Archive News & Reports

28th April 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Tivvy U18`s 6 v 0 Bishop Sutton

The Under 18's cruised to a comfortable 6-0 hammering of Bishop Sutton at Ladysmead on Monday evening, in what turned out to be the final game of their season. It was a solid enough performance, although the lads never really had to get out of second gear with their Bristol opponents offering little. The home side couldn't have got off to a much better start, probably largely due to the warm-up they recieved, when inside the first five minutes a combination of Alex Faux and Glenn Gould threaded an inch perfect pass through the striker Sean Szabo who made no mistake in slotting the ball past the keeper. After a fairly non-eventful half hour, the Yellows had to wait till the last 10 minutes of the first period to double their advantage when Sam Strong's header found Faux on the left who again linked up with Gould, this time flicking the ball around the last defender into the path of "the bear" and he toe-poked past the on-rushing keeper to give Tivvy a cushion they deserved going into the break

The goal of the game came just moments into the second half when once again the outstanding double act of Faux and Gould linked up, with the former receiving the latters pass on the left wing and delivering a teasing cross along the six yard box where Richie Emmett was on hand to volley into the bottom corner. At this stage Sutton's heads had dropped and it was all one way traffic, with James Woodcock in the Tivvy goal largely a spectator. After a whole host of missed chances, including one where Szabo somehow failed to make contact with the ball two yards out after a perfect Cam Nott cross, substitute for Szabo, James MacMartin came on and showed his replacement how it's done firing home from close range following yet another spot on cross from Faux. The fifth came courtesy of captain Nott whose persistence paid off forcing the keeper into a rushed clearance and the winger unleashed a terrifying left footed effort which sailed into the top corner. The game was then complete in the dying moments when Gould was set clean through and he grabbed his second of the game and Tivvy's sixth.

As said above, unfortunately this turned out to be the Under 18's last game of the season due to not being able to raise a side for Wednesday nights league game away to Mangotsfield. Praise should go to all the players who have been involved this season, as to the parents who have solved the transportation problems on numerous occasions. So a big thank you must go to the management staff of Notty, Fids and the Haribo Man for all their hard work over the course of the season, as well as all the monumental work that Chris Davey does behind the scenes to even get these games organised. You'll be missed.

Team: Woodcock, Martin, Bryant, Hoare (Harper-Penman), Strong, Tennant, Faux, Gould, S.Szabo (MacMartin), Emmett (Lee), Nott Unused: R.Szabo

Scorers: Gould (2), S.Szabo, Nott & MacMartin

24th April 2008 Devon County Cup Final

Plymstock 1 v 2 Tivvy U18`s

The Young Yellows retained their Devon Youth Cup crown with a pulsating 2-1 victory over Plymstock in Thursday night's final played at Newton Abbott FC. The action packed game, which was a repeat of last years final, saw both sides have decent chances to open up the scoring in the first period but it wasn't until the 47th minute when Plymstock broke the deadlock with a long range effort. But Tivvy came back stronger and their extra quality and fitness told as they came from behind to take the tie with excellent goals from official man of the match Glenn Gould, a delightful 25 yard lob, and captain Brendan O'Boyle, a vicious 20 yard strike into the bottom the corner, sealing the trophy for Tivvy for the 3rd time in 4 years.

The game, as expected, began at a hectic pace and produced some superb end to end action with both sides having chances to gain an early advantage. Glenn Gould, saw his cross-come-shot tipped over the bar, whilst Tivvy keeper James Woodcock had to be alert to parry away a long range effort. The golden opportunity of the half fell to Plymstock's striker on 25 minutes when he rounded Woodcock and looked likely to score, but from nowhere Sam Tennant produced a truly magnificent block on the goal-line with his head, deflecting the powerful effort out for a corner. After Sean Szabo had looped a header just wide of the post, the striker twice put Gould through on goal with some short, sharp passing that Plymstock just couldn't handle but after breaking from midfield both of Gould's attempts were well saved by the opposing keeper.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, and the half was only two minutes old when the opposition broke the deadlock. Their forward was given too much time to turn and pick his spot on the edge of the area, and his good finish left Woodcock with little chance. The goal seemingly sparked Tivvy into life and ten minutes later Callum Hoare, who enjoyed a superb game alongside Steve Goss in engine room for the Yellows, picked out another one of Gould's marauding runs with a long ball over the top and this time the midfielder excellently lifted the ball over the advancing keeper for a fine goal and one that his performance richly deserved. Tivvy's tails were now up and for the next 20 minutes dominated proceedings, producing some highly attractive football that Plymstock simply couldn't cope with. Substitute Alex Faux, who replaced Aiden Harper-Penman, made a big difference when he came on and it was his storming run into the box that resulted in the ball squirming its way to captain Brendan O'Boyle on the edge of the box who unleashed a powerful drive and left the keeper with no chance, sending the Tivvy lads and supporters into raptures. The Young Yellows then saw out the remainder of the game with little trouble, as Plymstock's frustration got the better of them and a few nasty tackles started flying in, as the chances dried up.

