Tag: thorverton

topsham town thorverton devon football league

Match Report: Topsham Town 0 – 0 Thorverton

Match report ©Tom Besford

This Monday night football fixture was the first meeting between Topsham Town and Thorverton this season and it was as tight as the table would suggest with the visitors in twelfth, one point and one place above their hosts. A good sized crowd turned up for what would be an entertaining fixture which just lacked some goals.

The game started slowly and all that either team could manage was tame efforts from distance, Kieran Smith shot wide from the edge of the box for the visitors in the first five minutes and Lee Radford sent a free kick wide of the target with twenty minutes on the clock. It was an end to end start to the game with both sides full of energy but Thorverton were slightly on top but lacked any quality on the final ball.

It took until the last ten minutes of the half for the game to really start and Nathan May went close for the hosts but could only drag his shot wide of the target from the edge of the penalty area. It was a similar story at the other end of the pitch as Smith beat the defender before shooting straight at the home keeper George Richards.

With just a few minutes remaining in the first half it was the visitors who thought they had broken the deadlock, Mattie Cram hit a shot from distance which fired off the post and rebounded straight into the path of Smith who made no mistake in finishing from close range, however, before any celebrations could take place the linesman’s flag was in the air for offside.

The final chance of the first half went the way of the hosts and it was the first chance that really tested either goalkeeper as Connor Saunders broke into the box from the right driving a shot goalwards from an angle which was saved well by visiting keeper Jack McAndrews.

The second half began in the same way the first half ended with both teams working the ball well but lacking the killer pass in front of goal as the game swayed from end to end. It was Topsham who had the best of the early chances as Brad Edwardson hit a shot straight at McAndrews in goal from the edge of the D before McAndrews was called into a great double save firstly preventing Saunders before Tristan Courtney also saw his effort thwarted by the Thorverton number one.

This acted as a bit of a wake up call for the visitors who sprung into action with a couple of chances of their own. Jacob Dack shot across goal following a cross from the left wing by Sam Stewart before the latter had a golden chance of his own as he hit a shot from distance which cannoned off the crossbar.

It was a game where both teams had clearly left their shooting boots behind with Lee Radford shooting wide from close range for Thorverton before Topsham’s Cameron Webb saw his effort from close range well saved by the keeper.

The final chance of the match came through the home side as a cross from the left found Matt Dovedale who could only head over the bar from close range. As both teams desperately went in search of a winner in the dying minutes panic set in with misplaced passes and poor balls frustrating players from both sides.

A goalless draw in a match between two very close teams who although they both had moments of quality, cancelled each other out and defended well. The return fixture at Thorverton in a few weeks could well be a very interesting game.

Topsham Town team: George Richards, Connor Saunders, Brad Phillips, Tom Tricker, Ash Matthews, Mitch Ward, Tom Price, Marcus Howe, Cameron Webb, Nathan May, Tristan Courtney

Subs: James Skinner, Ben Lyne, Matt Dovedale, Brad Edwardson, Ollie Knowles

Thorverton team: Jack McAndrews, Patrick O’Loughlin, Jake Ebdon, Sam Stewart, Joe Radford, Max Oliver, Beckham Pyatt, Mattie Cram, Ryan Moody, Lee Radford, Kieran Smith

Subs: Nathan Lee, Chris Powell, Jacob Dack, Pepe Eixeres

Match Report: Beer Albion 3 – 1 Thorverton

After going down to a shock 2- 1 defeat at the hands of Ottery St Mary 1sts in midweek, Beer Albion bounced back with a convincing 3-1 home victory against Thorverton last Saturday.  In front of 110 supporters, the Fishermen served up a feast of high-intensity, attacking football writes Richard Honnor.

But it was Thorverton, who made the early running, testing Beer’s defence with some brisk direct football. Within the first 6 minutes, ‘keeper Charlie Ledger was called into action twice, first when he saved a well-struck 18-yard shot from their talented number 11, Josh Hole, who had cut through the Beer defence. Then Ledger made a fine save at full stretch, tipping a teasing 15-yard overhead kick over the bar after Beer had only partially cleared a corner kick. 

Gradually, Beer’s midfield trio of Jake Rowe, Finley Rooke and Charley Skilton began to take charge and with Cody Bowditch playing in a more advanced left side midfield role they began to create good chances. On 14 minutes, right wing back Joe Adkin narrowly missed the target from 15 yards after Skilton and Bowditch combined well on the left to create the opportunity. One minute later, Rowe and Brook Wilkins swept down the right wing to present Josh French with a difficult near post opportunity which went wide.

Forward players French and Wilkins were proving a handful, and although the playing squad was weakened by unavailability, the starting line-up selected by manager Mark Rooke blended really well as a team.

After sustained pressure, the Fishermen went ahead on 21 minutes with a well-worked free kick.  Rowe was brought down outside the penalty box after an incisive run. With the visitors’ defence expecting a shot on goal, Bowditch cleverly “dinked” the ball wide to Finley Rooke who cut inside the defender and his low strike was deflected past the Thors keeper at the near post.

Beer continued to pile on the  pressure with Wilkins and Rooke going close, and then French “scored” with a powerful strike but was ruled offside. Thorverton’s ‘keeper made a couple of good saves, but he could do little about Beer’s second goal on 42 minutes. Again, Bowditch provided the assist, getting behind the visitors’ defence down the left and squaring across the goal into the path of Skilton who scored from 10 yards out.

After the break, Beer continued in the same vein with Wilkins and then Rowe foiled by fine saves by the visitors’ ‘keeper early on.

Wilkins, in particular, was finding space and making good runs down the right, and it was he who put Beer 3-0 ahead with a spectacular goal on 54 minutes. Squeezing between two defenders, Wilkins was first to reach a through pass from Bowditch, and then he expertly chipped the ‘keeper, who was off his line, from 25 yards out.

Beer continued to dominate the contest but, throughout the game, Thorverton’s forward line always looked dangerous going forward. They were duly rewarded with a consolation in the 80th minute, an unstoppable free kick from wide left, 25 yards out, scored by Hole who was their outstanding player on the day.

This was essentially a fine team performance from the Fishermen with centre back George Richards in dominating form at the back, but on behalf of match sponsors, the Chapple family-Beer Beach, Brooklyn Wilkins got the man-of-the-match award for his attacking forays and excellent goal.

Next up, Beer are in action on Wednesday away at Budleigh Salterton, and then they travel to Elmore next Saturday.

Do you want to see your club’s match report on the DFL website? Send it to tom.besford@uwclub.net and we will post it (posts may be edited for grammar and style)