Post by Dave on Jan 4, 2020 11:47:34 GMT
Southwest Peninsula Premier East Division
Match Officials: Matthew Redmond Malcolm Lee Neil Seymour
Final Score Stoke Gabriel 0 Newton Abbot Spurs 3
Match Preview
I find it hard to believe it is nearly eleven months ago since I last watched and reported on a men’s football match. Getting a Saturday off work has been as hard as finding any hen’s teeth, but that should change when I finally give up work hopefully later in the year.
There have been many changes this season with new leagues created and the Peninsula League no longer having its Premier League made up of both Devon and Cornwall clubs. Instead there is now just a Premier East Division (Devon clubs) and a Premier West Division) Cornwall clubs). I used to really enjoy watching Stoke Gabriel take on teams from Cornwall in the past at the Memorial Ground but last season Stoke decided to drop down from the then Premier League to Division One East.
That last game I covered eleven months ago was a Stoke Gabriel fixture when they took on Alphington AFC on the 23rd of February 2019, the report for that game can be found here
davesworld.proboards.com/thread/740/swpl-stoke-gabriel-alphington-february
Stoke Gabriel’s fortunes on the pitch also seemed to have changed dramatically this season from last season as when they took on Alphington they sat proudly at the top of the table on fifty five points having played a total of twenty three games, winning seventeen of them, drawing four and losing just two of them. Along the way scoring an impressive seventy seven goals, conceding just twenty one giving them a plus fifty six goal difference.
To date they have also played twenty three games this season before today’s fixture but find themselves in fourteenth place in the league table. They have only managed to win just seven games, drawn one and lost fifteen. Along the way they have scored forty one goals, conceded a massive eighty three goals putting them on twenty two points with a minus forty two goal difference.
Newton Abbot Spurs have enjoyed a much better season to date, currently in sixth place in the league table on thirty seven points after having played a total of nineteen games. They have won twelve, drawn one and lost six, scoring a total of forty four goals, conceding twenty six giving them a plus eighteen goal difference.
While I consider Stoke Gabriel to be my local team these days, I do have Newton Abbot Spurs to thank for my addiction to the game of football. I was just a young school boy growing up in Newton and my Auntie Win, Uncle Ted and Granny Best ran the refreshment hut in the old Rec ground. Back then the pitch was the other way around and the club house was under the condemned old wooden grandstand.
I was the team mascot and wore my kit with pride, was that really fifty five years ago? The story of my Newton Abbot Spurs upbringing can be read here
davesworld.proboards.com/thread/177/newton-spurs-upbringing
Match Report
Since my last visit to Stokes ground floodlights have been added and just as well as they were very much needed during the second half of the match. I think I had forgotten just how cold you can get standing out watching a game during the winter months.
There sure have been many changes in the players pulling on a Stoke shirt this season; I only recognised a few of them and that may well explain how they have struggled this season so far. Plenty of hard work during the whole match and one or two players who caught the eye, but a team that needs a few extra quality players if they are going to turn this season around.
Newton Spurs had the quality when it mattered in front of goal and put away some of the chances they made, but credit to the Stoke players who made sure spurs knew they were in a game. I did feel that Stoke deserved a consolation goal at least for all their hard work and effort.
The match got underway and it was a pretty even affair at the beginning and out of nowhere spurs took an early lead. A simple threw ball played in Nathan Hebbes on a one on one with the Stoke keeper Dom Aplin and he coolly picked his spot passing the ball into the back of the net.
Stoke stepped up their work rate but often were hitting to many long balls that were easily dealt with by the spurs defence. When Stoke did play the ball on the deck their approach work looked good on the eye, but so often the final pass was missing. For a while it was spurs having to play on the break and during that period had two long range efforts on the Stoke goal.
It was Stokes turn to attack on a breakaway and their number eleven Cole Harford should have played in one of his team mates, but instead went for a long range effort from outside of the spurs box that went well wide of the goal.
Stoke had two good chances to get back onto level terms during the first half when they won two free kicks just outside the Spurs box. The first one was taken by number six Mark Newbould, a weak shot that was caught under the crossbar by the spurs keeper Lee Davis. The second one was taken by number seven
Jamie Down who hit his shot well over the crossbar.
The match referee blew up for halftime and the big question was could Stoke find a way to up their game in the second half of the match. They started the half with plenty of purpose but so nearly went a second goal behind when a low cross came into their box was fired home by Gavin Collins, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
But the second goal for spurs was not far behind when Stoke failed out on their left had side to stop a cross being played towards the far post where it was headed home by the spurs captain Adam Dyson.
Spurs Kevin Dadd had his name taken for what looked like a nothing challenge and that turned out to be the only booking of the match that saw a number of strong tackles that were all deemed to be fair.
Adam Dyson then made sure his team was going home with the three points when he hovered up a low cross into the Stokes box from the right hand side very close in. The stoke heads dropped a little but had one more good chance when their number twelve Chris Newnham turned neatly in the spurs box and hit a shot aimed at the top left hand corner of the goal but sadly it lacked any real power.
The final chance of the match fell to spurs Ryan Keates who went on a blistering run into the Stoke box, but his dipping volley just cleared the crossbar. Spurs were the worthy winners in the end, but I saw enough in the Stoke side to know that with a few new players can turn their season around.
