Post by Dave on May 20, 2023 9:14:04 GMT
Match Referee Jack Smith
Final Score Paignton Villa 2nd 2 Newton Abbot Spurs 3rd 3
Match Preview
Here we are at the end of another season and a time when managers will look back and assess how the season went. Last season ( 2021/2022) Villa 2nds struggled for a good part of it and looked certain to end up being relegated. But a great run towards the end of the season saw Sam’s team avoid the drop. The team also reached the final of the Fred Hewings Cup, a first in the history of the club.
Villa 2nd made a great start this season and even managed to beat Brixham Town away by three goals to one and was up at the top end of the league table. But their mid season form dropped and as a result they ended up dropping down the league. They did reach the semi-final of the Fred Hewings Cup, but were knocked out by East Allington 2nd losing the match by one goal to nil.
They have got back to winning ways recently and even beat this years league champions Watcombe Wanders in a Lidstone cup game away by two goals to one. On the whole Sam should be pleased with his team’s performance this season, some great wins and plenty of positives to take into next season. Villa 2nd are currently in seventh place in the table on nineteen points from sixteen games played to date. Winning five, drawing four and losing a total of seven matches. Two wins from the remaining games could see Villa 2nds finish in fifth place this season.
Newton Spurs 3rd have enjoyed a good season and are in forth place in the league table on thirty one points from the seventeen games they have played so far. Their record, won ten, drawn one and lost six matches in total.
They did reach the final of the Lidstone Cup this season against Brixham Town and after being three nil behind and down to ten men, did well to pull the score back to three goals to two. The two teams met again in a league fixture just two days later, and Spurs 3rd thumped Brixham Town winning the game by seven goals to nil.
Villa 2nds and Spurs 3rd have only met the once this season, a home league match for Spurs 3rd played on the 5th November. Spurs 3rd won the game by five goals to two and will fancy doing the double over Villa 2nds.
May the best team win.
Match Report.
A bright beautiful summer like afternoon at Whiterock today. The pitch looked the best I have seen it all season, credit must go to Paignton Villa for all the effort they put into making Whiterock a great place to play and watch football.
While it is always great to see all the friends I have made at Paignton Villa, I was especially pleased to meet today’s match referee Jack Smith. A young man doing his very first season in the middle. He made his decisions and stuck with them and I felt he was always in full control of the game.
We need more young men like Jack taking up the whistle, while not everyone today might have agreed with all the calls he made, he did so honestly and fairly to both teams. A big well done from me Jack, I will look forward to the next match I cover when you are in the middle.
There might have only been pride to play for today, but both teams clearly wanted to win the match. Villa made the game so hard for themselves going in three nil down at halftime. The simple truth is until Sam made a change, Villa were poor at the back and seemed to panic every time they were under attack.
Jack got the game underway and both sides made a reasonably good start. The first chance fell to Spurs Aiden blackie who from inside the left hand side of the Villa box got a low shot away. Adam Taylor in goal for Villa made a fine blocking save. But the ball went up into the air and was headed at goal, thankfully for Villa they had a defender on the line who was able to clear the ball away and stop what would have been a certain goal.
But it did not take Spurs long to get their first goal of the match. A Long ball from in their own half for Deven Webb to run onto. He held off a strong challenge and from the edge of the box hit a powerful shot into the back of the net. The spurs bench for a second thought the referee had ruled the goal out for hand ball, but Jack was merely touching his shoulder to show the challenge on the defender was just shoulder to shoulder.
Villa have Adam Taylor to thank for making so many great saves during the match, Aiden blackie was once again in the left hand side of the Villa box and got another good shot away. Adam made a fine blocking save with his body.
Spurs Jayden Brent really should have increased his teams lead in the match. Spurs won a throw in on the right that was thrown towards the edge of the box. A villa player got a head on the ball but the ball ended up flying towards the back post. Jayden close in blasted the ball over the crossbar.
The second goal was coming and it was no surprise who scored it. Aiden blackie was played in beyond two Villa defenders with to much ease. With just the keeper to beat he picked his spot and fired the ball home.
Villa were struggling to create any decent chances of their own and soon found themselves even further behind. They gave away a free kick on the edge of their own box that was taken by Luis Green. He bent the ball around the wall and just inside the right hand post giving Adam Taylor no chance of making a save.
Aiden blackie was in again and forced another great save out of Adam Taylor low down, even more poor defending let him in again and once again Adam was up to the task.
Up the other end some great battling work by Villa’s Joe Price who finally was able to send a great ball into the Spurs box from the left hand side. Sadly no team mate had made any effort to get into the box and for Spurs the danger was over.
Spurs won another free kick just outside the box that was once again taken by Luis Green. This time is effort was rather tame and ended up being an easy catch for Adam Taylor.
That was it for the first half and a good team talk by the Villa manager was clearly needed. The second half got underway and Villa’s Joe Price, who was forty yards away from the spurs goal, looked up and saw the keeper off his line. He hit a high powerful shot that only just cleared the crossbar.
Spurs Josh Barker found his name going into the referees book for a foul, on the whole this was a very clean game but the foul was defiantly a yellow card offence.
Villa were getting back into the match and looked more determined, but Spurs always looked dangerous when they were in the Villa half. Adam Taylor pulled off the save of the match and it was only his saves and some poor finishing by the spurs forwards that stopped Villa going even further behind.
Then came the second and final booking of the match, Joe Price committed a foul and then foolishly kick the ball away giving Jack no choice but to reach for his cards.
Spurs Aiden Blackie was played into the Villa box and looked certain to score, but he lifted the ball up and over the crossbar.
Villa then gave themselves a ray of hope when they got a goal back, a great ball played into the Spurs box from the right hand side towards the back post was headed home by Harry Lee.
Spurs Oliver Bellotti was played into the Villa box and hit a good shot that sadly for him hit the crossbar and behind for a goal kick.
Spurs keeper Henry Young was forced into making a good save with his feet when Nigel Vass hit a good shot from just inside the right hand side of the Spurs box.
Villa scored their second goal of the match from a corner kick. The ball was fired high into the Spurs box and Josh Barker headed it home. Time was running out for Villa but they did have one last decent chance to square the game up. A ball fired into the box from the left hand side and Nigel. Vass got a head on it but could not direct the ball at goal.
A slightly confusing end to the game. The Spurs bench asked the ref how long there was to go. He showed five fingers and were shocked as they thought the full time had been played.
The game did in fact go on for a further five minutes before the referee blew up for the end of the match. He was than approached by the Villa manager who claimed there was still five more minutes to play and the game had been ended to early. Sam was polite to Jack and when I spoke with Jack a little later he assured me his watch had showed the correct time was fully played.
Many thanks to both team managers today for all your help with the team sheet. On the day Spurs were the best side but Sam can be proud of the Villa lads for their second half fight.
