Bucks Take Revenge, Brixham Hold Leaders and Roselands Edge Closer to Herald Final – Local Football Round-Up
Picture (c) Miracle PR
It had been nearly a month since Buckland Athletic had last played a league match, but the chance of revenge against Bradford Town, the team who knocked them out of the FA Vase, helped the Yellows to overcome any rustiness and claim another three points towards their goal of Southern League football.
Their biggest home gate of the season, 143, saw Adam Castle’s side take the lead on 21 minutes. Shane Gill was fouled in the box and captain Si Revell stood up to draw first blood. That was the only goal of the half and even with the addition of Gavin Hammon to the fray, Bucks failed to extend their lead until right at the end. Hammon was instrumental in that killer second goal which ended with a Lloyd Gardner cross and a Gill finish. With five minutes remaining, there was no time left for Bradford to find a way back.
The win moves Buckland up to fourth and jut one win off the top three.They will have to wait for a chance to get that win as today’s home tie with Longwell Green sports has been postponed due to the wet weather.
2-1 defeats to Cornish sides is becoming an unwelcome habit for Stoke Gabriel as the Railwaymen went down 2-1 away to Launceston. Stoke had the best of the opening exchanges but fell behind to a controversial Joe Jasper strike five minutes after the restart. The home side were pegged back five minutes later, Ryan O’Callaghan nodding home, but in the 74th minute, former Bovey Tracey player Danny Zalick controlled well before sending Sam Davey through for the Clarets’ winner.
In Division One East, Brixham AFC’s home tie against leaders St Martins was given the go ahead and Jason Couch’s side did well to keep chances to a minimum. But former Exmouth player Ace High was looking dangerous for the visitors and eventually found a way through, lobbing Dan Gillard who had earlier pulled off a fine one-handed save to deny him. Reece Summers came closest for the Fishermen, heading wide after getting on the end of a Josh Webber cross. Seasoned goal poacher Dave Worthington stunned the visitors with a second-half equaliser as Brixham pegged them back and both sides had chances to take the lead, Nathan Cooper firing over for St Martins and Worthington heading wide. Joel Hawes eventually turned the tie in St Martins’ favour, converting Jamie Bayliss’s low cross, but the home side refused to give up and were rewarded when Sommers scrambled home an equaliser that will have been appreciated by Teignmouth fans as much as by the local contingent.
Newton Abbot Spurs were hoping that home advantage would give them the edge against unbeaten Tiverton Town Reserves but this proved not to be the case. Tivvy took a stranglehold on the game from the whistle, and after chances from Kenny Ord and Dave O’Connor took a deserved lead when O’Connor latched on to a long pass and slotted past Scott Bellamy on 22 minutes. Adam Dyson’s chance on the half hour, snuffed out by defender Ben Ashford, proved to be the best Spurs could muster. Things were not much better after the break for Dyson’s men and they duly went two down when O’Connor pulled down Jordan Bastin’s far post cross and set up James Mudge for the simple clincher. O’Connor and Mudge had further chances to extend the lead but the game finished 2-0.
Elsewhere in Division One East, common sense thinking from the managers of Liverton United and Bovey Tracey created a local derby out of two postponements. At a heavy Halford, Lee Pascoe gave the Moorlanders the advantage with a 45th minute penalty, but Justin Yeates’ side levelled in the second half through Jamie Down and looked the more likely as they launched attack after attack on the visitors’ goal. Robert Holman, Bovey’s new boss, had brought three new signings to the club: Carl Roles, Kai Fisher and Tom Pilling, and the latter delivered the goods with a thunderbolt in stoppage time to seal the win.
There will be a Second Division side in the Herald Cup semi-final draw for the first time since Watcombe in 2012 as a young Roselands side won a seven goal thriller with an 87th minute clincher at Paignton Community College to send Brixham AFC Reserves out.
