Portland Floor Tivvy with Four
Saturday October 17th
At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium
Tiverton Town 1
Horne 90+1
Portland United 4
Nixon 51,55 Brook 71 Jenkins 87
A good, but not clinical display meant the first half finished goalless. However, a fragile and naive showing in the second half left us on the end of a comprehensive loss. Yes a clear handball on the line was clearly missed by the match officials and a penalty at the other end was questionable, but this was a sub-standard performance overall.
Jack Kennell was back in his midfield berth for this one, Mason Winter took his place in the backline following his traffic nightmare on Tuesday and Finn Roberts also started. An unfortunate injury in the warm up saw Corey Koerner only fit enough to be on the bench.
As home fans will testify to; being the better side in the first half has been a recurring theme in almost every game played at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium this season, although not making the most of their possession in the majority of those games has often boosted the belief of their opponents and given them all the encouragement that they need.
Tiverton wrestled the initiative away from Portland in the opening exchanges and were threatening in wide areas. With barely 5 minutes gone, Winter sent Bissett away down the flank and he in turn carried the ball deep into the Blues territory, before he passed to Owen Howe. The Striker swivelled and got his shot off, but it was marginally off target.
In the 13th minute with the Yellows’ imposing themselves, Aaron Wellington’s inviting cross in, found Finn Roberts who got up highest, but turned his header wide. Tivvy continued to have the better of it and the promptings and probings of Bissett and Jacob Wellington often turned Portland around.
Jack Kennell, after a neat passing move from Asa Hall’s men, was fouled when advancing towards the Blues’ area. Ed Palmer’s free kick though hit the wall, as it did its job and the scores remained level in the 27th minute. In the odd instance Portland broke forward and when a miscalculated pass from Louis Smith was intercepted he got down well to make amends.
Another strike from 25 yards out had him springing across his goal to parry it away. However that aside, it was Tiverton making the running. In the 34th minute Winter rolled the ball down the line to Bissett. He accelerated past his marker and then slalomed his way past a few defenders until he was just inside the area. His shot produced a decent stop from Toby Steiner- Reid in the opposing goal.
Two corners then came about in quick succession and with the Yellows’ piling on the pressure, only backs to the wall defending and desperate blocks, prevented Bissett’s curling balls in being forced home. Roberts then switched the play over to Bissett, with a pinpoint cross field pass.
The former Mousehole winger toyed with his defender and then picked out the arriving Aaron Wellington on the edge of the box. A fully extended Steiner-Reid made a second crucial save to thwart the Tiverton Midfielder's strongly hit snap-shot, a few minutes ahead of the interval.
The corners had once again stacked up for Tivvy, the build up play was good, but once again chances weren’t taken. As so often happens in a game that is played just as much in the head, as it is physically at this level, psychologically we handed Portland a reprieve and it was one they didn’t refuse.
When the match got back underway, a much more evenly contested passage of play ensued and in the 49th minute it was the visitors who drew first blood. A fast break saw the Blues neatly exchange passes and proceed into the Yellows’ box. A shot was blocked away and then Smith raced from his goal, to try and ease further danger with Tivvy short on cover.
As he tried to retrieve the ball, he was adjudged to have brought down a Portland forward who was attempting to go past him, inside the area. This decision was strongly contested, but to no avail. Remus Nixon was the appointed taker for the away side and he made no mistake with his spot-kick.
Six minutes later Tiverton who had struggled to find any real rhythm at the start of the concluding half, conceded again. An attack from the home side broke down, the visitors speedily counter attacked and an accomplished and composed finish gave the impressive Nixon and Portland a second goal, with Tiverton prized apart, all too easily.
Asa Hall’s men urgently needed to change the narrative, with the game slipping away from them, bringing on Billy Tucker and Toby Stephens. Aaron Wellington and Jack Kennell made way, a couple of minutes after the Blues had extended their lead.
On the hour mark with the Yellows’ beginning to turn the screw, they were denied a stonewall penalty which should also have resulted in the away side playing the remainder of the game, with Ten men.
A Tiverton corner was only half headed away and was then headed back into the mix. Both sides frantically fought for the ball, and in a heavily congested area, from inside the six yard, a diving header was pushed away on the line by a Portland defender.
Play continued much to the outrage of our fans behind the goal, who could clearly see the handball as I could from over on the touchline. Having seen the footage of the incident and observing the linesman’s position at the time, who was by the corner flag and able to look along the line and without his view blocked, this was at best a lapse in concentration. The lack of consultation was also baffling.
Anyway despite that injustice, as a team this was our poorest defensive display of the season. Yes we were chasing the game, but whether it was because we were a little too gung-ho or we just kept switching off, huge gaps appeared for Portland to run into.
In the 65th minute Patrick Jenkins’ rasping shot drew a magnificent save from Smith. A fingertip stop denied the Blues forward, with the game pretty much end to end. Then from a Yellows’ corner of which there were many throughout the game, an instinctive back heel from Hall was cleared off of the line.
Tivvy continued their forays into the opposing half and we're getting closer to pulling a goal back, but it was the visitors who produced the next goal and dealt Asa Hall’s men the sucker punch.
With Tiverton looking increasingly vulnerable, every time Portland entered our half, a severely stretched home side were caught upfield and the away side ruthlessly made them pay. Running into the space provided, they worked it nicely into the area, with Harley Brook tucking the ball away.
This left the Yellows’ with a mountain to climb, but with at least twenty minutes to try and turn the game around. Aiden Horne was then introduced for Roberts and then Matt Wood came on for Hall, although the wind had clearly been taken out of our sails and the game became very bitty.
Tiverton’s day got even worse when Jenkins turned home to make it four and even though the sublime pass from Stephens and the adept finish from Horne for a late consolation, was an excellent piece of link up play, all three points had long returned to Dorset.
Playing at the weekend and in midweek is tough and it has been like this since the start of September, but it’s the same schedule for every team in this league. There will of course be peaks and troughs and yesterday it felt like we hit a brick wall in the second half.
Decisions did go against us, but for one reason or another we lacked energy and focus after the break and full credit to Portland for taking advantage.
On Tuesday night Bideford will visit the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium in a St Luke's Devon Bowl game. Then on Saturday we resume league action at Larkhall. I’m sure that the coaching staff and players will be looking to address what went wrong on Saturday and will be intent on fixing it.
Tiverton: Smith(GK), Winter, Palmer(C), Slough, Kennell(57), Roberts(78), A.Wellington(57), Hall(87), J.Wellington, Bissett, Howe
Subs: Stephens(57), Tucker(57), Wood(87), Horne(78), Keates
