Match Preview | Taunton Town

Tiverton Town v Taunton Town 

FA Cup First Round Qualifying

Saturday 30th August 3pm Kick Off 

The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium 

A welcome distraction from the league campaign ? Of course not ! Five days after the Yellows 3-0 loss at the hands of our local rivals Taunton, the two sides do battle once more in the FA Cup and the intensity of any derby, always motivates players, coaches, supporters and all associated with the clubs. 

Their definitely won't be any complacency from Richard Luffman's visitors and with the financial rewards of prize money at stake, all involved will be willing their team to progress into the next round of the most famous domestic competition in the world of football. 

At least we now know that there are football teams other than Wimborne that we can draw at this stage and although in recent history, we have trodden on a lot of eggshells in this competition, each year brings a renewed optimism in progressing through and winning a few games in it. 

There will be a few members of Asa Hall and Steve Orchard’s squad making their bows in the FA Cup and others who have played countless games in it or even been part of long runs. Whichever stage of a players` career, occasions like this should inspire. 

It will be interesting to see if the management team opt for going with continuity and selecting the same eleven or if they make changes. Dean Moxey, though, is unlikely to feature, as he continues to recover from a niggling muscle injury while Brooklyn Wilkins may come into contention for a starting place, after managing a strain himself. 

Having given a very good account of themselves in Monday’s league game at Wordsworth Drive and manufacturing chances that if taken could have changed the course of the game, confidence and belief should very much remain intact.  

An injury that forced Niall Thompson off in that game, should, with the Peacocks sizeable squad, not be as much of a concern as it would be to a team with smaller resources. With six starters and a seventh player to have played for Tivvy, on show in Monday’s 3-0 win, there should be an edge to the next instalment of the local rivalry. 

Close attention will need to be given to the visitors striking pair; Ben Seymour (2) and Kane Simpson (1), whose goals fired our visitors to victory on Saturday, although opposing manager Richard Luffman will also know that with the `law of averages`, if Tivvy get the same number of opportunities at the weekend this could be a very different result. 

One way or another this will be another valuable learning experience for Tiverton’s young side and tests like these can only make a team more battle hardened. Cup fever will take over on Saturday and supporters will be hoping for a performance that not only captures the imagination but also sees their side through to the next round.  

In 2020 in a Second Round Qualifying game in the FA Cup, Taunton came out on the better of an eight-goal thriller with the result being 5-3 to the Somerset side. Asa Hall and Steve Orchard’s men will be giving their all in this game to hopefully send Yellows fans home happy. 

For those who attended the Bank Holiday fixture, you will know what terrific support we had at Wordsworth Drive. Let`s come out in force again, get behind the lads and make ourselves heard once again.

#OneTownOneTeamOneTivvy 💛