Happy Return

TIVERTON Town manager Rob Dray has moved to plug some fairly hefty gaps in the Yellows' defence by signing former Taunton Town stopper Toby Down.

Toby, 26, is returning to Ladsymead following a spell with Tivvy earlier in his career. He made seven appearances in the Yellow at the start of the 2022-23 season before moving on in search of regular first-team football, which he found at Plymouth Parkway.

Last weekend, in their 1-0 home win over Walton & Hersham, Tivvy's defence contained only one recognised defender - and no natural centre-back - with Niall Thompson, Josh Jones, Mike Baker, Asa Hall and Jeff Forkuo all out of the picture for one reason or another.

The son of former Bideford and Taunton player Ian Down, Toby made a solitary EFL Trophy substitute appearance for Exeter City, as a teenager in 2016, after coming through the Grecians' Academy.

He remained at St James Park until he was released in 2018 - having also had loan spells at Weymouth and Dorchester - and joined Taunton Town before following in the studmarks of his dad and signing for Bideford. He became a mainstay of the Robins' defence over the next four seasons with his spell at the Sports Ground culminating in winning the 2022 Devon St Luke’s Challenge Cup.

Prior to that triumph, there had been real family moment for the Downs, when father Ian, briefly back at Bideford after retiring, came on as substitute to play alongside Toby for the final minutes of a game against Mangotsfield United.

Toby then came to the Ian Moorcroft Stadium before moving on to Parkway and, following two years at Bolitho Park and winning Player of the Season plaudits in his second campaign, he re-signed for Taunton at the start of the current season.

Welcome to the IMS, Toby.