Thrilling 2-2 Dor-Draw...
Tuesday October 27th
At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium
Tiverton Town 2
Jagger Cane 69
Howe 90+3
Dorchester Town 2
Burrows 9
Bertrand 77
Att: 179
There was late drama at the Slee Blackwell Stadium, when Owen Howe rescued a point for the Yellows' with a last gasp equaliser. This was a good point against a Dorchester side who started the game in third place and have been installed by some as strong promotion contenders.
Tivvy were dealt a blow in the build up to this game, as hat-trick hero Josh Bissett was unavailable due to illness. However it was also a night of returning players. Toby Stephens was back in the starting line up and Louis Jagger Cane gained more valuable minutes from the bench and a goal. Dan Koita was a late substitute and Corey Koerner was named amongst the subs after injury.
Boosted by the re-signing of striker Olaf Koszela, who of course was a Tivvy favourite too, the Magpies also included former Yellow Tom Purrington in their list of starters. Koszela took a place on the bench and the Tiverton line up included ex Magpie Louie Slough.
As both sides sought an early advantage the game was played at a bristling pace. There was lots of honest endeavour and attacking intent on the display and in the 9th minute it was the visitors who drew first blood.
There was a crispness to the Dorset team’s passing and incisiveness to their football and some impressive, sharp interplay around Tivvy’s box, saw Purrington lay back to Matty Burrows. He unleashed a thunderbolt that flew past Louis Smith, to give the Magpies the lead.
More good work from Burrows, forced a corner a little further into the game. Jayden Nielsen took, but the Yellows’ managed to clear their lines. Then with a little under twenty minutes played, Jack Kennell looked like he was fouled as he tried to break the Magpies defensive line, the Referee felt he was the offender
Defender Harvey-Joe Bertrand burst upfield in the 25th minute, dribbled his way past a few Tivvy players and fed prolific ex Totton striker Ethan Taylor, who brought out a very good fingertip save from Smith, from a well struck effort.
Despite Tiverton seeing a decent amount of the ball, it was the visitors who were creating the chances and in the 40th minute after a lot of the play taking part in the middle third, Nielsen accelerated down the wing and found Burrows. Fortunately on this occasion the player who seems to enjoy playing against the Yellows’, screwed his shot wide.
Then with refreshments not too far away, Asa Hall’s men swapped passes around the centre circle, before they entered the Dorchester half at high tempo and were making good progress until a Magpies’ midfielder clipped a Tiverton player’s heels to concede a free kick.
It was a fair way out, but Finn Roberts connected powerfully and his dead-ball strike produced a high quality save from Ryan Hall in the visitor’s goal, a few minutes before the break and then concerted pressure saw Asa Hall rifle a shot from a tight angle that the away side were relieved to see, deflect away to safety.
Dorchester manager Glenn Howe’s team took a deserved lead into the interval, but his opposite number and the rest of the coaching team will have been heartened by his side’s spell just ahead of the completion of the first period.
There was little quarter given from either side when the players continued. However, with 53 minutes on the clock, Aaron Wellington with a bending shot, just got a fraction too much curl on the ball, with Ryan Hall frantically trying to get across his goal and it flashed wide of the upright. This created much excitement behind the goal, from our fans.
As we approached the hour mark there was movement on the bench and Toby Stephens after more valuable minutes was replaced by Louis Jagger Cane, who is at a less advanced stage than the midfielder in his road back to fitness, but it is good to see him building nicely towards that goal.
A warning shot was fired though by the visitors not long after the forward’s introduction, when Dorchester broke at pace. Purrington took aim, but Smith was equal to it and impressively smothered his strongly hit attempt, low down.
Burrows then had Tivvy on higher alert a few minutes later, as he was a whisker away with a powerfully driven effort. Despite these anxious moments it was the Yellows' who scored the next goal and it was a dream home return for Jagger Cane. A teasing, looping ball to the back stick from J.Wellington reached the waiting forward and he duly obliged with the equaliser, in the 69th minute.
Soon afterwards Asa Hall’s men came extremely close to going Infront. Tiverton quickly overturned possession after the restart and the ball was put behind for a Yellow’s corner as they poured forward. Ex Magpie Slough’s bullet-like header from a threatening delivery into the area, saw a terrific reaction stop from Hall.
In the 74th minute Koszela entered proceedings. Two minutes later though Dorchester re-took the lead. It was an excellent individual goal from defender Harvey-Joe Bertrand who set out on a run from just inside the Tivvy half and after travelling unchallenged he fired a piledriver that thundered past Smith. It was an exceptional strike and solo effort.
The away side had their tails up and Ethan Taylor took aim. His strong attempt required assured handling from Tiverton’s number one and Smith gathered the ball into his midriff, knowing that if he spilled it, that Magpies’ were queuing up to score.
Each dugout rang the changes in the final ten minutes of a very watchable spectacle. The long awaited return of re-signing striker Dan Koita for the Yellows' was the first of two substitutions in the 81st minute and the second was Exeter loanee Toby Alsop in the 85th minute. These were Tivvys’ last throw of the dice.
And with the game seemingly being seen out well by our opponents, it very much looked like a battling display from the Yellows' was going to be unrewarded.
Then into the third minute of the three added, Winter curled a cross into the visitor’s area and Owen Howe rescued a point with a last gasp leveller, slotting past Hall from close range with a clinical finish, whilst on the floor. Cue the celebrations, led by a rightfully jubilant Howe.
There was little time left and the Referee was soon holding the whistle to his lips to blow for full time. It had been a hugely exciting, eventful and exhilarating evening at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium. Make no mistake this was a very good Dorchester Eleven and the Yellows’ deserved their share of the spoils.
On Saturday Tiverton head to Weymouth, to play the league leaders, in what will be another severe test. But for now, it’s time to salute the players for their very spirited performance, under the lights.
Tiverton: Smith(GK), Winter, Wood(C), Hall, Slough, Kennell, A. Wellington, Stephens(57), Roberts(85), J.Wellington(81), Howe
Subs: Jagger Cane(57), Koita(81), Alsop(85), Koerner, Keates
