Post by Dave on Mar 5, 2022 9:26:00 GMT
Match Referee Keith Hawkins
Final Score Ipplepen Athletic res 2 Newton Abbot Spurs 3rd 5
Match Preview
It has been a very long time since I last watched a game at Moor Road. My son did play for Ipplepen Reserves for a short while in between two spells at Maldon. But the day I will always remember the most at Moor Road was the 2009 final of the Ivor Andrews cup that was played there between Dittisham United and Marldon Reserves.
Dittisham took a surprise lead in the 58th minute of the game, but just two minutes later Ant Roach hit a wonderful 30 yard free kick into the top right hand corner to get Maldon back on to level terms. Just 16 minutes later Maldon were winning by four goals to one after Ant scored three more times. A day any dad would be very proud of.
Today’s game was due to be played on the 26th February but was postponed to allow Ipplepen to fulfil their 3rd Herald cup game against Ilsington Villa that had been postponed the week before. The pens were well beaten in that game by eleven goals to two, no disgrace against an Ilsington team that this season score goals for fun.
Ipplepen Athletic Reserves are not enjoying a good season so far and currently sit one place off the bottom of the division two league table on fourteen points after completing sixteen games to date. They have won four of those games, drawn two and lost ten, scoring a total of thirty four goals, conceded fifty eight giving them a minus twenty four goal difference.
Newton Abbot Spurs 3rd were not in Herald Cup action last weekend as East Allington was awarded an away walkover over Spurs 3rd in the first round of the cup. Instead they faced Barton Athletic 2nd at home and lost the game by four goals to three.
Spurs 3rd are enjoying a better season as far as the league is concerned; they are in fifth place in the table on twenty points after playing a total of fifteen games. To date they have scored forty six goals, conceded forty three giving them a plus three goal difference.
The two teams have already played each other twice this season in the league. On the 30th October Ipplepen beat Spurs 3rd at home by five goals to four. But on the 12th February Spurs ran out comfortable winners at home winning the game by four goals to one.
Match Report
A cracking cup game of football on a sunny but cold afternoon at Moor Road. A game with plenty of goals and full of sliding tackles, where both sets of players gave their all, but one team were just that bit better.
Keith Hawkins blew his whistle to get the game underway and the first effort of goal came as a result of the first corner of the game awarded to Ipplepen. The ball was fired into the centre of the penalty box and Skye Frazer rose well and got his head on the ball, but his effort cleared the crossbar.
Spurs won a free kick outside the pens box, two passes later the ball was played to Jack Taylor inside the pens box, but he scoped the ball over the bar. Spurs were passing the ball that much better and looked the most likely of the two teams to get the first goal of the match.
But slightly against the run of play it was Ipplepen who took the lead. A low ball was played close in to the left hand post and was fired home close in by Jake Lofthouse.
Two minitues later Ipplepen had a great chance to score again, Jake Lofthouse played a great low ball into the Spurs box from the right hand side of the pitch. The pass was inch perfect to Mason Joint who maybe should have hit the ball first time, but he ended up having the ball robbed off him.
There was a nasty looking two footed tackle on the halfway line that clearly upset the Spurs manager. He made his feelings well known to the match referee who stopped the game and went and had strong words with the spurs manager.
Spurs were pressing hard to get back onto level terms, Ryan Fawden turned neatly just inside the pens box and hit a good shot that only just went wide of the left hand post. Up the other end and Matt Tall took a shot from the edge of the spurs box, but had to stand and watch his effort fly over the crossbar.
Spurs approach play was so much better and it was no surprise when they found the equaliser they were looking for. A high ball played into the pens box from the right hand side was headed home by Nicholas Edmunds.
Spurs Ryan Fawden hit a great shot from just outside the pens box, but his effort went wide of the left hand post. Rhys Fewings hit a shot from the edge of the box, but the shot lacked any real power to trouble Ellis Rattlie in goal for Ipplepen.
But spurs did not have to wait too much longer to take the lead for the first time in the match. They won a throw in out on the right hand side. The ball was headed on from the throw in and was turned in close to the right hand post by Frank Ornyik.
Ipplepen forced three corners on the trot but were not able to make them pay just before the match referee blew up for halftime. On the balance of play in the first half, spurs went in at the break deserving their lead.
The second half got underway and for a while was a pretty even affair as Ipplepen tried their best to get a second goal. Spurs sub Aron Shotter hit a very wild effort from just outside the pens box that has still not come down.
Spurs Jack Taylor was causing all sorts of problems for the pens defence due to his strong powerful runs, he ended up being hacked down just outside the box, but the resulting free kick was poor and fired into the pens wall.
Spurs went further in front, a deep ball was played to the back post from the right hand side and headed home by Thomas Lobb.Rhys Fewings fancied his chances from twenty yards out but his shot went well wide of the goal.
It was soon four goals to one in favour of spurs when sub Ollie Bellotti was played in neatly into the pens box on a one on one with the pens keeper. Ollie kept his cool and picked his spot and fired the ball into the back of the net.
Ipplepens Mason Joint was played into the spurs box with just the keeper to beat, but spurs keeper Taylor Breslan made himself nice and big and blocked the attempted shot with his body.
Spurs then went and scored their fifth goal of the match, the pens keeper shouted out mine but failed to collect the ball and it went straight to Nicholas Edmunds right in the middle of the goal to hook into the empty net.
Close to the end of the match Ipplepen did a goal back, a great run and shot by Matt Tall. But the spurs keeper decided to not release the ball to get the game back into play and ended up getting needlessly booked.
While spurs fully deserved their win, I felt the score line was a bit hard on the Ipplepen players who worked very hard for the whole match.
Many thanks to both team managers for your help with the team sheet and also match referee Keith Hawkins who I had to assure I was not stalking him.
