Pl Bovey Tracey FC V Torridgeside AFC 19th August 2023

[Dave]

Match Referee Mark Burrough

Referee Assistants Reg Cross & Mark Eburne

Final Score Bovey Tracey FC 5 Torridgeside AFC 0

Match Preview

My third Peninsula League match this season and I have yet to see the team playing at home win, will that change today? I always enjoy watching Bovey play, normally plenty of goals and action played on a great looking pitch. In the 2018/2019 season Bovey scored 120 league goals in total which is a record for the old Division One East.

With the return of Sean Finch Bovey’s most prolific goalscorer in recent years, having racked-up an impressive 98 goals and the likes of Oliver Aplin upfront for Bovey, scoring goals should be no problem for the club this season.

Bovey have made a good start to the season and currently are in fifth place in the table on five points. They have played a total of three games, winning one and drawing the other two. They have scored a total of eight goals and conceded three giving them a plus five goal difference.

Bovey drew their opening game away to Axminster one all. They also drew their second match at home on the 9th August against Elburton Villa two goals all. Last Saturday at home Bovey put five past Bishop’s Lydeard without reply. It was only the Bishop’s second game of the season; their first game was at home against Dartmouth which they won by four goals to one.

Torridgeside AFC are based in Great Torrington and were formed in 1989.Torridgeside joined the North Devon League Division Two in 2003–04, winning it the following season. They were promoted to the Senior Division the year after that, and promoted again to the Premier Division in 2008–09. They won the Premier Division title in 2012–13, and were runners-up in 2015–16, earning promotion to the South West Peninsula League Division One East. At the end of 2018–19 the league was restructured, and, having finished fourth, Torridgeside successfully applied for promotion to the Premier Division East, at Step 6 of the National League System.

Torridgeside have only played one league game so far this season, on the opening Saturday they were the 17th odd team out, midweek last week they should have played Okehampton but was off due to FA Cup replay at Brixham and last Saturday they had a wedding. So their first game was at home on Tuesday the 15th August against Cullompton Rangers which they lost by two goals to nil. On 2 May 2019, Torridgeside were beaten 5–4 by Bovey Tracey after extra time in the final of the Devon Premier Cup.

Bovey will want to preserve their early unbeaten record and build on last Saturday’s fine win and will come into the game full of confidence. Torridgeside will want to get their first points on the board but it won’t be easy against this Bovey side.

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Match Report


What a delightful afternoon in such a wonderful setting. Bovey Tracey could not have picked a better spot when they decided they needed a new ground. The pitch once again looked so perfect and then you have the back drop of some wonderful looking trees. We were all treated to yet another special display by the Moorlanders in a game that could have ended up ten goals to nil. Such was their dominance and were fully in control from the very first minute to the very last one.

In my match preview I said with Bovey having both Sean Finch and Oliver Aplin upfront, scoring goals should be no problem for the club this season. But I did not know about Joseph Alangel who was rightly awarded the sponsors player of the match. So strong on the ball, winning all the battles all over the pitch. Laying on perfect balls for others to score, scoring goals himself, the complete player.

Today’s victory was a team effort, all the players working for each other and playing such neat football, if they produce this every week, they will be the team to beat.

The match referee blew up for the start of the match and it was a fairly even start by both sides to begin with. Bovey won their first corner of the match and the ball was fired into the box. Simon Laughton got a good head on the ball, but his effort went wide of the right hand post.

Bovey lost the ball cheaply in the midfield which gave Dylan Evans a chance to run towards the Bovey goal. He took his shot too far out and it lacked any power to trouble Dom Aplin in goal for Bovey. The Moorlanders were getting their passing game together and were now fully in control the game.

Chances were few and far between for Torridgeside and the two they had only came about because Bovey lost the ball in their own half. Torridgeside did have one half chance when a ball into the Bovey box and headed out to the edge of the box. Dylan Evans picked the ball up, turned and got a shot away that just went wide of the right hand post.

Joseph Alangel was working his magic down the left hand side and sent a good ball into the Torridgeside box, Oli Aplin rose and got a good head on the ball, but his effort went wide of the right hand post.

In a rare attack at the other end, Dylan Evans was played in and was stopped by an amazing tackle by a Bovey defender.

Then Bovey took a very well deserved lead in the match in the 26th minute and yes Joseph Alangel was the player who made it. He combined on the left hand side with Lewis Perring and sent a delightful ball into the box. The ball went past the keeper to where Oli Aplin was waiting to fire the ball home.

Joseph Alangel then came up with a great shot of his own from just outside the Torridgeside box; he forced Elijah Clarke in goal for Torridgeside into making a full length save.

Bovey’s Chester Walters also hit a good low shot from just out side the box, but the keeper held onto the ball well. A rare bit of action up the other end just before the halftime break saw Josh Parsons hit a cross come shot from out on the right hand side that flew over the crossbar.

The referee blew up for halftime and the big question was how were Bovey only winning the game by the single goal? It could have been at least three nil on chances created alone.

The second half got underway and straight from the off a long Bovey ball is not dealt with by the Torridgeside right back. Joseph Alangel won the battle with the defender and laid the ball off to Joseph Alangel who got a shot away. It was straight at the keeper who saved it but could not keep hold of the ball. It came to Joseph Alangel who fired the ball at goal again forcing the keeper into making another good save.

Neil Last then had a good chance when Bovey worked the ball well down the right hand side. Neil received the ball inside the box and fired it across the keeper but it went the wrong side of the post. Oli Aplin hit a low powerful shot just outside the box that the keeper did well to push past the left hand post.

Bovey were then awarded a penalty, Joseph Alangel crossed the ball into the box from the left hand side it hit a defenders arm. The referee thought long and hard before pointing to the spot. Neil Last took the spot kick and put his side two goals up.

Bovey thought they had gone further in front when Joseph Alangel once again sent a good ball into the box from the left hand side. Oli Aplin slots it past the keeper but the lineman put his flag up for offside.

Torridgeside did create one good chance when Josh Darsons hit a goal bound shot just inside the Bovey box, but it was blocked on route to the back of the net by a Bovey defender.

Joseph Alangel was causing all sorts of problems for the Torridgeside defence and was hacked down right on the edge of the box. The defender (I believe was Billy Tubb )was deemed to be the last defender and showed a straight red card. It was so close to being a second penalty as it was that close to the edge of the box. It did not matter as Joseph Alangel took the free kick himself. He curled the ball around the defence and into the far corner of the goal, but it might have taken a slight defection.

It was all looking to easy for the Bovey boys and you felt there were even more goals to come. Simon Laughton hit a first time volley that was cleared off the line and behind for a corner.

Bovey won another free kick, this time a bit further out. Joseph Alangel once again took it and pulled out the save of the match from the Torridgeside keeper. The forth Bovey goal soon followed. Oli Aplin turned neatly in the box and got a shot away. His effort was blocked and the ball came back to the edge of the box. Joseph Alangel hit another wonderful shot from there into the back of the net. He also hit another good shot just after this that only just cleared the crossbar.

Bovey’s fifth and final goal summed up their combined attitude for the whole game. A long ball was pumped down the left hand side and the defender looked the favourite. But James Watts Barcielle was not prepared to give up on the ball. He battled the defender for it and won and headed towards to the goal and from a tight angle fired a low shot into the back of the net.

Bovey still went looking for even more goals but the time was running out and the match referee blew up for the end of the game.

I left the ground with the biggest smile on my face, this really was such a cracking game to watch and I enjoyed my time immensely. Many thanks to all my Bovey friends today, you made little old Dave feel so welcome and it meant a lot to me.