides could have laid claim to victory, but the outcome was probably about right and this was a positive start to the campaign for Asa Hall’s men.
Backed by an away support of 50+,Tiverton lined up with; Louis Smith in goal, new signings Mason Winter at right back, captain Ed Palmer and Louie Slough as the centre back pairing, with Corey Koerner as left back.
Jacob Wellington was on the right side of midfield, with Finn Roberts on the opposite flank, Asa Hall and Aaron Wellington in the middle. Aiden Horne and Louis Jagger Cane taking the forward positions.
A busy Yellows’ dictated the early stages and although half-hearted appeals for a penalty for Tivvy were correctly waved away in the Second minute, this set the tone for a convincing opening from the team, who were playing at a lively tempo and purposefully.
A lifted pass from Hall turned Hungerford around and sent Jagger Cane away down the Crusaders left. He got slightly ahead of his marker and crossed for strike partner Horne. It was a good ball in, but it climbed a little too high and the ball brushed off of Horne’s head in the box and away from danger.
In the 10th minute, Mason Winter’s weighted pass out of defence once again connected with the intelligent movement of Jagger Cane, who collected the ball before his marker and stretched the hosts’ backline. A desperate block diverted his cross away for a corner.
An inviting delivery in, saw Ed Palmer get round the back and he met the ball with a volley that wasn’t too far away. Tiverton continued to press and probe.
Horne crossed for Roberts, who couldn’t quite direct his header goal-bound. Keeper Ryan Clarke just cleared away from Jagger Cane in the nick of time, and Palmer couldn’t quite get a shot off and was closed down in the box at close quarters. It had been a rousing passage of play.
Hungerford then steadied the ship and began to find their way into the game. Following some neat possession football, in the 17th minute centre back Kyle Bailey took the ball into his stride and unleashed a venomous 25-yarder that skimmed off the bar and behind for a Tiverton goal-kick.
Then around the 20 minute mark, the home side forced a few corners. Though with their attacking threat appearing to have been nullified, the ball fortuitously hit the corner flag and presented the Crusaders with an excellent crossing opportunity. The ball was delivered in, but assured handling from Smith took the ball out of harm’s way.
In the 23rd minute, however, the Yellows hit the front. Play was broken up in the middle of the park, and Hall’s instinctive vision saw him arrow a pass into Robert’s path out wide; his excellent, precise ball in from the by-line found the onrushing Jagger Cane, who sidefooted beyond Clarke to give Tivvy a deserved lead.
The obligatory hydration break arrived with the visitors still on top, as Hungerford were struggling to contain their flowing attacks down the Bulpit Lane slope.
Play resumed, and although the Infantino special had stemmed momentum a little, we continued to ask more questions in the final third. Palmer, outstanding at the back, was winning everything aerially and stepping in early to break up potential attacks when in their infancy.
With just over half an hour played, only the mixture of an alert piece of covering from the hosts’ captain Matt Berry- Hargreaves and a ball slightly behind Jagger Cane from Horne, whose first touch out of the air was extremely good, prevented Tiverton doubling their lead. A rattled Berry-Hargreaves demanded more of his side.
However, Tiverton kept coming, and the Crusaders were forced into conceding a free kick following a quick piece of interplay from the Yellows about five yards from their corner flag. Roberts’s wicked delivery in was Beckham-esque, and the lively Jagger Cane cushioned a volley and was close to giving Tivvy a second goal.
In the 38th minute, though, Hungerford caught Tiverton out, who had perhaps overcommitted, and the home side sprang forward. Fraser Bell emphatically shot across Smith into the bottom corner to even things up. 1-1
With both sides desperate to take an advantage into the break, Kyle Bailey’s last-ditch tackle on Horne in the Hungerford error and a superb save with his feet by Smith from striker Nmams Nwachuku kept things on an even keel and the two sides headed for the dressing rooms.
Knowing they had to contend with the renowned Bulpit Lane slope, Asa Hall’s men knew that it would be more difficult in the second half and so it proved.
A couple of minutes after the resumption, Smith under pressure in his area from a number of Hungerford players, vitally pushed away a speculative ball across the face of goal, to safety. He then had to parry over a long range effort struck by Brad Smith, as Hungerford threatened.
Tiverton were being forced back, but remained resolute. An enforced change on 55 minutes with Aiden Horne limping slightly out of the action, saw the introduction of midfielder Ryan Keates. I’m told Horne’s injury is a minor one.
Danny Robinson's men were in the ascendancy and unlike the first half very little had been seen of the Yellows’ as an attacking entity. The backline though of Winter, Palmer, Slough and Koerner were holding firm, with Palmer expertly marshalling.
A second substitution in the 69th minute saw Asa Hall make way for Jack Kennell. A little way further into the game Slough who was having a solid game in the heart of the Tivvy defence made an excellent, perfectly-timed tackle, though not according to the Referee.
The free kick award, sparked a bit of horseplay from the two sides and with things getting a little heated between the two sets of players, but definitely not to boiling point, he summoned both captains and both managers over.
Anyway play resumed with both sides ringing the changes. In the 78th minute with Hungerford applying more pressure, Brad Smith found the side netting. Billy Tucker and Owen Howe were both on, with the two departing players Roberts and Jagger Cane, having had a telling influence on the game.
It was Tivvy who then started to dominate in a concerted spell of pressure. Billy Tucker launched a few long throws into the Hungerford box and a Howe flick on at the front post for the first saw the ball scrambled away.
A second Steve Backley-like delivery to just beyond the back post from Tucker, almost saw Palmer pull the trigger, but he was crowded out and then the ball fell to Keates, who was falling back and off balance, so his attempt flew over.
It was a nerve jangling finale. A good piece of wing play saw Tucker tease a ball in, that just evaded Aaron Wellington who’d had a strong game in the engine room and the energetic Keates.
Then with a minute to go of the added 8, A fizzing, driven cross from Hungerford was asking to be put away, but fortunately for the Yellows', with host’s players sliding in to try and get that important touch, it missed everyone and Asa Hall’s men prevailed.
Tiverton had been really good in the first half, but had to dig in for long periods in the second half. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but this was a very encouraging start and team spirit was evident throughout.
The side though will only have a little time to pause for breath, as they are back in action on Tuesday night. Barnstaple will be the visitors for the first of 8 Devon derbies this season.
Barum will open their league campaign against us, because they were playing in the FA Cup versus Buckland on Saturday, winning that game 6-0. So get yourself down to the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium for this eagerly anticipated, first competitive home game of the season.
Tiverton: Smith(GK), Winter, Palmer(C), Slough, Koerner, J Wellington, Hall(69), A Wellington, Roberts(76), Horne(55), Jagger Cane(80)
Subs: Keates(55), Kennell(69), Tucker(76), Howe(80), Pryce-Hall
