Five Goal Thriller in Hampshire, Ten Days ago, Returns to Ladysmead for Its Sequel.

Match Preview

Tiverton Town v Havant & Waterlooville

Tuesday March 3rd

7:45 pm Kick Off 

At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium

Darren Holmes

On the scoresheet against Havant & Waterlooville, Aiden Horne, playing in Berkhamsted on Saturday. (Viv Curtis)

It will be Ten days since these Two team’s played each other, when Havant & Waterlooville arrive on Tuesday evening. Since that meeting Two Saturday's ago the Yellows’ have lost narrowly to Dorchester and more convincingly to Berkhamsted. Our opposition replicated our 3-0 loss, away to Uxbridge at the weekend.

After staving off the threat of relegation and going on an excellent run they have plateaued a little. Four defeats, a draw and a close fought victory over us in their last Six games, mean they come to us not in the best of form, so this will be an interesting match up.

Tactically it will be intriguing to see how the coaching team’s approach this fixture, with a lot of detail I’m sure being fresh in the memory bank. There has of course been personnel changes following the conclusion of that game, with Dan Koita and Ryan Keates moving on and Toby Stephen’s rejoining the club.

Depending on recovering from illness, Asa Hall will be going head to head with ex Southampton, Crystal Palace, Coventry, Birmingham, Oxford and Exeter City centre back Aaron Martin, who had an injury hit EFL career. His appointmentback in November has proven to be a significant one. Manoeuvring his team into the top half of thetable, after taking over from Shaun North with them nestled in the bottom Four. This has meant that the 36 year old has began his managerial career with a bit of a flourish.

Three of Tiverton’s successful U18's side have been gaining invaluable experience at this level in recent games and the young player’s that started the campaign have evolved as the season has progressed and this will only help with their development going forward. I don’t think as a player that you ever concede that you are going down until it happens, though there is almost an inevitability now, with our fate.

There is still an abundance of football though left to play and both collectively and personally the squad will be setting goal’s between now and the climax of the campaign.

Because of their early season predicament, our host’s have done well to hold onto the phenomenal striking talent’s of Ryan Seager. In the 2024/25 season he scored 41 times in all competition’s for the Hawks’, which was a club record. This term hehas 32 goals so far and will go close to setting a new mark. Coming through Southampton’s academy 30 year old Seager made Two seniorappearances for the Saint’s. One of those came in the Premier League. He was part of Five Premier League squad’s.

Loan spell’s with Crewe, MK Dons, Yeovil and Dutch second tier side Telestar happened whilst with Southampton and when released it was League Two Yeovil who moved to sign him. The first time he played for our host’s was as a loaneefrom the Glovers’ in the 2019/20 season. His predatory instinct’s saw him score 41goals in 59 games for Hungerford in National South. National League Dorking Wanderers was his next destination, before joining the Hawks during the2023/24 season.

Forward/Winger Leon Maloney who missed games through injury earlier in the campaign is  pivotal for Havant & Waterlooville. He played Five games for Portsmouth, after being part of their youth set up and like Seager played in the Dutch second tier for FC Volendam. An inventive player, 24 year old Maloney spent the 2023/24 campaign with Totton and arrived at WestleighPark at the start of the last campaign.

Promising forward Ethan Giwa-McNeil is in his first season at the club and has performed stronglythis term. Beginning at Baldock Town and continuing his fledgling career with BiggleswadeTown, McNeil is very good ability-wise. Attacking midfielder Harry Thorpe’s parent club are Aldershot and the gifted youngster has been on loan in previous season’s at Hayes and Yeadingand Thatcham.

Olly Pendlebury is a midfielder who came through the ranks at Reading and played a single game for the Royal's. He then moved onto Wycombe where he made Four EFL appearances. The cultured Pendlebury is only 24 and has played for higher Non league club’s. Woking, Aldershot and Farnborough have all furthered his senior experience.

Fellow midfielder Mitchell Aston is anothertalented, ex Pompey youngster who has started to establish himself in the Hawk’s line up, following his arrival last season. The Hampshire side moved quickly to obtain his services, after he was released by Portsmouth.

Irish midfielder/defender Paul Rooney is in a second spell at the club and an original short term deal which he penned in October has now been extended for the remainder of the season. The 28 year old has a good pedigree. In his early senior career after a spell in his native Southern Irelandwith Bohemians, he signed a professional contract with Millwall in 2016 and stayed at the New Den for Two season’s and was loaned to Torquay.

He then transferred to Colchester United where he made a solitary appearance and had loan stintswith Bromley and Billericay, in the 2018/19season. Signing for National League Dover for the following campaign, leaving the Kent side for the Hawks in the 2021/22 season, who at the time were a National South side. He returned to Kent tosign for Dartford and is now back at WestleighPark.

Young centre back George Milner-Smith impressed as a loanee in the previous campaign and after his departure from Aldershot, the Hawks beat off other suitor’s to capture his signature. The commanding defender has been pretty much aconstant this term and has also gained earlierSouthern League Premier South experience with Sholing and Chertsey, when with the Shot’s.

Defender Brendan Willson started his football journey at National League Eastleigh. The young defender was on loan at both Gosport and Weymouth. The Hawks acquired his services inthe 2023/24 season and aside from a brief loan period at Poole, he has remained a key member of our host’s squad.

Harvey Laidlaw’s formative year’s were withPortsmouth, like a few other player’s plying their trade with the Hampshire side. The technical left back did make a cup appearance for the first teamand was loaned to Gosport, before his release in 2024. This is his second season at the club.

Freddie Taylor's parent club is the EFL's Bromley. Defender Taylor is starting to make telling contributions at Havant & Waterlooville. Scoring the winning goal in their last fixture against Weymouth, he was previously an academy player for Watford and Brentford.

Contracted to Brighton, Lorenz Ferdinand son of Rio, has produced some outstanding display’s between the sticks. He was also a loanee last term with the Hawk’s and is in possession of the gloves.

The Yellows’ will looking to achieve some high’s before the season concludes and with the backing of home support, it would be good for the team to get some positive result’s at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium. So let’s get down to the ground and get behind the lad’s.