Post by Dave on Sept 15, 2010 15:39:52 GMT
Ipplepen Athletic v Stoke Fleming 27th Mar 2010
I have to be honest and say I have had the very best and most enjoyable Saturday afternoon watching a game of football for some time and deciding to just watch the game, have some fun taking pictures and not turning on the radio to listen to the Torquay United game, was in the end a very sensible decision.
Merse will remember the time Ipplepens ground was at the top of the main street, but it was moved many years ago now about a mile out of the village Newton Abbot side. You drive in the gates on the right is the cricket club and pitch and their club house and further inside the car park on the left is the football team club house and their pitch. When the football club was first moved to the new ground the club house had not been built and I remember going with Ant to watch him and both sets of players had to change in the dressing rooms of the old pitch and then pile in cars to get to the new ground. For a small village it’s rather impressive and the pitch itself is very flat across it, but does have a slight down hill slope from one gaol to the other.
An ant after match verdict on how he played was he was rubbish and while he has had better games, it was not his worst and he played his part for the team but never really got a sniff at goal. His hold up play and clever passes that showed the extra class he has was there for all to see.
The Stoke keeper kept me in fits of laughter for the whole game and I was glad when the first of the three goals were put past him. Stoke were well in the Ipplepen half and were flagged offside, only the Stoke keeper the very furthest player on the pitch away from the decision started shouting his head off at the linesman who was down the other end of the pitch and he would just not shut up.
It got better as a short while later he decided to have a right shout at one of his own defenders and once again would not let it go. In the end his manager got up from the dugout and shouted to him to calm down, forget it and get on with the game. Boy that set him off again and he started shouting back to the manager to get someone else in goal as he was coming off. He never did and he spent the whole of the second half shouting at the ref and swearing away to himself.
The game started and no team was really on top at the start and the few better chances fell to Ipplepen, but most were hit over the bar or wide of the goal. Ipplepen took the lead with a good through ball played inside the centre half and I believe it was the Ipplepen winger who got onto the ball just inside the box on the right and fired a low shot across the keeper inside the left hand post.
Apart from the Stoke keeper having to make an excellent save, there was not a great deal of goal mouth action for the remainder of the half, Ant did have a half chance with his head that went past the right hand post.
So halftime and I switched on my small radio and got those silly things to stay in my ears and DT was talking about Buckle had been saying players had not been taking their chances, he then talked about Rendell hitting the post, he was pulled back and we got a spot kick and Wroe missed it, then the bad news we were losing one nil.
With Ipplepen playing down the slope for the second half they took control of the game and were firmly on top, Stoke could not get out of their own half and I felt it was only a matter of time before Ipplepen scored again.
They did with the winger moving with the ball toward goal and from 30 yards out hit it, not sure if the Stoke keeper just got his feet stuck in the muddy goal mouth, but I was expecting him to make the save and was surprised to see the ball hit the back of he net.
Ipplepen then went three nil up, not sure who the young player was, but it was a very good individual goal, he ran toward the goal and then across the outside of the goal area and hit a great dipping volley that flew just inside the right hand post. Game over I thought and maybe a few more goals for Ipplepen still to come, WRONG.
Stoke started to come a bit more into the game and were gifted a very soft gaol that I was not sure if it was scored by them or an own goal, a few players blocked my view but I thought the Ipplepen defender got a toe on the ball and the ball went past the advancing keeper and rolled across the goal and went in the goal close to the left hand post.
It was all Stoke now and they started playing some very neat passing and got another goal back from a good cross into the box that the forward rose well and placed his header to the left of the Ipplepen keeper.
The Stoke manager kept shouting as his defenders to not give Ant one inch and told them to step on his ankles if they had too, charming I thought, but at least I was able to smile as they knew he was more than capable of ruining their comeback should he get the slightest half chance.
Stokes second goal woke up the Ipplepen players who started to battle so much harder all over the pitch to stop Stoke getting a third goal. There was one mini handbags incident just outside the Ipplepen box, but the ageing ref clamed it all down and did not book anyone. The ref got a few things wrong during the game but let it flow and did his very best to keep his cards in his pocket, he did book one Ipplepen near the end, but the Ipplepen did not leave him a lot of choice and the booking was deserved.
So game over and Ipplepen did just about enough to win the game, I got back to my car and put on the radio to hear the second goal go in against us, well it was never going to be an easy game I told myself as I headed back to Paignton.
Then the coverage was lost and I’m listening to the end of the City game and learn they are winning and all but one result was going their way and they would climb three or four places up the table. Dear me, never mind it will be our turn next week for sure.
