Post by Dave on May 3, 2024 10:27:41 GMT
Match Referee Ollie Abercrombie
Final Score Liverton United 2nd 3 Drake FC 1st 2
Match Preview
I do not normally cover the same team two weeks on the trot, but this week I have had to make an exception. New boys to the South Devon league Drake FC are a team I had wanted to cover this season, but until now it has not happened for a number of reasons. With very few games left to play this season its now or having to wait until next season to cover a Drake FC game, but what a big game it is as far as the league table goes.
Liverton United has had many ups and downs since it was formed way back in 1902, the same year the South Devon Football League was formed. It is where Liverton started off their football journey and where they find themselves today.
In 2007 they moved up to the newly formed South West Peninsula League, becoming founder members of Division One East. After finishing third in 2009–10, the club were Division One East champions in 2010–11, also winning the Devon Premier Cup with a 1–0 win over Budleigh Salterton.
The 2011–12 season saw Liverton retain the Premier Cup and win the league's Charity Vase They were also Division One East champions for a second successive season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. However, despite finishing in mid-table in the Premier Division the following season, the club were demoted back to Division One East for failing to meet ground grading requirements.
In 2019 the club were founder members of the new Devon League, but like many clubs who joined the Devon League are now back in the South Devon League where it all began way back in 1902.
Thankfully the club has survived and both the 1st team and the 2nd team are doing well in the South Devon league this season. I covered the 2nd team last weekend when they faced Paignton Villa 3rd at Whiterock. While missing a number of key players they still proved too strong for the Villa lads winning the game by five goals to one. It was a win that saw Liverton knock Drake FC off the top spot in the table.
Oliver West celebrating his first of the two goals he scored
What do we know about Drake FC
Information provided by team captain Brett Morgan “We formed as a youth club in 2016. Initially we only had 3 teams but as the years have gone on we have grown significantly. We now have 19 teams, two of which are girls teams and one which is u18s. We also have our Drake Roots academy for 3-5 year olds and a newly formed Ladies team. We decided last year that we needed a men’s team so our youth players had somewhere to go and the same with the ladies. We wanted to go into the south Devon league as we had heard great stuff about it and that the football was of a high standard and it hasn’t disappointed.”
Drake FC may have been a new team to the South Devon league, but it was a club that soon made a name for itself in it. They won their opening game away to Kingsteignton Athletic 2nd by five goals to two. They soon topped the table and remained unbeaten in the league until the 2nd March when they lost at home against Chudleigh Athletic 2nd by three goals to two.
Liverton’s 2nd record, played seventeen, won fourteen, drawn one and lost two, putting them top of the table on forty three points. They have scored a total of sixty six goals, conceded nineteen giving them a plus forty seven goal difference.
Drake FC come into the game now in second place in the league table on forty one points. Their record, played seventeen won thirteen, drawn two and lost two. Scoring a whopping eighty two goals, conceded eighteen giving them a plus sixty four goal difference.
Unbelievably Drakes last two games have both been at home against Liverton United 2nds and they lost both of them. On the 13th April a Les Bishop Cup Semi-final which they lost by two goals to nil and a league fixture on the 30th March which they lost by two goals to one.
Liverton will be looking to make it three wins on the trot against Drake FC and go five points clear at the top of the table.(three points clear if Elburton Villa fc Development win today) While Drake FC will be doing their very best to make sure that does not happen as a win for them would see them reclaim the top spot they held onto all season.
The Elburton Villa fc Development v Kingsteignton Athletic 2nd game is another big game today in the title race. A Kings win would certainly make the remaining games very interesting, but they were beaten by Elburton Villa fc Development at home last weekend by two goals to nil. The only team to have beaten Elburton in the league this season was in fact Liverton United 2nd.
May the best team win
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Match Report
I could not think of a better place on a nice sunny afternoon to be than sat on the edge of a football pitch. Not the best conditions for photography due to the shadows the sun cast on players faces, but we have to get on with it and do our best.
I was expecting this game to be strong physical battle and it certainly was, but over the balance of play the right team won, just. Craig kendall has been in charge of the Liverton 2nd team for the last eight games and it is no surprise the team has won every game.
I can see why Drake FC topped the table for so long this season, while they are a young side they have plenty of quality players in the ranks. They certainly played their part today to produce what was a very enjoyable game to cover.
The match referee got the game underway and Drake made a very bright start and it was clear they were going to give their all to finally try and beat this Liverton 2nd side after suffering two defeats to them.
Liverton had the first decent chance to take the lead in the match after winning a free kick out on the left hand side of the pitch. The ball was fired high into the Drake box and Thomas Timpson rose well and headed the ball with power, but Bailey Sheldon in goal for Drake did ever so well to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Liverton’s Steven Rohan who had a very good game, hit a good shot from the edge of the Drake box that went just wide of the right hand post. Both sets of players were getting stuck him and there were a number of real strong tackles.
Drake won their first corner of the match which ended up getting put behind for a second corner from the other side. The ball was fired into the box and headed at goal by Ash Walker which forced the Liverton stand in keeper Jacob Mortimore to make a good save low down by the right hand post.
Drake were guilty of conceding a number of needless free kicks and as a result were putting themselves under pressure they could have avoided. Liverton’s Thomas Timpson fancied his chances from twenty five yards out, but his effort flew over the crossbar.
Thomas was in the Drake box again this time in the right hand side, but once again his effort flew over the bar. Liverton’s Oliver West got a shot away from the edge of the box that was blocked on route to the goal, the ball came back to Jacob Smell who fired the ball way over the crossbar.