The game was kicked into life when, straight from kick-off, a defensive blunder from a Roselands defender saw Brixham’s striker Jay Morgan arrow a shot into the top corner with just 12 seconds on the clock! From there, Roselands passing game meant they controlled possession for the next phase of the game, striker Max Prestwood going the closest as he hit the crossbar with a header from strike partner Marc Hagland’s ball. Roselands didn’t have to wait much longer for their equaliser though: on the half-hour, left wing-back Richard Malone cut inside and beat three opponents to produce a low shot into the bottom corner past Brixham keeper Thomas Hopper. After having worked hard to get their equaliser, Roselands’ defence lost concentration again when a throw-in into the box found Morgan again who turned to smash his second goal of the game past Roselands stopper Brad Corderoy putting Brixham back in front. Roselands continued to play a good passing game, seeking a leveller, when a long ball from Brixham’s half into the channel saw Morgan on his way to his hat-trick despite being questionably offside. Brixham went in at half-time leading 3-1.
Both sets of managers passed on their instructions but Roselands’ determination and fitness started to show as they began to defy their lower tier status. In a one-sided second half, Roselands attacked non-stop, hitting the crossbar from another Mallone effort before standout midfielder Tom Dunlop headed in a cross from a Mitchell McMillan corner. Brixham had the occasional attack, mainly from Mark Griffiths and Morgan, but the Roselands defence were able to snuff them out. The 70th minute saw another Dunlop header fly into the back of the Brixham net, prompting wild celebrations, only for referee Neil Seymour chalk it off for an infringement. This didn’t deter the Division Two side though and they continued to hammer on the door before top scorer Luke Steward hit a low long-range effort into the back of Hoppers’ net to tie the game up with ten minutes remaining. Despite the equaliser, attacks continued to rain in on the Brixham defence. Brixham’s Martin Brown and Luke Poffley stemmed the tide using all their experience before probably the stand out player on the pitch, Tom Dunlop, struck the all important winning goal In the 87th minute.
Simon Walker’s side join Premier teams Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves and Waldon Athletic in the final quartet, while it still remains to be seen whether Buckland Athletic Reserves or Upton Athletic will complete the draw.
There was only one game in the top two tiers, and that was a fairly inconsequential 1-1 draw between Stoke Gabriel Reserves and Kingsteignton Athletic at Broadley Lane.
In Division Two, unbeaten Buckfastleigh Rangers tightened the screw, moving within a point of second placed Watcombe Wanderers Reserves with a comfortable 5-0 away win at South Brent. A Jordan Ewing strike was not enough for Newton United as Teignmouth moved up to fourth spot with their fourth victory on the bounce; the Teigns edging United 2-1 at the Denbury Playing Fields. Hookhills United continued the form they showed at the end of last year into their first fixture of 2016. They narrowly defeated Brixham Town 2-1 at Galmpton’s War Memorial Ground to move to within two points of their opponents. Bishopsteignton United sent Abbotskerswell to another defeat winning 4-0 at Broadmeadow; Abbots have now failed to win a league game since September.
In Division Three, an Ashley Yeoman brace and a single from Ollie Stallard helped Salcombe Town to beat East Allington United 3-1 and move Town up to second. Back-to-back wins for Torbay Police moves the Bees into the top five, although no other team in the Division have played more games. The Police won 2-1 at a Teign Village side who, in contrast, hadn’t kicked a ball since November. Dittisham United finally achieved their first win of the season, but still sit six points adrift at the foot of the table. The Plums beat Chudleigh Athletic Reserves 3-2 at Shinners Meadow to compound their visitor’s disappointing start to the year. Waldon Athletic Thirds picked up their first away win of the season with a 4-1 triumph at Ipplepen Athletic Reserves.
In Division Four, Ashburton Reserves threw a spanner in Broadmeadow’s promotion drive by winning 4-3 at Chuley Road, lifting themselves off the bottom of the table in the process. The mid-table clash between Kingsbridge & Kellaton United and Newton Abbot ’66 Reserves ended all square with one goal scored apiece.
