Tiverton Suffer Four Against Fighting Basingstoke.

Match Report 

Tuesday March 17th

At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium

Tiverton Town 0

Basingstoke Town 4

Herbert 1,18,38 Grant 3

The Yellows came crashing back to earth with a bump after the encouraging draw that they had achieved at the weekend. For our loyal supporters the first half was as difficult a watch as anything witnessed home or away this season.

Two changes from Saturday's game at Wimborne, saw Asa Hall and Zak Williams come into the starting Eleven. Gabe Billington(nursing an injury) and Karim Coulibaly( playing for the Under 18's) the reason’s for the changes of personnel. Recent loan signing Sam Lord started and fellow loanee's Fletcher Poole and Liam Cartwright were on the bench.

A fired up Basingstoke took advantage of a jittery and lacklustre Tiverton, who conceded twice in the opening Three minutes. Ex Bracknell Midfielder Max Herbert not noted for his goalscoring spree’s, slamming a shot into the net from inside the area, barely a minute into the match

It was the first goal of a first half hat trick.

The Yellows’ were all at sea and with Three minutes played they were Two down. The room and time that Basingstoke were afforded resulting in them quickly returning to our area, Ross initially saving and Joe Grant  reacted first to help himself to another goal for the visitors.

Further shots from the Hampshire side, peppered the boards either side of John Ross's goal, as the stand off nature of the Yellows’, was alarming. None more so when their centre back carried the ball from his own half, through Three half-hearted challenges to the edge of our box, then fed a wide player whose cross fortunately eluded the incoming Stoke attackers.

There was brief respite as we forced a corner, when Wellington and Horne linked up, but passes often went astray and credit must go to our visitors who were outplaying us. Worse was yet to come!

A rampant Basingstoke, looked dangerous with each attacking movement and despite Asa Hall’s timely tackle, once again they were quickest to the ball. Ross saved well, but Dan Brownlie's side returned the ball back into the area and there was Max Herbert to head home his second and his team's Third.

Hall's men looked dazed and were on the ropes. The away side continued to probe and push us back. A very good stop from Ross, with 27 minutes on the clock, preventing a Fourth.

The Yellows’ finally started to knit some passes together and Brooklyn Wilkin’s managed to get round the back, but his flashing cross evaded the onrushing Horne. Although their foothold in the game didn't last for that long and their Fourth looked very much part of the script.

Loannides, a Luton academy player sent a testing ball into Tivvy's box and there on the scene to half-volley into the goal was Max Herbert. Sometimes as a player you just get those day's, but it has to be pointed out that Herbert has never scored Three goals in a season at this level, let alone in one half. 

The 38th minute Fourth realistically putting the game out of Tivvy's reach. They rallied a little towards the end of the half, with Wilkins's firing the Yellows’ first effort on target a few minutes later. It was a comfortable save though for the Stokes’ keeper Simon Grant.

Horne then turned the ball through to William's who skipped a few challenges on a mazy run into the box, but he was dispossessed when about to pull the trigger. However, down the other end Hall’s intervening tackle prevented further salt being rubbed into a deepening wound, just prior to the Referee blowing his whistle for half time.

There was much to ponder in the home dressing room at the break. Of course allowances can be made, for the inexperienced group of player's that are currently playing for Tiverton, but I think they would be honest enough to accept to use another Boxing analogy, that they had ‘barely laid a glove’ on struggling Basingstoke.

The sensitivity of the situation may have meant a calmer approach rather than a dressing down for the player’s, but this was already a damage limitation exercise and we did improve in the second half.

Although, despite keeping it tight as the opening Five minutes of the half played out, on 51 minutes Ross produced a smart reaction save down by his post. A fragility remained, but we were a little more solid.

There was slightly more conviction to our play though and we were less wasteful in possession. Wellington was about to break the visitor's line, until he was sent tumbling around halfway and the lateness of the challenge meant that the offender found his way into the book, on the hour mark.

With the game seemingly in the bag, Stoke made a couple of changes at that point, with Grant and defender Jack Ball being replaced. Six minutes further into the game popular forward Robbie Gallagher was introduced, coming on for Josh Dockerill.

In the 68th minute a move starting with Stephen's collecting the ball deep, saw him feed Sam Lord whose incisive pass released Wellington.

Koerner overlapped to heighten Tivvy's progress and his cross was just a fraction too high for the climbing Horne.

Five minutes after that Ross added to his catalogue of stops, throwing himself lowdown to parry away another effort to the corner of his goal. A 75th minute double substitution, saw loanees Fletcher Poole and Liam Cartwright come on for Williams and Horne.

Ross yet again came to the Yellows’ rescue in the 78th minute, springing across to keep the ball out with another impressive piece of glovework. Following some enterprising attacking play, Tivvy engineered a goalmouth scramble In our Opponent's area and were tantalisingly close to a consolation goal, with all hand's to the pump keeping the ball from crossing the line.

This was equally down to Basingstoke taking their foot off the gas, as it was down to the substitute’s giving us fresh impetus. In a brief cameo Poole gave notice of a determined character with good footballing abilities. And after some promising approach play from Cartwright and Kennell, he had just strayed offside when through.

Just prior to additional time Sol Padmore was Tiverton's penultimate substitute, as Sam Lord made way and then in stoppage time, a final change was made when Michael Humphreys entered proceedings and Stephen's departed.

4-0 is how the match ended in what had been a tough day at the office. League leaders Walton and Hersham are up next for Tiverton, at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium and the Yellows’ will be all too aware that if they repeat the way they played in the first half, that Saturday will be a very long day!