Defeat at home to Hanwell Town

Match Report

Saturday January 17th

At The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium

Tiverton Town 0

Hanwell Town 2

Pendlebury 21, 60

Att: 250

Tiverton Town fan watch on from behind the goal.

There is a lot of factors that have a bearing on the outcome of football matches, but when Tiverton needed to go to the Well today, they weren't able to come back with what was needed.

True there was a heavy, difficult playing surface to contend with and questionable refereeing decision's, but the onus was on us to play with intensity in the second half and for one reason or another we were lacklustre and without apparent leader’s on the pitch.

Asa Hall and his backroom team of Steve Orchard and David Steele made one change, as Harry Hutchinson returned to his accustomed left back role and Matt Wood came into the line up at centre back, with Corey Koerner dropping to the bench.

Tiverton started brightly and had the best of the opening exchanges. A committed Asa Hall receiving a booking for a high challenge with only Three minutes played, as the Yellows’ appeared determined.

When Louis Jagger Cane set off in pursuit of a ball over the top that turned Hanwell around, full back Oladunjoye miscontrolled and the ball was presented to the pressing Jagger Cane. He took the ball on and into the area, before unleashing a shot that looped off of the recovering Oladunjoye, but agonisingly the wicked deflection went just high and wide of the upright.

It was the Geordies’ though who came back strongly from that early scare, winning a succession of free kicks and corner’s in a dangerous attacking spell. A couple of efforts flash wide and Matt Wonnacott handled well, when an attempt was driven through a sea of players.

Tiverton were a threat in the wide area’s early on with both Tor Swann and Dan Koita evading the attention of their marker’s to push us higher up the pitch. In the 14th minute Swann picked up the ball centrally and drove at Hanwell and then executed a fine pass to Koita, whose ball inadvertently found Jacob Wellington. A good block earned the Yellows’ a corner, which didn’t bear fruit.

Another corner arrived a few minutes later after Tivvy had initially crowded the box for a long range free kick. The delivery in was inviting, though it was cleared back out wide and was returned back into the mix, where a strong header from Toby Down clipped the bar.

It was the visitor’s however who would open the scoring after 21 minutes. Possession was given away cheaply upfield and suddenly we were stretched. The Geordie’s burst forward, quickly switching the ball to our right channel. The visitor’s cut inside and into our area.

Joe Waight took the ball into his stride and rifled a shot off the underside of the woodwork and Imposing striker Alfie Pendlebury turned home from close range. A setback for Asa Hall’s men in this crucial encounter.

The Yellows’ reacted swiftly to going a goal behind. Some incisive link up play, leading to a strong penalty shout when under pressure from Swann, the ball seemed to be handled by a Hanwell defender. The Referee ignored appeals, then Swann dragged his shot wide as the ball fell to him. Within a minute Koita skilfully glided past his man, but was denied by agile, veteran keeper Sam Beasant who sprung across his goal to push his effort away. Both of these chances occurring. Minutes after Hanwell’s opener

It was very open at this stage and the Visitors’ had the next couple of opportunities. Quick interplay from the London side as they flooded forward, ending with an attempt flashing wide and then Wonnacott was down smartly to foil a Hanwell forward, after another fast break.

It had been an action packed opening half hour and the only surprise was that there hadn’t been more goals. A bit of a lull in proceeding’s followed, with the game being played out mainly in the middle third. The flow of the game was also interrupted by a string of free kicks for both sides. In this passage of play, passing accuracy dropped too.

In the 38th minute Beasant claimed well after a Swann ball in was turned goalwards and Wonnacott was also busy on a few occasions, when the Geordies’ got shot’s away after opening the Yellows’ up.

An excellent fingertip save from Beasant then kept the Yellows’ at bay after an onslaught just prior to the break, nearly achieved the equaliser Tiverton deserved. However at the halfway point it was Hanwell who held a slender advantage. A big second half loomed for the team, who knew that as it stood they would be further adrift from safety.

Sometimes players thrive under pressure and on other occasions they become passive and subdued. The latter was true of Asa Halls’ men as their intensity dropped and they were never really at it and wasteful with possession. Confidence after a tough season is bound to be a little fragile, but there was a lack of conviction in a lot of things they attempted to do.

In the 50th minute a Hanwell move broke down high up the pitch and the ball was threaded forward to Koita whose progress was forcefully halted as he threatened to cut through the vistors’ backline and an obvious free kick was awarded, with the Hanwell player having his name taken. This set the tone for a bad tempered second half that was scruffy for long periods.

Ryan Keates a midfielder, replacing defender Brooklyn Wilkins looked a positive move early in the second half and in the 57th minute, a free kick in a dangerous position, about 20 yards out was taken by Koita. Tiverton’s number Nine curled an excellent attempt around the wall, but once again Beasant was his nemesis, as his flying stop expertly denied him.

On the hour mark an inviting whipped cross in, over by our left, corner flag caused havoc in our box and after a series of snap shots and blocks in rapid succession, the imposing Alfie Pendlebury tucked away his second and made Tiverton’s task look that much more imposing.

A couple of minutes on from that Tivvy were handed a lifeline when Centre Back Harvey Seabrook having already a Yellow to his name, was Red carded when he kicked the ball away to stop Tiverton taking a throw in, with himself out of position. A minute earlier as temper’s flared Steve Orchard was cautioned in the technical area.

Two goals down but as it turned out with additional time to add, 35 minutes were left to play. It became a real physical battle and bitty with lot’s of fouls. Yes Hanwell with their greater experience did make it deliberately difficult for us and were helped by a the Referee who was naive on a few occasions in stopping play with the visitor’s players going down and staying down when not injured, but Asa Hall’s side reverted to a slow tempo of play instead of moving the ball round quickly and making their numerical advantage count.

In the 69th minute Hanwell fashioned a chance, but Wonnacott watched a powerful effort from just outside the Yellows’ area sail over. Shortly afterwards, a last throw of the dice in an attacking sense saw Harry Hutchinson replaced by Forward Aiden Horne. Booking’s and talking to’s followed and the combative Horne was soon cautioned.

It has to be said though that despite having plenty of possession in the remainder of the game, that the grandstand finish that the supporter’s were looking for showed few sign’s of arriving. The Geordies’ holding firm in dealing with a couple of corner’s and a free kick in a threatening area and ex EFL keeper Beasant constantly organising and assured with in the main, routine handling.

His voice and one or Two other Hanwell player’s could be heard, but a subdued Yellows’ were quiet and the comeback always looked beyond them. A Third nearly came for the away side, when a speculative lob from distance almost caught out Wonnacott, who had to scramble back and push against the post to avoid further salt being added to the wound.

As a fan the second half was tough viewing and as the game finished and supporters’ were leaving the ground, there was refreshing honesty in accepting that we didn’t do enough in that second half and Hanwell just about deserved their victory.

It just didn’t happen and our struggles continue. Basingstoke visit the Slee Blackwell Stadium on Tuesday evening and the mid table side come to us, on the back of a defeat at Berkhamsted. Can Tiverton bounce back from this huge disappointment? We need to stay strong as a club and support the lad’s on Tuesday.

Tiverton: Wonnacott, Wilkins(51), Wood, Down(c), Hutchinson(70), Hall, Billington, Wellington, Swann, Jagger Cane, Koita

Subs: Ross(GK), Horne(70), Keates(51), Koerner