Westbury United 1-0 Tiverton Town

Match Report

Saturday August 15th

At Platinum Hyundai Park

 

Westbury United 1

Thomas 49

Tiverton Town 0

Darren Holmes

For this weekend’s fixture the Yellows' travelled to Wiltshire looking for another favourable outcome, on the back of a draw at Hungerford and a win against Barnstaple. Unfortunately our opponents, Westbury, ‘threw a spanner in the works’.

The matchday squad arrived for this game, without long term absentee Louis Jagger Cane whose collar bone injury will keep him out for quite a while yet. Asa Hall, his assistant Steve Orchard and first team coach David Steele engineered a reshuffle with Jack Kennell coming into the midfield and Jacob Wellington taking up a forward position alongside Owen Howe.

Matt Wood was back amongst the substitutes and for Westbury, their line up contained former young Tivvy keeper Joel Manning and Leighton Thomas up front.

On another day where temperatures soared, with the pitch looking an impressive green and neatly cut, neither side flew out of the traps in the particularly sweltering conditions and there was a very conservative approach to the match from both sides. Although it was Westbury who were often first to the ball and closing down any space afforded to Tivvy.

It was a disjointed start from Asa Hall’s men. The White Horse Men seemed to have done their homework and the better chances and more productive play was coming from compact and well drilled hosts. A series of offside calls against Westbury in the final third, although rightly awarded, highlighted a less than fluent Yellows’

The overlapping Koerner was a good outlet, as Tiverton struggled to impose themselves on the game. In the 19th minute, Finn Robert’s searching free kick from out wide, deep down the host's right, was flighted in the direction of Owen Howe about twelve yards out. He glanced a header on and it landed just the other side of Manning’s post.

Asa Hall who definitely has a long range strike in his locker, tried his luck from fully 25 yards, but he remonstrated with himself as the ball sailed over the bar. It was the home side, who without dominating were always the more likely. 

Despite our defensive unit not being at its solid best, they dealt with the bulk of what was thrown at them, but with Thomas’s movement keeping Tivvy honest, there were always questions being asked. 

At the break it was goalless, the team were putting in a shift and working hard, but the pattern of the play and our lack of conviction in possession, must have been a cause for concern during the half time team talk. However, Four minutes after the interval, Westbury deservedly got the opener. 

A set-piece was arrowed into Thomas from midfielder Keane Ashwood and the ex Tiverton striker, using the pace of the ball from the delivery, headed beyond Louis Smith. 

Such was the momentum of the game and perhaps players were carrying knocks or were a little jaded from Tuesday night’s encounter with Barnstaple, but wholesale changes were made in the 56th minute. Off of the bench came; Ryan Keates, Aiden Horne and Billy Tucker. Making way were; Asa Hall, Finn Roberts and Owen Howe.

The freshening up had its desired effect with all three substitutes immediately being involved, in striving to get us back in the game. Because of the positivity of the new personnel, for a short, sustained period we started to get on top, adding Caleb Pryce-Hall and Matt Wood after 63 minutes, to the list of Participants. They replaced Ed Palmer and Aaron Wellington tactically or otherwise.

It was almost fifteen minutes of the Yellows’ being in the ascendancy, with the growing ‘band of brothers’ initially presenting attacking problems and unsettling their hosts, forcing corners and pressing forward. Manning had to contend with a Tucker inswinger and the same player’s effort from distance that saw him palm over.

A bizarre decision when Pryce- Hall had forced a corner, with a piece of good wing-play, that saw the Westbury defender get a big foot on the ball, apparently constituted a goal-kick, and kind of summed up Asa Hall’s men's afternoon. Not that they were particularly unlucky, but just that it wasn’t a great day at the office.

A few decent chances fell to Thomas, following his goal, but pressure from Louis Slough made it difficult for him. Our hosts were a man down with a few minutes left, when a second pre- meditated trip from busy midfielder Jack Witcombe, with Tiverton about to advance  into the Westbury box saw a second yellow. The free kick from 20 yards out and in a central position, though failed to threaten and the home side managed to see the game out.

Fortunes will change many times over in the duration of the season, but the dressing room and coaching staff will know we have the ability to play better than this. However, today we cannot begrudge the White Horse Men their totally deserved victory.

The FA Cup beckons for Tivvy next. South Devon team Ivybridge of the Western League will be the opposition, on Saturday, at the Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium. Our visitors, fresh from their FA Vase victory versus Teignmouth, will be our opening round opponents in the competition.

Tiverton: Smith(GK), Winter, Palmer(63)(C), Slough, Koerner, Kennell, Hall(56), A.Wellington(63), Roberts(56), J.Wellington, Howe(56)

Subs: Keates(56),Horne(56), Tucker(56),Pryce-Hall(63),Wood(63)