Leaders Hit Town for Six

Walton & Hersham 6

Rogalski 1 Defise 6 Powell 51, 82 Wood 60, 90+2

Tiverton Town 0

Saturday 1st November

Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub

Attendance: 552

This was always going to be a challenging afternoon for the Yellows, playing against a team with a 100% record at home, who had a four-point lead at the top of the table going into this one. Confidence high in the home dressing room and confidence fragile in the away dressing room, because of what is already a fight for survival. 

Selection for this game was hampered by the departure of Toby Stephens and a hamstring injury that Louis Jagger Cane picked up the previous weekend against Yate. Fin Rooke started alongside Matt Wood in the centre of defence, with Harry Hutchinson moving to a more familiar left back role. Gabe Billington partnered Asa Hall in the middle of midfield, Aiden Horne and Dan Koita were our strike-force. 

Reminiscent of the start made at Evesham, Walton & Hersham took the lead a minute into the game. A ball over the top into the channel was crossed in and the Swans leading scorer Dawid Rogalski sent his header past Zak Baker.  

In the 6^th minute the free-flowing hosts produced a second early goal as a neatly lifted pass from Rogalski, found Lucas Defise in the clear and he had time to compose himself, beating Baker with a conclusive finish. Not being able to keep things tight at the start of games, has been our downfall on multiple occasions. 

A possession-based team like the Swans are not a side you want to give a two-goal head start to and our hosts threatened more goals, that thankfully didn’t arrive, due to a mixture of dogged defending and missed opportunities in a testing opening twenty-five minutes. Finn Rooke twice heading away from danger, from successive corners. 

The Yellows then settled into a better rhythm and started to string some passes together. The game became more of an even spectacle and on the half hour mark Aiden Horne broke into the right side of the home team’s box. Finding himself one-on-one with Jos Barker, the Tivvy striker got his shot away, but the keeper was down well to keep him out. 

The classy Swans though, manifested another chance in the 39^th minute when captain Joey Jones downward header brought smart reactions from Baker and from a few defenders to combine in clearing off the line. 

Some neat Interplay in the 42^nd minute, beginning with a sweeping cross field ball from Asa Hall to Tor Swann who linked up with Brooklyn Wilkins whose drilled pass to Dan Koita appeared to open up Walton & Hersham, that was until the linesman’s intervention with an offside flag. 

When half time arrived Tiverton, although two goals behind, had a decent end to the opening period and that saw them on the front foot, when the sides returned.  A tackle on Horne in the box, saw Jacob Wellington pick up possession, but his attempt couldn’t be turned goalwards. 

Matt Wood then propelled a long throw that found Hall. His deflected shot was met by a Tor Swann header that was collected by Barker in the hosts area. However, that penchant for conceding early, reared its head once again and the encouragement of a good start made in the second half was quickly extinguished. 

Eoin Bolger’s well directed through ball found prolific attacking midfielder, ex Charlton youngster Johl Powell and exposed Baker. Powell cooly slotted home and the Plymouth loanee was picking the ball out of the net for the third time with 51 minutes on the clock. 

I suppose weighing up our recent struggles there was a sense of the inevitable, as to how the game would pan out. Although Asa Hall’s clever flick on to Wellington almost gave the Yellows some faint hope, but the latter couldn’t beat Barker and the score remained 3-0. 

Walton & Hersham then pretty much ended the contest with a 61^st minute fourth. With the home side displaying all their skilful approach play and good movement off the ball, a corner was won. Rooke cleared, but waiting on the edge of the box was Jack Wood, whose spectacular strike flew into the net.  

Steve Orchard then made Tivvy’s first change of the afternoon as Zack Williams replaced Horne. Williams almost gave the visitors a consolation goal, just over five minutes after he was introduced. Catching the ball sweetly on the half-volley, however Barker made a magnificent save to foil the young midfielder. 

Toby Down then made his return off the bench, in place of Rooke. Following some probing forward play from Koita, the ball inadvertently arrived at Willams feet, drawing a good save from the Swans number one Josh Barker. Although not long after that Powell completed his brace in the 82nd minute. 

Pulling the strings all afternoon in the middle of midfield was former Salford City man Joey Jones and his vision picked out Powell, whose first effort was saved by Baker, but he despatched the follow up to make it 5-0. 

A sixth arrived in added time, when the alert Jack Wood reacted quickest to Baker’s fine point blank save, to round off an extremely disheartening afternoon for Asa Hall and Steve Orchard’s side. 

The Yellows travel to Hanwell on Saturday where realistically expectations will be a little higher in achieving a positive outcome, but self-belief and better performances and concentration will be needed to turn what is, at the moment, a very difficult corner. 

As supporters we have been used to watching relegation battles unfold early for three seasons’ now and what is often forgotten is how we tailed off the season before that. It’s not easy being a fan at the moment, but true fans get behind their team through the bad times and currently our role in doing that is vital. 

It’s exceptionally hard to move on from results like this, but as a club we have to and I know on the training ground next week, the players and management team will be striving to do exactly that. 

Tiverton: Zak Baker, Brooklyn Wilkins, Harry Hutchinson, Matt Wood, Tor Swann, Asa Hall, Dan Koita, Jacob Wellington (83), Gabe Billington, Aiden Horne (61), Finley Rooke (71).

Substitutes: Corey Koerner (83), Toby Down (71), Zack Williams (61), Sergui Lungu,