Post by Dave on Oct 2, 2010 19:18:58 GMT
Stoke Fleming V Ipplepen Athletic 2nd Oct 2010
I expect I have got this all wrong but I was sure an aerial photo Barton Downs put up on here was of the Stoke Fleming ground and I remember Merse posted on the thread, that photo showed a football pitch by the sea and the area looked a bit like Slapton Sands.
Well if that was the location by the sea the ground once was at then it has moved and as you get into the 20mph zone at Stoke Fleming coming from Dartmouth, just before you drop down over the hill to the very narrow street, on the right is a new library and behind that the football pitch.
The pitch had a good covering of grass and while a bit long was nowhere near as bad as that pitch Ant played on in Brixham two weeks ago, it does have very slight slopes running across the pitch but what was a bit strange was it slopes up from both ends to the halfway line. When I was down one end and the ball was in the goal mouth up the other end, I could not see the bottom of the player’s legs.
As I walked around near the road end of the ground I noticed some two pint empty milk poly bottles with their bottoms cut off all hung up on a piece of wood and at first I wondered what they were all about. As I got closer it became clearer as beside them was a dog poo bin. Funny thing was it was not until ten minutes into the second half the ref noticed some mess on the pitch and he called for a shovel. Only one was not at hand and a young lad was sent to go and get two of those poly bottles to get the mess cleared up.
Following that very poor performance against Brixham Town a few weeks ago that saw Ipplepen receive a bit of a hiding, they have gone on to win their last three games and while I do not know who they played last Saturday, Ant told me he felt he had his best game so far for Ipplepen and yes he scored in the two nil win, so I was looking forward to today’s game.
Ipplepen started very strongly and were soon very much in control and it was no real surprise they scored first. From an Ipplepen corner the ball was headed back into the mix and fell nicely at Ants feet who was on the penalty spot and rifled the ball into the net.
Stokes left winger was managing to find some good space out wide and he looked good on the ball and had the beating many times of Ipplepens right back, one great run out wide on the left followed by a perfect cross should have seen Stoke draw level, but their number 16 blasted the ball over the crossbar.
Ipplepen went two up after a great through ball was played to Ants strike partner wearing the number nine shirt, the ball got to him just as he got into the box and after taking one touch of the ball fired it past the Stoke keeper.
Stokes manager who made me laugh several times during the game especially in the second half was doing his best from the touchline to rally his players, but they soon found they were losing by three goals to nil. A real poacher’s goals for sure from Ant, but you have to be in the right place at the right time and he sure made sure he did that. From another Ipplepen corner the ball came into the Stoke box and got knocked up into the air and up rose Ants strike partner at the far post and headed the ball down for Ant to stab over the line.
Onto the second half and the Ipplepen players started the half as if the job was already done and were a bit guilty of taking things a bit to easily, it soon cost them a goal as a great long ball was played out to the right wing and Stokes number four raced onto the ball and headed for the box and fired a great low and hard shot across the keeper into the far corner.
Ipplepen should have scored their forth goal after their number four left two defenders for dead and managed to poke the ball past the advancing Stoke keeper, only he poked the ball a bit to hard and failed to catch up with and turn it over the line and the ball just shaved the post as it went out for a goal kick.
Shorty after this Ant had the ball played up to him and he held the defender off his back so well and turned and played in Ipplepens number seven who is a player I really like and he placed the ball across the keeper into the far corner.
Ipplepen had a number of good chances to make the score a cricket score, Ant hit a sweet left foot volley from the edge of the box that was saved and maybe should have done better with a rare headed chance on goal that was also saved. Several of the Ipplepen players fancied getting on the score sheet and took shots from outside the box when the ball was really on to be played to the feet of Ipplepens two strikers who were making good runs and creating good angles to receive the ball.
But it was Stoke who scored the last goal of the afternoon after a long ball was played high in the air into Ipplepens box, a Stoke player ended up heading the ball the wrong way and it came back out of the box to Stokes number 16 who hit a great volley that the diving Ipplepen keeper got his hands too but could not keep out due to the power in the shot.
I thought Ant was going to get his hat trick with almost the last kick of the game, he burst into the left hand side of the Stoke box and fired a good shot across the keeper from a tight angle and the keeper was beaten but the ball shaved the outside of the post.
I’m sure the Stoke Fleming manager knew the ref and boy did he keep shouting out things to him, I was in stitches when Ipplepens keeper caught the ball and a Stoke player carried on and crashed into him knocking the ball out of the keepers hands. “ PENALTY REF” shouted out the Stoke manager over and over, the ref took it all in the sprite it was intended and finally just need to add what a beautiful Devon sunshine afternoon it was today after such a horrible day yesterday.
