Post by Dave on Jan 28, 2022 14:11:54 GMT
Match Referee - Ryan Zarezadeh
Final Score Brixham Town 2nd 4 East Allington 2nd 1
Match Preview
Another Saturday and another cup game from the South Devon League. The Fred Hewings Cup is a cup competition for all the reserve teams playing in the league and gives all competing teams the extra chance to win some silverware.
Due to teams folding over the years and also the formation of the Devon league, the number of teams competing in the South Devon league is now much less than it once were; this has resulted in a number of divisions being lost over time.
Thankfully this season due to a number of teams deciding to rejoin the South Devon league from the Devon league and a number of Plymouth based teams joining the league, the number of competing teams has increased.
It is also very good to see a newly reformed club playing in the league that has entered a first team and also a reserve team. Brixham Town were voted back into the South Devon league for the 2020/21 season and were placed in division three. The first team are the current leaders of division three and are unbeaten to date. I covered one of their games before they disbanded back on the 15th April 2017 when they beat Dartmouth 2nd by six goals to two.
Report on that game
davesworld.proboards.com/thread/628/brixham-town-dartmouth-15th-april
The club took over a very run-down agriculture field next to the Brixham Cricket club and set about turning it into a decent sports venue for the club. They were awarded a grant of £15,678 from the FA and Government’s Football Foundation, to be used for equipment and ground improvements. Last season the league permitted the club to play at their new facility the JC Park, sadly the league decided that this season the club could no longer play at the JC Park due to not having changing rooms on site. The cricket club were unwilling to let the club use their facilities on a Saturday afternoon, so for the time being the club has to play at Furzeham Green.
The club are working very hard trying to raise funds to provide changing rooms at their JC park ground and when you think that since they reformed they now have five youth teams and two adult teams with plans to have girls teams, ladies teams and more youth teams over the next few years, they fully deserve all the help they can get. I hope in the future I can cover one of their games at the JC Park.
Today’s cup match features their reserve team that play in Division Four who are currently in third place in the league table after playing a total of fifteen games, winning nine of them, drawing one and losing five.
Their opposition East Allington Reserves play in the second Division of the South Devon league and are currently sitting in ninth place after playing a total of thirteen games, winning three of them drawing two and losing eight. The club was formed way back in 1953 and their first team have always been a tough side to beat. I covered one of their reserve teams away games this season on the forth of September 2021 against llsington Villa who were on fire that day and ran out five one winners. But I saw enough of East Allington to know they are a good hard working side who will fancy their chances today.
Report on that game
davesworld.proboards.com/thread/895/ilsington-villa-east-allington-september
Neither of today’s team played in the first round of this cup, but both teams already know the winners will face either Torquay Town 2nds or Watts Blake and Bearne 2nds in the quarter final, so everything to play for.
Match Report
I imagine if I contact East Allington 2nd again this season asking to kindly fill in correct numbers on the team sheet, they will simply ask me not to attend the match. This is the second game this season I have covered a game they featured in and both did not end well for them as far as the final result is concerned.
Before today’s kick off a minutes silence was held for one of the clubs friends mums that has sadly just passed away. It was also to say goodbye to number six James Loran who is off to Thailand for a few months. Do not worry I spoke with him after the game and he assured me he is going with his partner, so at least we know she will keep those lady boys away from him.
Brixham Town were playing a side that plays in two divisions higher than they do, so this was a very big win for them, but they were the better side over the whole ninety minutes and fully deserved their victory.
The match referee Ryan Zarezadeh blew his whistle to get the game underway and the first effort on goal was a twenty five yard by United’s Sam Quick, he hit his shot with the outside of his right boot, but his effort flew past the right hand post.
United then went on to take a very early lead in the match, their left winger Rob Hutchings looked second favourite to get to a ball out wide on the left hand side of the pitch. But he showed his pace and on getting to the ball hit a first time low cross into the Town box. Finn Bullingham was there waiting to fire the ball into the back of the net.
The question was how would Town react to going behind so early in the match, we did not have to wait to long to find out the answer. Town won a free kick out wide on the right hand side. Alister George was left almost free at the back post and as the free kick came into the box, he rose majestically and headed home.
United’s Lee Prestage had a chance to put his side back in front, but his shot from the edge of the Town box went wide of the left hand post. Jake Blamey also had a chance from twenty yards out, but the shot was well saved and held by Mark Clifford in goal for Town.
Up the other end and Paul Christie must be still asking himself how he missed his chance to give Town the lead. A united defender completely missed the ball he went to clear and it rolled right into the path of Paul. To be fair to him he did not expect to see the ball at his feet and might have also wondered if he might have been offside. The end result with just the keeper to beat was an unconvincing shot that hit the left hand post.
Towns Alister George found his name going into the referees book for a foul on the halfway line, seconds later he was stooping very low in the United box to head the ball home close in, but the ball went up and over the crossbar.
The referee blew up for halftime and on chances created alone; Town must have been asking themselves why they were not in the lead in the match.
The second half was only minutes old when Town took the lead, but they got a good slice of luck, but that is not taking anything away from a very good finish. A long ball was played up to the edge of the united box and hit the back of a Town player. The ball came off him and Paul Christie was close by to hit a delightful first time shot from just outside the box into the far right hand corner of the goal.
It was all action and end to end stuff as United tried to get back onto level terms. Matt Duffy for United had a good chance but failed to get any real power on his header and it turned out to be an easy catch for the Town keeper.
The game went a bit frantic for a while with boots being put through the ball and not much football being played, but it did not last for long.
United gave themselves an even harder task when Liam Halliday was brought down just inside the United box. Paul Christie took the spot kick and made no mistake.
The match referee showed very good sense when United’s sub wearing the number seventeen shirt, pushed Paul Christie over in an off the ball incident. But Paul had kicked out at him seconds earlier and the referee decided a word in their ears was better than a booking.
Aaron Morison in goal for United made a great save tipping the ball over his crossbar from a free kick taken just out side the United box by Russell Cooper.
Town then added to their lead after some wonderful play by Danny Trezise, he burst down the right hand side of the box and beat his man not once but twice as he made his way into the United box, He played a neat one two and hit an unstoppable shot into the back of the net.
There was one last effort for United, a good header that looked certain to be going inside the right hand post, but Mark Clifford pulled off a wonderful diving save to push the ball past the post.
The referee blew up for the end of the match, United gave their all and battled the whole game, but on the day Town were just too good for them as they also fought hard and made sure they took their chances when they created them.
A very enjoyable game to watch and I would like to thank both sets of players for not only providing such an entering game, but being so friendly to me.
