Yellows Progress in St Lukes Bowl

Honiton Town 1 

Paramore 90 

Tiverton Town 4 

Wellington 65, 67 

Aworinde 75, 80 

Wednesday 24^th September.   

Mountbatten Park.

Attendance: 216. 

The locals came out in good numbers to support their team, and the crowd included a fair amount of travelling support too, for this first round meeting in the Devon St Lukes Bowl between Honiton and the Yellows. 

The management team rang the changes from Saturday's draw with Uxbridge as into the side came; Brooklyn Wilkins, Josh Salmon, Sergiu Lungu, Zack Williams, Jacob Wellington, Ise Aworinde and Finn Rooke. Player-manager Asa Hall and Toby Stephens sat this one out, with Dan Koita, Louis Jagger Cane, Aiden Horne, Tor Swann and Gabe Billington making up the full complement of substitutes. 

When the game got underway, Tiverton were quick to assume possession, but the first sight of goal came for the home side, but John Ross’s gloves were only lightly warmed by a speculative effort as early as the 5th minute. The Yellows were moving the ball around nicely, but their probing didn’t threaten until Zack Williams cut back was dummied by Finn Rooke and just evaded the advancing Corey Koerner who had burst into the box. That promising move occurred in the 10^th minute. 

In the 20^th minute Rooke challenged keeper Charlie Hawkins just inside his area, who was equal to the Tiverton strikers physical threat and claimed the ball. A few minutes later, when the Yellows swung a corner in, the Hippos’ keeper again showed good handling. Tivvy continued to see plenty of the ball, against a well drilled and hardworking Honiton side, though lacked a little incisiveness. A neatly assembled short corner routine from Lungu and Wellington, culminated in a rolled pass to Williams, though his shot was met with a good block. 

Hot on the heels of that, in the 34^th minute, was a free kick for the visitors, taken by Weston-super-Mare loanee Josh Salmon. This was the first save of any real note that Hawkins had to make and he moved well to parry the powerfully struck shot away. 

In the 40^th minute Wellington was chopped down on the flank, deep into Hippos’ territory and from the resulting free kick, an inviting curling cross was sent in, but Honiton’s backline held firm, and the half time whistle arrived, without the deadlock being broken. Tiverton had perhaps been a little too methodical and predictable before the break and they noticeably increased the tempo and intensity of their play, when the match resumed. 

With their feet on the accelerator, an early corner was helped on at the near post by captain Toby Down and narrowly landed the other side of the crossbar. A 55^th minute corner was awarded to a more assertive Tiverton and although our hosts cleared to safety, Lungu soon produced a save from Hawkins, who got down to smother centrally. Our central midfield partnership on the night of Salmon and Lungu were taking control in the middle of the park. 

Lungu then tried another long-range effort that fizzed off the surface and just wide of the target. Rooke then put a good ball into the mix around the hour mark, but a foul was given to one of our onrushing players, who were looking to get on the end of it. Despite our dominance, the Yellows having surrendered possession around the halfway line were almost undone by a swift counter from the Hippos in the 63^rd minute. However, a very presentable chance was screwed wide of Ross’s upright. 

Tivvy’s pressure finally told after that close escape. An excellent piece of vision from the ever more advanced Brooklyn Wilkins, found Jacob Wellington who clinically swept the ball into the corner of the goal from close range, with 65 minutes on the clock. That lead was doubled minutes later by the increasingly involved Wellington. This time he was the grateful recipient of a ball in from the other flank, sent in by Finn Rooke and his precise finish seemed to galvanise Asa Hall and Steve Orchard’s men further. 

Ise Aworinde was the next on the scoresheet, as the youngster broke through the East Devon side’s backline, to fire in off the post and in doing so notch his first senior goal for the club and the Yellows third of the evening. Ecstatic after that 75^th minute goal, he was also to repeat Wellington’s quick-fire brace, when his perseverance to win the ball in our hosts area paid off and he lashed the ball into the back of the net after it came back to him. 

It was a much more convincing performance from Tiverton following the interval, although they did concede in the 90th minute, when Ross’s save fell to former Tiverton development player Luke Paramore and he got a deserved consolation for the battling hosts. Tivvy are back on the road this Saturday, when they make the journey to Weymouth, in a six-pointer and will be very much intending to build on the momentum of their last two results, to achieve a favourable outcome. 

Tiverton: John Ross, Brooklyn Wilkins, Matt Wood, Toby Down, Corey Koerner, Sergui Lungu, Josh Salmon, Zack Williams, Jacob Wellington, Finley Rooke (89), Ise Aworinde. 

Substitutes: Dan Koita, Louis Jagger Cane, Tor Swann, Aiden Horne (89), Gabe Billington.