Post by Dave on Feb 24, 2024 9:57:37 GMT
Match Referee Simon Blair
Final Score Paignton Villa 2nd 0 East Allington United 2nd 3
Match Preview
What a horrible wet month it has been and as a result we have seen so many games having to be cancelled due to waterlogged pitches. At least that is not a problem for games played on 4g pitches, love them or hate them they seldom are affected by the weather.
I take my hat off to every single local football league manager; it is not a job I would want to do myself. The manager is the one constant week in and week out at every club and often has so many problems to overcome.
Just being able to put out a side on a Saturday afternoon is just one of them as players make themselves unavailable and 2nd team managers lose players to their 1st team when they are short of numbers.
Sam Cogger is in his third season as the Paignton Villa 2nd team manager and it has been clear to me in past games I have covered, just how much passion he has for his club and team.
In football there are always highs and lows, challenges to overcome and days when even the strongest of us might come close to just giving up. Villa 2nds have had their share of lows, but also highs along the way, Sam does his very best to get the best out of his team and I applaud him for that.
Sams first season in charge really was a baptism of fire as his team struggled out on the pitch. So much so three quarters into the season the team looked certain to be relegated. But a late run of convincing wins saw the team climb to safety. Sam was able to put a feather in his cap because he became the first manager in Paignton Villa history to take a side to the final of the Fred Hewings Cup.
Villa 2nds made a great start to the 2022/2023 season and even beat the unbeatable Brixham Town away early in the season by three goals to nil. But a mixed back of results saw them drop down the table a bit. When I covered their game at home against Newton Abbot Spurs 3rd near the end of the season they were in seventh place in the league table.
The team made a very poor start to this season losing their first seven games on the trot and conceded a good number of goals along the way. But they then won their next three games and drew the next two and will come into today’s game full of confidence.
Paignton Villas are currently in eight place in the league table on eleven points from twelve games, winning three, drawing two and losing seven. Scoring a total of thirty three goals, conceding thirty seven giving them a minus four goal difference.
East Allington is another one of our great village clubs and long may that continue. The club has its own ground and has two men’s teams playing in the South Devon League. It is and always has been just that bit harder for village clubs to recruit players due to their locations, but each and every one of them enrich the leagues and need all the support they can muster.
East Allington 2nds are currently in third place in the division two table on twenty six points. Their record to date, played thirteen, won eight, drawn two and lost three, scoring a total of thirty three goals, conceded twenty one giving them a plus twelve goal difference.
The two clubs met in the league at Poole Lane on the 13th January this year in the league and East Allington won the game by five goals to nil and will be hoping to complete the double today.
Since that defeat Paignton Villa 2nd have gone on a five game unbeaten run and will most certainly feel they a good chance to win today’s encounter.
May the best team win
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Match report
The rain may have stayed away and even the sun made a rare appearance, but it was a cold afternoon and as is normal for this venue, we had plenty of wind. There was plenty of good football on display, I do feel players are just able to pass the ball so much better on 4G surfaces.
Sam the Villa manager must be scratching his head, wondering why his team did not get anything from this match. Villa certainly had a number of good spells in both halves, but they failed to create real goal scoring opportunities in front of goal.
Simon got the game underway and it was evens stevens for the first ten minutes. Villa then started to have much the better of the play and forced two corners that came to nothing. The first chance fell to Villa when a ball was fired high into the Pirates box from the left hand side. Harry Chastney rose well but his headed effort flew over the crossbar.
Up the other end a very neat turn and shot inside the Villa box by Lee Prestage had the Villa keeper Adam Taylor diving low to his right to pull off a very good save. The Pirates then won a free kick out on the right hand side of the pitch. The ball was played into the Villa box and finally dropped at the feet of Ben Taylor who close in hooked the ball over the bar.
Villa then undone all their good work by gifting the Pirates a goal. Keeper Adam Taylor kicked the ball long to the halfway line. The ball was met by a head of a Pirates player and towards the edge of the Villa box. Alexander Narvidge decided to head the ball back to his keeper who clearly was not expecting that to happen. Rooted to the middle of his goal all he could do was watch the ball go into the left hand side of the goal.
Villa went straight onto the attack looking to get back onto level terms. Brandon Edwards made a powerful run out on the right and cut inside the Pirates box. He got a powerful shot away that flew over the crossbar.
The Pirates came close to doubling their lead after a strong run out on the left hand side by Aidan Corcoran. The Villa keeper came rushing out off his line and from the edge of the box Aidan got a low powerful shot away that only just went wide of the right hand post.
Aidan soon had another good chance from just inside the box and his shot was well saved down low by the post by Adam Taylor. Up the other end Villas Alexander Narvidge hit a good shot from the end of the box over the bar.
The Villa players were all working hard but the Pirates always looked dangerous when they went on the attack. Aidan Corcoran took another shot from the edge of the Villa box that flew over the crossbar.
The match referee blew up for halftime with the Villa players making the long walk back to the dressing rooms while the Pirates stayed out on the pitch. There was only one goal between the sides and as I said that was a gift, could Villa get a goal in the second half that their first half display deserved?
Villa started the second half well, but from some distance out, Jordan Hayman hit a very wild shot that went well wide of the target. While Villa were slightly on top the front Pirate players were full of running. A ball into the Villa box from the right hand side was met with a first time right foot volley by Faical Benaziza that only just cleared the crossbar.
Villa then fell even further behind from a wonder goal by Lee Prestage, twenty yards out he hit such a perfect shot that flew into the net giving Adam Taylor no chance of making a save.
Villas Harry Chastney fancied his chances from twenty yards out but his effort went wide of the right hand post. Lee Prestage was having such a good game for his side and got another good shot away from just inside the right hand side of the Villa box that only just went wide of the far post.
The Pirates then got their third and final goal of the match. From the edge of the Villa box Owen Reynolds-Pound hit a high shot at goal. Adam Taylor jumped as high as he could but not high enough to push the ball over the crossbar and while he got a hand on the ball it dropped behind him into the net.
Another inch perfect pass into the Villa box by Lee Prestage to Aidan Cornran maybe should have seen the Pirates increase their lead, but Aidan’s shot went wide of the left hand post. The Villa lads did not let their heads drop and worked hard to try and at least get one goal back, but it was not to be. The referee blew up for fulltime and I felt that during the game there was not that much to choose between the two sides.
But in a game of football you have to score to win and the Pirates created the better chances and took them. Two great sets of players and a very entertaining match. No yellow cards as Simon did a first class job out in the middle.
My thanks to both team managers for all your help today.
