Sporting ink up late win over ten-man Tivvy
Saturday 7 November 2026 | Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium
Attendance: 223
Tiverton goalscorer: Matt Wood (59')
Sporting Club Inkberrow goalscorers: Will Moore (2'), Louis Crook (85')
The Yellows' mini-revival came to an end on Saturday when Worcestershire side Sporting Club Inkberrow took all three points with an 85th-minute winner against a Tiverton side reduced to ten men early in the second half. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Tivvy had clawed their way back level, only to suffer late heartbreak.
Circumstances led to the team being both a goal behind and a man down, but the players will know that this was an opportunity lost. Victory here would have seen them leapfrog their tenth-placed opponents and move into the top half of the table.
Asa Hall's men made one change from the side that beat Weymouth, an enforced one, as the unavailable Owen Howe was replaced in the starting eleven by Louis Jagger Cane. Otherwise, it was the same again for the Yellows.
Before the game got underway, all at the ground remembered the servicemen who had given their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts. The Last Post was played and the silence was impeccably observed.
It wasn't the best of starts on the field, though, as with less than three minutes played, Tiverton were in arrears. The visitors brought the big men up from the back after the Yellows conceded a throw-in deep in their own half. A failure to clear meant centre-back Will Moore bundled the ball into the back of the net.
There wasn't much in the way of quality from either side for the majority of the first period. The game was error-strewn, bitty and of a stop-start nature. The ball was often hit long, and play was frequently agricultural and lacking in rhythm.
A 20th-minute effort from distance by an Inkberrow defender was speculative at best, and Louis Smith was able to watch the shot sail behind for a goal kick. The match sprang to life just beyond the half-hour mark when Josh Bissett curled a strong free kick towards the top corner, but goalkeeper Brendon Bunn confidently plucked it out of the air.
Shortly afterwards, Tivvy moved forward at pace on the counterattack into a threatening area, but Jack Kennell's attempt was wild and went behind for a goal kick to the away side. These were promising signs; however, that was as good as it got for the Yellows in the first 45 minutes.
Right at the end of the opening half, Inkberrow surged forward and a well-struck shot momentarily looked as though it was heading for the top corner, but it flew just the other side of the upright. The football purists would not have approved of much of the action in that half, but it was the visitors whose early breakthrough made the difference at the interval.
Whatever was said in the dressing room saw a fired-up Tiverton return to the field of play, but the tenacious Kennell got his timing wrong with an aggressive, heavy tackle, and the referee decided it was a red-card offence. This meant that from the 48th minute onwards, the team would have to play the remainder of the game with ten men.
Needing to score to take something from the game, Tivvy gambled and changed formation. Midfielder Toby Stephens was replaced by Dan Koita in the 53rd minute, in a reshuffle that saw Koita join Louis Jagger Cane up front and Asa Hall move into midfield.
This had the desired effect, and with almost an hour played, Asa Hall's men, following some expansive football, won themselves a corner over on their right. Bissett's inviting outswinger was met by the head of Matt Wood, and his bullet-like header left Bunn clutching at air as Tivvy drew level.
This resulted in a period of intense play, with Tiverton positively searching for another goal and Inkberrow, with the extra man, intent on leaving the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium with more than a share of the spoils. There was, though, for a sustained period, little in the way of clear-cut chances.
Having a focal point in Koita meant Tivvy had someone adept at holding the ball up. This didn't just give the Yellows an out-ball but also enabled the team to connect better in their build-up play.
It was the visitors, though, who nearly regained the lead in the 73rd minute when a thumping shot from outside the box rattled against the bar, and a following Inkberrow attacker headed over. Such was the fragility of the match situation that one goal was probably all either side would need to take the win.
Tivvy were definitely not looking to play the game out and settle for what they'd got. They forced a corner a few minutes later as they neatly progressed into the away side's territory with some crisp passing and movement.
From Bissett's delivery, Wood stole in at the back post and was close to adding to his equaliser. His strong connection with a header was a fraction too high, hit the top of the bar and was fielded by one of our ever-loyal fans behind the goal.
With ten minutes to go, the lively Koita, who was giving his markers plenty to think about, was played through. Keeper Bunn came out to meet him, but the striker took the ball past him and also went beyond a recovering defender. However, he couldn't supply the finish into an unguarded net, much to his and the Yellows' frustration.
He was almost in on goal in Tiverton's next attack, but a strong intervention from Bunn saw him frantically clear the ball away, a whisker ahead of the onrushing Koita.
The coaching staff made a further substitution in the 85th minute, as Jagger Cane, who'd put in some hard graft, departed and Finn Roberts came on.
It was also in the 85th minute that the sucker punch arrived. Sporting Club Inkberrow drove forward, and winger Louis Crook put the ball away to inflict a first defeat on Tivvy in four games. The side manfully attempted to get back on level terms but couldn't find a way through a well-organised and stubborn Inkberrow.
This wasn't the result or the overall display the Yellows were looking for, and they will be determined to put things right on Wednesday evening when they visit Paulton Rovers. The Bristol side, who are in 19th position, lost 2–0 at home to Exmouth on Saturday.
This should be a very competitive encounter, like the first meeting, which was also played under the lights. The sides on that evening played out a 2–2 draw.