I felt Liverton needed to take at least one of the chances they were creating, Thomas Timpson burst into the right hand side of the Drake box again, but his shot was well held by the keeper.
The goal was coming and what a wonderful individual effort it was. Yes no surprise the ball was at the feet of Thomas Timpson who made his way inside the left hand side of the Drake box. I was memorised as he turned one way and then another way looking to make space for a shot. Another two turns and I thought he was now a bit to wide of the left hand post, but he fired an unstoppable shot across the keeper and low inside the right hand post.
Drake looked to get back onto level terms trying to hit long balls over the Liverton defence, but they were not really coming off for them. I was a bit surprised as they looked to have plenty of players who looked comfortable on the ball.
Liverton’s Oliver West was out really wide close to the Drake goal line and fired a powerful shot that only just went past the far post. Drake then had a golden opportunity when Alfie While was played clear into the Liverton box with only the keeper to beat, but Jacob Mortimore made a great save low down.
But then Jacob nearly gave a goal to Drake, he ran to the edge of his box to boot away a long through ball and missed the ball completely. The ball went past him and was being chased down by a Drake forward, but thankfully for Liverton a defender got back to the ball first and booted it clear.
Liverton’s Steven Rohan made a good run down the right hand side and played an inch perfect ball into the feet of Ryan Duke who got a low shot away that once again was saved well by the Drake keeper. Jacob Smell then hit a very wild thirty yard effort high over the Drake crossbar.
Drake were then awarded a penalty after Mathew Waye allowed Drakes Chalton Allen to rob the ball off him on the edge of his box. As the ball was played in a Drake player was brought down. Callum Thomas placed the ball on the spot. The Liverton keeper went the right way and looked to have made a one handed save low down. But the ball looped up over his outstretched hand and rolled over the line.
Liverton’s Alex Dart fired a shot away from the edge of the Drake box that hit the back of a player. The match referee was then pointing to the spot for a Liverton penalty. It seems there was a high boot on Liverton’s Mathew Wayne. Stephen Rohan took the spot kick sending the keeper the wrong way.
Just before the match was restarted Drakes Carlton Allen decided to have further words with the match referee over the award of the penalty with the end result ending up in the sin bin with five minutes to the end of the first half.
The referee blew up for the end of the first half, the Liverton players made the trek back to the dressing rooms while the Drake players decided to stay out on the pitch. Liverton were just about worthy of their slender lead.
The second half got underway and Drake had to start with ten men as they still had a player in the sin bin. The first effort of the half was a twenty yard effort by Alex Dart that went well wide of the right hand post.
Stephen Rohan turned neatly on the edge of the Drake box and got a shot away that was well held by Bailey Sheldon. Ryan Duke had a great chance to increase his sides lead when we was played into the Drake box. But once again Bailey Sheldon did ever so well coming off his line and blocking the shot.
Carlton Allen was waved back onto the pitch by the referee restoring the Drake side to eleven players. Alex Dart was then booked for a foul, I thought the referee was just going to award the free kick, but he then called Alex back to him and produced the yellow card.
Liverton won a free kick on the edge of the Drake box that was taken by Mathew Waye, but his effort only hit the wall that had been put up by the Drake defence.
Drake were then gifted a goal when the Liverton keeper failed to come and collect what looked like an easy ball for him Oliver Hodgson had the easy task of just knocking the ball past the keeper into the back of the net.
They always say you are most venerable of conceding a goal straight after you scored and that proved to be the case for Drake. Within seconds of the restart the ball was at the feet of Liverton’s Dez bridgman who looked up and saw the Drake keeper off his line and lobbed the ball over him from outside of the box.
Drake went on the attack and won a corner, the ball was fired towards the back post number ten (sub number not written down) headed just wide of the post. Stephen Rohan was played in again and the Drake keeper did very well to get to the edge of his box and claim the ball. Drake then sent a good ball into the Liverton box but Oliver Hodgson had to stretch a bit to much to get his head on the ball and headed it past the post.Drakes Ash Walker got on the end of a loose ball inside the Liverton box and got a shot away that was well saved down low by the post. A great low ball was fired across the Liverton box from the right hand side that just needed a touch to fire it home.
Liverton’s sub number 21 played a great one two with Stephen Rohan on the edge of the Drake box that played him in on goal, but his shot went just wide of the far right hand post. Stephen Rohan was played into the box again and maybe should have scored, but under great pressure from a Drake defender his effort went wide of the left hand post.
Then a bit of a strange event when Drake won a free kick deep inside of the Liverton half on the left hand side of the pitch. The referee ran all the way back to the halfway line and send Stephen Rohan to the sin bin. I can only imagine he must have said something just after his last effort of goal.
Drake upped a gear as they tried to take advantage with the extra man on the pitch. Matthew Waye earned himself a silly booking for grabbing the arm of a Drake player.Then Drakes sub Bradley Lowe asked the referee something and as a result was sent to the sin bin. Before he even got there and due to carrying on the referee sent him off. I personally did not see a red card shown, but I have been assured it was. With only minutes left to play the sending off had no impact on the game.
The referee blew up for the end of the match and Liverton remain top of the table and Drake drop down to third place due to Elburton Villa fc Development beating Kingsteignton Athletic today by four goals to three at home.
Drake FC will have the opportunity to get back into second place in the table next weekend when they face Elburton Villa fc Development away, a win for Drake would most certainly help Liverton’s chances of becoming the league champions.
A great game to cover, it was great to talk with the Drake backroom team before the match and I look forward to covering another of your games next season. Thanks to the big man as always.
