Galmpton V Newton Spurs 26th February 2011

[Dave]

South West Penninsula League Division One Fixture

Galmpton V Newton Spurs 26th February 2011

Galmpton United were formed in 1924 and in their early days played on the nearby Galmpton Common. After the Second World War, the village was donated the War Memorial Playing Field for their efforts during the war. I’m not sure if the original goal posts are still on the common, they were still there a number of years ago, but I have a feeling they have been removed now.

The football club moved to the Memorial Ground shortly afterwards and shared the field with the cricket club, until the cricket club folded in 2001. This gave the club the opportunity to rotate the pitch ninety degrees and also renovate the club house.

The last game I watched at the Memorial Ground was a game Ant played in for Brixham Villa and the cricket club were still using the ground and the pitch was the other way around. Time sure fly’s by as that game must have taken place before 2001.

It cost me £2 to get in and a £1 for the programme and I was a bit disappointed there were only six others in the crowd, so as you might expect, there was no atmosphere at all to enjoy.

After watching Buckland Res play against Ipplepen in the Premier Division of the South West League earlier in the season and seeing a game where the standard of football was very high quality, I was expecting to see even better football played in this match.

Sadly that did not turn out to be the case and I felt Newton Abbot Spurs looked a much poorer side than some of the other sides I have seen them put out over the years. They sure are nowhere near as good as the team when I was their mascot when I was nine years old and had TFF member Richard Godfrey playing for them. Even the side that Ant came on as a sub for and took just five minutes to score a goal four or five years ago, were a much better side than the one on display today.

The start of the match and most of the first half was all rather frantic with no team really getting their passing game going. Spurs were very guilty of committing so many fouls and some of the challenges were a bit to meaty, even for a game at this level.

Galmpton were slightly the better side and look an early lead from a free kick just outside the Newton Spurs box. As one of the Galmpton players got near the box he was hacked down and up stepped Kev Wiltshire to take the free kick. Spurs put four players in their wall, but Wiltshire curled the ball around them and right into the top right hand corner of the goal.

There was not a great deal of goal mouth action going on and Spurs were gifted the chance to pull level after one of their forwards, was hacked down in the box from behind. The penalty was taken by Adam Dyson who drilled the ball low into the corner giving the Galmpton keeper no chance at all to make a save.

The ref handed out a few yellow cards during the first half to a couple of Spurs players for some over the top challenges and one too Galmpton's number nine Stuart Bowker for diving in the box trying to win a penalty.

So off they all went for their half time break and it was a good fifteen minutes I can tell you. I had a nice bench on the side of the ground I was watching the match from (other side from the dugouts and so sat myself down waiting for them all to take to the field again.

Newton Abbot Spurs started the second half much better as their midfield starting taking some control, but were never able to find those killer balls that would have put their forwards clean in on goal.

Spurs were pushing much higher up the pitch and that proved to be costly for them. Stuart Bower was always looking to play off the last defenders shoulder and get in on goal when ever possible.

One great ball picked him out and he controlled the ball well taking it in his stride and headed for goal. From about 20 or so yards out he hit a powerful left foot shot they flew past the Spurs keeper and into the net.

Spurs kept pressing forward looking for an equaliser, but more and more space was appearing behind their back four. Galmpton got in behind Spurs a number of times but never made it count. They had a few headers and shots well over the bar until they did score their third goal.

The ref who missed a number of very clear fouls throughout the match awarded Galmpton about three on the trot on the left hand side of the pitch some 30 yards from goal. The last one was about 25 yards from goal and the free kick was taken by Steve Bowker.

He went for goal with a very low and powerful shot that went in just inside the left hand post, the Spurs keeper had dived that way, but the ball went under his body and hit the back of the net.

A very peasant afternoon mostly in the sun when it did not get covered up by some clouds, at least it was dry unlike it was here in the Bay this morning.