Post by Dave on May 7, 2016 9:19:32 GMT
South Devon League Division Four
Riviera United V Newton Rovers
Saturday 7th May 2016 Kick-Off 2,30pm
Venue Whiterock#2
Match Referee ….Keith Hawkins
Final Score Riviera United 4 Newton Rovers 0
The 2015/16 football season is nearly over and its been very tough on our local sides over the last few weeks. With the very wet weather we endured for months, so many games were called off; the end result has been that some teams have had to play three games in a week just to fulfil all those lost fixtures.
I wanted to cover a game today featuring another two teams I have never covered before, I will try and do the same next Saturday. The match I choose featured two clubs that were both formed not that many seasons ago.
Riviera United were formed in 2010 and started playing in division 6 of the South Devon Football League. The club started life playing their home fixtures at Clennon Valley in Paignton and in the second season managed to secure a pitch switch to the Whiterock playing fields in Paignton . The club has a close connection with the Hookhills Community Centre.
Newton Rovers were formed in 2011 and entered the South Devon Football League for season 2011/12 Their first ever league game was a div 6 game played at Bakers Park against Kingsbridge and Kellaton
Before today’s fixture Riviera United were in 3rd place in the league table on forty two points having played twenty one games to date, winning thirteen, drawing three and losing five, scoring sixty three goals and conceding thirty eight along the way, giving them a plus twenty five goal difference.
Last Wednesday Riviera United lost away to Roselands 2nds by three goals to one and the Saturday before played Ilsington Villa and drew two all with them. Just two days before that fixture on the Thursday, Riviera United played Ilsington Villa at home and beat them by six goals to one.
Today’s fixture for Newton Rovers was their third in five days and they were in tenth place in the league table on twenty four points from nineteen games. They had won seven,, drawn three and lost nine, scoring a total of forty goals and very surprisingly only conceding thirty eight giving them a plus two goal difference.
Two days ago they beat Ilsington Villa away by two goals to nil, on the Tuesday they beat Babbacombe Corinthians 2nd away by four goals to one. In fact today’s game was their forth away game on the trot and the big question was could they keep this three game unbeaten run going by beating Riviera United on their own pitch.
Riviera United
Newton Rovers 2014/15 Team
I had hoped to get to the end of this season without having to witness a game that was very controversial, I got so close but did not make it in the end. There was one very big moment in this game that rightly in the end saw the two players concerned both sent off halfway during the first half. I will come back to this further in my report.
It was a wet and damp start to the day in the Bay, but lovely and sunny come kick-off time, perfect weather for a game of football. The game got underway and there was very little between the sides in the early exchanges.
Rovers won a throw-in on the right hand side level with the penalty spot, the ball was thrown long into the Riviera box and from my angle it looked as if Lee Fletcher got a glancing head on the ball on its way into the back of the net. Lee ran to the halfway line celebrating what he thought was a goal, only for Keith Hawkins the match referee to disallow it. Keith felt no contact was made on the ball by Lee and it went straight in from the throw-in.
Rovers then had another good chance to take the lead when Ant Smith burst into the right hand side of the box and from a tight angle got a shot away. It was close into the right hand post and the Riviera keeper Michael Owen did well to get his hands onto the ball and push it over his crossbar.
Riviera were slowly getting on top and a high ball played in the Rovers box was allowed to bounce when it should have been cleared. Danger man Nathan Metcalfe got onto the loose ball and fired it home into the back of the net. Nathan Metcalfe came close to adding to his sides lead when he burst into the right hand side of the box and got a good shot away that was neatly saved by the Riviera keeper Matt Hard down by his left hand post.
Rovers had a good chance to get back onto level terms when they won a free kick on the edge of the Riviera box, it was taken by Sirin Guloglo who blasted his effort well over the crossbar. Up the other end and Callum Hale hit a powerful shot from just outside the box that only just went wide of the left hand post.
Then came the big talking point of the game, there was a foul committed by Alex Dart on Sirin Guloglo, it was not a bad foul and because Rovers had the ball and were on the attack, the referee played what he thought was good advantage. Sirin Guloglo was not happy with the foul and got up onto his feet and went for Alex Dart, there was a clash of heads for sure and both were guilty of that.
Sirin Guloglo stayed on the ground as if he had been knocked over by a raging steam train, the ball went dead and Keith Hawkins noticed the man on the deck and went and talked with the Rovers clubs linesman. He then called over and sent Alex Dart off. This greatly angered the Riviera bench and a number of choice words started flying around. In the end the referee went and had another word with the linesman again and then sent off Sirin Guloglo.
It was the fair and right thing and it might have been better in the first place to talk with both players and at worst shown them both the yellow card as the referee did not witness the incident.
Right on the stroke of halftime Rovers came so close to going in at the break all square, they won a free kick out on the right hand side and the ball was sent to the back post and headed at goal by Shane Essam. It looked a certain goal but the ball hit the bottom of the left hand post and stayed out.
Onto the second half and right from the off Rovers Dean Cole hit a great shot that only just went wide of the right hand post. Riviera started turning up the screw and nearly went two up when Nathan Metcalfe was played in with just the keeper to beat. Matt Hard pulled off the save of the match to give his team a fighting chance.
Riviera’s Dereck Bridgman hit a long range shot over the crossbar., from a corner Ben Milton headed wide, a goal was surly coming for Riviera. We did not have to wait to long for the goal of the match, a ball played into the Rovers box from the right was met first time by a powerfully volley by Nathan Metcalfe that had so much power in it the ball nearly went through the back of the net.
It was soon three goals to nil for Riviera, this time they won a free kick out on the left hand side. Everyone was expecting the ball to be delivered the back post, but it was squared low to the edge of the box and fired home by Ben Milton.
Rovers worked hard to try and get a goal back, but ended up leaving so much space at the back for the Riviera forwards to exploit. They were lucky not to have a lot more goals put past them and only didn’t due to some very poor finishing by a few of the Riviera players.
But Riviera did have one more goal in them and once again it came about after a good powerful run down the right hand side by Derek Bridgman. He got into the box and fired a low shot away that was well saved by Matt Hard, but Mark was only able to push the ball towards the centre of the goal and from close in Joshua Passmore-Tarpey tapped the ball into the back of the empty net.
Rovers had a number of players missing for this match and meet Riviera again in the week at Bakers Park. It might be a different game and one Rovers feel they might win.
Many thanks to both managers and the referee for all your help today.
