Pitching In Southern League, Premier Division South
Gosport Borough 3 (Stanley 12, 90, Tarbuck 22)
Tiverton Town 0
Saturday, September 7 . Privett Park . 3pm
THE Yellows’ disappointing start to the season continued when they faced 17th-placed Gosport in Hampshire.
With a winning formula still to be discovered, manager Leigh Robinson made two significant alterations to his starting line-up: Ben Gerring made his first competitive start of the season alongside Josh Jones and Mike Baker, Tivvy employing a wing-back system with Niall Thompson and Dylan Jones filling the two wide positions; and Javan Wright, back from injury, supported Joe Parker further forward. Jay Murray and Farren Simons made way.
Boro enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and, 12 minutes into it, were ahead after some probing possession football culminated in Alfie Stanley tucking home. Stanley has a decent goalscoring record against us, having pocketed a hat-trick at Ladysmead a few seasons back for Dorchester, and we were a little fortunate when he slipped when in on goal with a few minutes played.
The response to going a goal down was a determined one from Tiverton and they knocked the ball around neatly, but could not make their retention of the ball count.
Gosport’s Brad Tarbuck found himself in between pursuing midfielders and retreating defenders. The ex-Portsmouth pro, with time and space, let fly from just outside the box and beat Fiachra Pagel low down to the corner of his goal. Not the start that a side lacking in confidence were looking for, but, with just over 20 minutes gone, plenty of time left to play.
The remainder of the half was fairly even. However, despite a bit of late pressure before the break and forcing a few corners, we were unable to ask too many questions of our hosts’ backline despite them losing defender and captain Rory Williams to injury after he fought for the ball with Parker. Once again, Dylan Jones was our best outlet going forward.
Just prior to disappearing into the dressing-room, central defender Joe Morrison headed wide from a corner for the home side and, much like the previous weekend, Tivvy had some catching up to do in the second 45.
Knowing their position in the game, the Yellows began positively after the resumption and Max Evans was forced into an early save, albeit a straightforward one.
Two fine stops in quick succession from Pagel prevented Gosport from running away with things. Veteran midfielder and former Bournemouth man Danny Hollands was often the instigator and the ever mobile Tarbuck and Stanley constant threats when the hosts attacked.
The industrious Wright battled his way into a good position, but his attempted pass went astray before opportunities did start to come the Yellows’ way. Thompson and Dylan Jones were finding more joy on the wings and the latter, with a customary, powerful burst beyond the Gosport defence, drove his cross into the box. Frustratingly, though, it eluded the outstretched boot of the ever alert Parker.
Murray, on as a substitute along with Theo Jeremy, then collided with ‘keeper Evans, when in the clear although he was not quite able to get a telling connection on the ball, to reduce the deficit.
Thompson, Hall, Jones and Parker were all combining well and Parker then fashioned an opportunity for himself, collecting the ball and transferring it quickly into a shooting position. However, he dragged his attempt across the goal and out for a goal-kick. It was fairly open at this stage and, although we were a little more in the ascendancy, Gosport also threatened.
Ryan Crawford and Simons had joined the action just before that Parker attempt and a very presentable opportunity for Simons was spurned as he slashed his shot wide from close range.
With not long left, Thompson’s pile driver prompted Evans into making his first meaningful stop of the afternoon. The excellent athletic save was followed by Stanley wrapping things up for Boro with an emphatic finish as Gosport broke.
Tiverton move onto another away game on Tuesday night against fellow strugglers Frome, who lost 4-0 at Dorchester on Saturday, the Somerset side finishing with nine men and the Dorset side with ten.
Marlow are bringing up the rear in the Pitching In Southern League Premier South, in 22nd place; we sit one place and one point above them. Then it is Parkway ahead of us on goal difference; Frome are 19th on four points, so this is likely to be a hard-fought encounter.
Tiverton: Pagel; Thompson, Gerring, J Jones, Baker, D Jones; Forkuo, Britton(c), Hall; Parker, Wright. Substitutes: Jeremy, Murray, Crawford, Swann, Simons.
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