SWPL Div 1 East: Stoke Gabriel V Appledore 4th March 2017

[Dave]

Carlsberg Southwest Peninsula League Division One East

Stoke Gabriel AFC V Appledore AFC

The Railwaymen V The Fishermen

Saturday 4th March 2017 Kick-Off 3pm


Venue G J Churchward Memorial Ground

Match Referee Dave Green

Final Score Stoke Gabriel 2 Appledore 0

Match Preview

Stoke Gabriel AFC were the Division One East Runners Up in 2009/10, 2011/12 & 2012/13 and went one better in the 2013/14 season finishing as the league champions. The club was buzzing back then and its supporters enjoyed watching a great winning team.

Sadly the clubs two seasons playing in the Premier League ended up being a disastrous and disappointing affair as before a ball was even kicked in anger at the start of the 2014/15 season, the manager walked out taking a number of players with him. The team never really seemed to recover from this despite Tim Porter the new managers best efforts. Tim did find a way to keep the club in the Premier Division but any hopes of enjoying a much better second season in the Premier Division soon faded.

I know Tim Porter, the players and the club wanted to remain playing in the Premier Division as they enjoyed playing against the best teams from Cornwall. Living just a mile away from the ground myself, I also enjoyed being able to watch games at the Churchward Memorial Ground featuring many of the top teams that were playing in the Premier League.

There are times in life when it is better to take one step backwards in order to then take two steps forward and I may have been alone in my thinking, but I thought dropping back down to the Division One East was the right thing for the club at the time.

I think that case has been proved with new manager Nick Milton turning the fortunes of the team around on the pitch and returning the feel good factor at the club that all winning teams produce. The rebuilding blocks have been put into place correctly and when Stoke do return to the Premier League, I’m very sure it will be a completely different affair than the first time.

Appledore AFC were the Division One East Runners-Up in the 2014/15 season and last season they won the Throgmorton Devon Premier Cup beating Newton Abbot Spurs by one goal to nil at Coach Road to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2010.

This was the first league meeting of the two clubs this season with Stoke having to play Appledore at their place in April and both teams came into the game on very good recent form. Last game Stoke beat Alphington at home by four goals to one while Appledore played away against Exwick Villa winning the game by two goals to nil.

Before today’s game Stoke were in third place in the table on fifty five points, but they do have two games on hand over the team above them Newton Abbot Spurs who are fifty six points and one game in hand over the current league leaders Teignmouth who are fifty seven points.

They have played twenty six games, winning seventeen, drawing four and losing five. Along the way they have scored seventy nine league goals, conceded thirty one giving them a whopping plus forty eight goal difference.

Appledore having played one less league game than Stoke were not very far behind in the table in fifth place on fifty two points so this game really was a top of the table six pointer. Of the twenty five league games Appledore have played to date, they have won sixteen, drawn four and lost five, scoring seventy one goals, conceding thirty eight giving them a very respectable plus thirty three goal difference.

This game on paper had the potential to be a high scoring game, would that be the case? And with the league leaders away to new boys Torridgeside and Newton Spurs away at St Martins, could Stoke end up as the new League leaders come 5pm?

Match Report

On a cold and wet afternoon Stoke were made to work very hard for their deserved victory by Appledore on a very heavy pitch that cut up badly as the game wore on. It was not the high scoring game I was expecting and almost right to the end I could only see one single goal ending up dividing the teams.

Stoke started the game well and quickly got their passing game going and always looked dangerous when ever they were deep in the Appledore half, but chances in the first half were few and far between for both teams.

Stokes Dean Stevens did hit a sweet shot from the edge of the Appledore box that just went wide on the left hand post and Josh Webber was proving to be a real handful for the Appledore defence with his strong runs down the left hand side of the pitch. One such great run ended up with the ball being crossed low to the far end of the box that was met with a first time powerful shot by Lewis Woodmore that the keeper Jimmy Thorne managed to save with his legs.

Another good run and cross by Josh Webber ended up at the feet of Sean Finch who turned neatly in the box and hit a shot on the turn that just went wide of the right hand post. Sean made so many good runs and was never afraid to take on the last man and surly the first goal was not too far away.

It nearly was and would have been against the run of play when a long hopeful ball was thumped up field by Appledore that fell just in front of Tom Marsh. He looked up and saw the Stoke keeper Scott Corderoy off his line and tried to lob the ball over him. It looked a certain goal from my angle but the ball bent around the right hand post and behind for a goal kick.

That was it for the first half and Appledore came out for the first five minutes of the second half all guns blazing, but it not take Stoke long to get back on top and once again looking the most likely team to score the opening goal.Early in the half Josh Webber had two efforts to open the scoring, first he brought a fine save from the Appledore keeper Jimmy Thorne and then hit a powerful shot from distance that took a slight deflection before hitting the outside of the post.

Not a lot of action for the next half hour until Stoke again took command of the matct about three quarters into the half . The ball broke to Lewis Woodmore six yards out and he was only defied by a brilliant save from Jimmy Thorne.

Appledores Tom Marsh got himself a needless booking by preventing Stoke from taking a free kick they won by standing just a foot from the ball. Stoke then won two corners on the trot and came so close to scoring but that first goal was not that far away.

A good ball was played into the Appledore box from the right hand side that was not dealt with and cleared from danger and Lewis Woodmore was there at the back post to fire the ball into the back of the net with just fourteen minutes left on the clock.

Appledore upped their game looking to get back into the game but the Stoke defence stood big and strong and saw off any danger, so much so Scott Corderoy was never really tested in the Stoke goal.

Stoke made sure of taking the whole three points on offer when they scored again when Appledore felt they should have been awarded a free kick deep in their own half out wide on the left. The match referee gave nothing and the ball was crossed into the near post for Oliver Critchlow to stoop and head the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net.

Another good win for Stoke and it was so good to witness for myself the huge improvements s on the playing side that has been made at Stoke this season.