SWPL Prem Div Stoke Gabriel V Bovey Tracey 4th April 2015

[Dave]

South West Peninsula – Premier Division

Stoke Gabriel AFC (The Railwaymen) V Bovey Tracey AFC(The Moorlanders)

Saturday 4th April 2015 Kick-Off 3pm

Venue Churchward Memorial Ground

Referee Referee Assistants

Final Score Stoke Gabriel 1 Bovey Tracey 0

Already relegated Bovey only had pride to play for today after what has been a disastrous season for them. Just one win all season and having to put out a very young inexperienced side in many of their recent games, has taken its toll. Manager Shaun Hayward has been full of praise for his young players who have worked hard and stayed loyal to the club. Sadly he has been let down this season by a number of players who could not handle being in a losing side it seems.

Last seasons departing manager talked about a lack of ambition at the club, only wanting to play local players and giving him no real money to bring in better players. I do not know if it is that simple, but I do know Bovey are a good club that will bounce back and one day will hopefully be back playing in the Premier Division.

Stoke Gabriel had their own problems at the start of this season, losing their first team manager and a number of key players as well. But after a long losing run they started to slowly turn things around and move up the table away from the danger zone.

A dull afternoon weather wise and sadly a rather dull game of football. Bovey turned up with just twelve players and clearly came with a damage limitation plan as they lined five up across the back. Most of the Bovey team are very young and do deserve a lot of credit for the way they got stuck in and tried to make a game of it.

Stoke who lost their last two matches were simply not at the races and failed to get their passing game together. So many cross field balls going astray, no cutting edge up from and as a result no real goal scoring opportunities for the whole of the first half. The only excitement in the first half was a very late tackle by Tom Kelly that he was rightly booked for.

If ever there was a game you thought was going to be one of those boring goalless draws, this game was it. When the ref blew up for halftime I think everyone watching the game was just hoping for a better second half.

Stoke started the second half in a more determined mood and did not have to wait to long before taking the lead. A high cross was fired into the box from the right hand side and from where I was standing, I just expected the keeper to pluck the ball out of the air. But he didn’t and Tom Kelly on the far post got the ball over the line.

Stoke made a change bringing on Daniel Kingscote who almost instantly got himself booked for a late tackle. There followed a number of bookings for silly and unnecessary tackles from both sides and the usual handbag moments that thankfully did not get out of hand.

Stoke hit the crossbar twice and could not find the goal you always felt they might need should Bovey created a good goal scoring opportunity. Bovey did enjoy one short spell were they were getting on top, but could not find any killer passes to their loan man up front. One great ball did play in Lewis Hayward but he was forced to take his shot early just as he got inside the Stoke box and fired the ball just wide of the left hand post.

Right at the death Stoke came close to adding to their lead when the ball was hit goal wards a number of times in one of those goal mouth pinball moments when one second you think the ball is going in and then it doesn’t.

A win is a win but Stoke were not at their best and Bovey will be happy they were only beaten by a single goal in the end. I hope that Bovey will be able to attract some new players next season and enjoy a better season than this one has been for them.


FOOTNOTE Tom W Besford has informed me that Bovey aren't necessarily relegated. If St Austell get promoted they will be safe

[Dave]

The Herald Express Report With Tim Porters ( Stoke Manager) Views On The Match



STOKE GABRIEL can be pretty proud of themselves after they reached the 40-point mark with a 1-0 derby win against Bovey Tracey on Saturday.

Promoted from Division One East of the Peninsula League in the summer, the team lost manager Gary Fisher on the eve of the the season and Tim Porter was given the job of re-building the squad as the campaign got going.

But some early nerves and a flirtation with the relegation zone aside, things have gone well for the club who will be looking forward to building on this season next time out. Forget about the slip-ups like the recent big defeat against Plymouth Parkway, Stoke are moving in the right direction.

The same cannot be said for Bovey Tracey – who will be relegated with just four points.

It was Tom Kelly who scored the only goal of the game, in the second minute of the second half, when he fired a shot low past the Bovey goalkeeper.

But Porter wasn't that impressed with the game as a whole saying it wouldn't have been anyone's talking-point on Saturday night.

"It was a poor game of football – one that would not have had the supporters talking too much about it after," said the Stoke manager.

"It wasn't a good advert for local football and we can't use the pitch or conditions as an excuse for the poor play like we did after our Christmas encounter.

"Despite it finishing 1-0, we were really the only team in it and I had to question whether our goalkeeper Nathan Murphy actually needed to be on the pitch at times! We missed some good chances and to be fair their goalkeeper made a couple of excellent saves.

"It was that comfortable in fact that we were able to blood a couple of the club's promising 16 year olds in the second half. Tom Kempson and George Murphy have been training with us since Christmas and they both travelled with us down to St Austell on Tuesday. It was good to get them more game time.

"It's always difficult playing a team at the bottom of the league as you can sometimes be dragged down to their level of play. At times that is what definitely happened.

"But we stuck at it, remained patient, and picked up another valuable three points to get us to the 40-point mark which has been our aim since the turn of the year.

"We have a few weeks off now before our final home game against Bodmin Town, which will be a very physical encounter against an experienced and well-organised team.

"If we play like we did against Bovey against them, then we will be lucky to keep the score down below six or seven!"

For Bovey, the prospect of a season in Division One East might be more welcome than another in the Premier.

The team has only won one game all season and have had points deducted for missing a trip to Cornwall.

Their final two games – against Launceston and St Austell on Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, May 2 – are both at home.

After the visit of Bodmin on Saturday, April 18, Stoke's last game is away at Callington Town on the Monday, May 4 Bank Holiday.



Read more: www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/PENINSULA-LEAGUE-Stoke-Gabriel-reach-40-point/story-26286983-detail/story.html#ixzz3WVcjivOf
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