SDL Div1 Babbacombe Corinthians V Buckland Ath 3rds 30/4/16

[Dave]

South Devon League Division One




Babbacombe Corinthians V Buckland Athletic 3rds

Saturday 30th April 2016 Kick-Off 2.30pm

Venue Armada Park Torquay

Match Referee Paul Allen

Final Score Babbacombe Corinthians 0 Buckland Athletic 3rds 5

After driving through some very heavy hail, sleet and snow showers in North Devon yesterday, It was such a welcome change to wake up and find the sun out nice and early in the Bay.

Most readers will know the history of Buckland Athletic and what a great club they have become since they were formed, but what do we know about the history of Babbacombe Corinthians.

Babbacombe Corinthians FC was formed in 1930 when the original Babbacombe FC disbanded. Several of the players had left the previous season to form the now defunct Babbacombe Rangers FC. Back then they played their home matches at Wall’s Hill and won the Herald Cup in 1947 when they beat Brixham United 4-0. They reached the final again the following year and played Buckfastleigh Rangers.The score was 1-1 at full time but they lost 3-1 after extra time.

Sadly the club folded in 1953 but thankfully was reformed in 1964 by Brian Copplestone who became president of the club and was then at the time a player for Colleton United, Very interestingly one of the leading goal scorers for the newly reformed club was a certain Mr Barry Hayward who went on to become one of the best well known local referees who is still in action to this day.

Checking through the match reports on my site I discovered I covered a game featuring Babbacombe Corinthians way back on the 16th October 2010. it was an away fixture against Ipplepen Reserves which I believe was a forth division game. They were far the better side but somehow managed to lose the game.

Match Report Here

davesworld.proboards.com/thread/87/ipplepen-babbacombe-corinthians-16th-2010

I have also covered a game featuring the Buckland Athletic 3rds on the 4th May 2013. This was an away fixture against Hookhills, a game they were well beaten by five goals to one

Match Report Here

davesworld.proboards.com/thread/176/hookhills-buckland-athletic-3rd-2013

How Has The Season Gone So Far For Both Clubs?

It is no real surprise to see Buckland at the top of the table, but as Ashburton have two game in hand over Buckland and are only two points behind them, the league titles is Ashburtons to lose. Before today’s game Buckland had played nineteen games, winning fourteen, drawing three and losing two, giving then a total of forty five points. Along the way they had scored fifty two goals, conceded twenty six giving them a plus twenty six goal difference.


Babbacombe Corinthians were in a respectable seventh place in the league table and had played nineteen games, winning eight, drawing two and losing nine giving then a points total of twenty six points. . Along the way they had scored fifty goals, conceded thirty eight giving them a plus twelve goal difference.

In the week Babbacombe Corinthians drew 2-2 at home to Stoke Gabriel 3rds and lost at home last Saturday to Ipplepen Athletic 3-6. They also lost the weekend before that at home against Ashburton 2-3.

In the week Buckland Athletic 3rds beat Kingskerswell & Chelston 2nd away 3-4, last Saturday they also won away this time against Chudleigh Athletic 1-4. The weekend before they played Chudleigh Athletic in a home fixture that they won 5-2.

On paper and based on current form, this game looked like an away win for Buckland Athletic 3rds, but was that the case?

It was a great pleasure to meet for the first time in person before the game Tim Herbert the former media manager for Torquay United and I wish him well in his latest project that I will do a post about in the near future.

It does not matter if you are watching the Buckland first team, their second or third team; you will always be impressed with their pre match build up. Such professionalism is just part of the reason all three of those teams enjoy so much success.

The pitch was rock hard as might be expected and while the final score was five nil to Buckland, in the last ten minutes of the game they could have made it ten nil. But they did not start all that well and it was the Babbacombe lads that were having more of the play at the start without really creating any good chances to take an early lead.

The first good chance fell to Buckland’s Jordan Ewing after the ball reached him inside the Babbacombe box seconds after his team mate was clattered to the ground by a foul just outside of the box. Paul Allen the match referee did not blow up for the foul and played a very good advantage, but sadly for Jordan he poked his shot wide of the right hand post. Paul Allen then booked Lee Randell for the foul on the Buckland player.

Buckland then took the lead after an inch perfect cross was sent into the Babbacombe box from the left hand side of the pitch by Jordan Ewing. From six yards out Nick Edmunds rose high into the air and headed the ball past the advancing keeper Luke Lofthouse.

Buckland were starting to take control of the match, but Babbacombe were working very hard and had a chance to get back on to level terms when the ball was played up to the feet of Curtis Marshall. From just outside of box he took a shot, but failed to get enough power into to trouble the Buckland keeper Paul Sharples.

On the thirty minute mark Buckland went two up, the ball was in the Babbacombe box and a good saving tackle was made, but the ball was not cleared from the danger area and fell kindly at the feet of Nick Gillard who fired the ball into the back of the net with power.

Babbacombe won a free kick just outside the Buckland box and the kick was taken by Thomas Howard, but his effort sailed over the crossbar and behind for a goal kick. Just before the break Buckland’s Matt Briant fancied his chances from all of thirty yards, but the shot lacked any real power.

That was it for the first half, Buckland were two nil up and looked good for that lead, but could Babbacombe stage a second half comeback? The half was only two minutes old when Babbacombe fell further behind, was it a miss kick? Or a cleverly worked free kick? Buckland won a free kick just outside the Babbacombe box, the Buckland players lined up at the back post expecting the ball to be delivered there by kick taker Ben Cowling. To me it looked as if the kick was scuffed and it went low into the middle of the box where Nick Edmunds made up some ground to get onto the end of the ball and fire it home.

After having far too much to say to Paul Allen during the first half and for committing a number of fouls, Buckland’s Chris Newnham found his name ending up in the referee’s book. While the actual foul he was booked for was not that bad, you can’t keep on committing them and expecting the ref to turn a blind eye.

Buckland won a corner and from it the ball ended up on the edge of the Babbacombe box. Nick Edmunds did a wonderful scissor kick and when the ball left his boot it had goal written all over it. But the ball crashed against the crossbar and behind for a goal kick. It would have been the goal of the match had it gone in.

Babbacombe tried to press deeper into the Buckland half, but were getting caught out at the back by the ever willing runs of the Buckland forwards. So it was no real surprise when Buckland got their forth goal of the match. Chris Newnham burst into the left hand side of the Babbacombe box and his shot was well blocked by the Babbacombe keeper. But the ball came back to the feet of Chris Newnham and with the keeper on the deck he fired the ball towards the right hand side of the goal. The ball was going in but just two feet short of the line, Buckland’s Jordan Ewing put the ball into the back of the net.

I felt that Babbacombe were a better side than the score line suggested and deserved at least a consolation goal for all their hard work. They nearly got one Will Farkins was played into left hand side of the Buckland box, close in on goal he got a shot away that was well saved by the legs of Paul Sharples.

Buckland were creating so many good chances and not taking them, but goal number five was not very far away. A poor miss kick by the Babbacombe keeper went straight to Chris Newnham who made up for his earlier missed opportunities as he lifted the ball over the keeper into the back of the net.

Right at the death a bad defensive mistake in the Buckland box allowed Casey Roberts a free shot at goal, but once again the Buckland keeper Paul Sharples pulled of a fine save with his legs.

That was it, a very enjoyable game to watch and played in a very good sprit. How good to see a manager spend so much time encouraging his players out on the pitch, rather then shouting at them when they made a mistake. Maybe that’s just the Buckland way, but it worked today for sure.