So Tivvy can now breathe a sigh of relief that the season will certainly end with at least one bit of silverware in the trophy cabinet, and they must now win their two remaining league games to consolidate second position, although if Weston slip up at Keynsham on Monday evening the title could be back at Ladysmead. So please come down and support the lads and management on Monday evening at Ladysmead against Bishop Sutton (7.45) in what is for many of them their final ever home game they'll play together. The final match is on Wednesday evening, away to the team who beat Tivvy last week in the league cup final, Mangotsfield.

Team: Woodcock, Martin, Bryant, Goss, O'Boyle, Tennant, Gould, Hoare, S.Szabo (Emmett), Harper-Penman (Faux), Nott (MacMartin) Unused: R.Szabo & J.Lee

17th April 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League Cup Final

Mangotsfield 2 v 1 Tivvy U18`s

Thursday evening saw Tivvy throw away their third opportunity of winning something this season out of four when they suffered their forth defeat in five games by going down 2-1 against Mangotsfield in the League Cup Final at Clevedon Town. The Yellows were made to rue missed chances in the second half, whilst at the stage of being a goal to the good, and if these golden opportunities could have been converted it would have certainly been a different story. But the Mango's battled their way back into the game and ultimately leave Tivvy reeling as they watch another piece of silverware slip from their grasp.

In a fairly drab first half, where the only winner seemed likely to be the howling wind which affected both teams, chances were few and far between with both teams struggling to get into their fluent passing football as it seemed as though the occasion got to both sets of lads. But as the game settled down Tivvy had the first real chance when Sean Szabo's goal bound attempt was blocked in the 20th minute. The Mango's then began to apply some pressure but the defensive made up of Sam Strong, Sam Tennant, Niall Martin and Luke Bryant all looked assured and highly competent in their duties, limiting the opponents to long range shots and only forcing Tivvy keeper Danny Lewis into only one real save which he dealt with ease. The deadlock was broken in the 41st minute when a sublime 25 yard free kick from top goalscorer Szabo curled brilliantly into the bottom corner, this goal gave the game the spark it needed and set the plot for an improved second period.

The second 45 saw Mangotsfield, with the strong winds now at their backs, starting to force the Young Yellows back into their own half but it was on the counter attack that Tivvy looked the most dangerous. Within ten minutes of restart striker Alex Faux was set free twice from balls over the top; the first time his effort with his weaker right foot was fired straight at the keeper and the second one saw the ball canon off the crossbar after a powerful attempt. It was then Mangotsfield's turn to have a couple of chances including a half volley that came back off the outside of the post with Lewis well beaten and another decent chance that was blasted just wide from a tight angle. Soon after yet another long ball over the top provided Tivvy with an excellent opportunity to double their advantage, this time it was Szabo who was sent racing clear but again the chance was wasted by firing straight at the keeper whilst the resulting rebound was excellently cleared off the line by a defender who made up half the length of the pitch when it seemed a certain goal. Just before the hour mark the Mango's pulled level after a corner was unable to be cleared to safety by the Tivvy defence and the ball was smashed into the roof of the net leaving Lewis in goal with no chance. This equaliser really sparked the Bristol side into action and just five minutes later they got what turned out to be the winning goal after their winger on the left was unchallenged when on a run and simply cut the ball back to an unmarked player who made no mistake in finding the back of the net from 12 yards. The final quarter of an hour was as you would expect with the Yellows throwing everyone forward but the elusive goal was nowhere to be found and Tivvy were left frustrated and despondent as they watched Mangotsfield lift the League Cup with joy.

It's going to take a big performance to comeback from what has been a horror week or so, but one that needs to happen next Thursday in the Devon Cup Final against Plymstock at Newton Abbott if this season full of promise is realistically going to end with any silverware.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, O'Boyle, Strong, Tennant (Goss), O'Brien (Nott), Gould, S.Szabo, Faux (Emmett), Harper-Penman Unused: Hoare, R.Szabo, J.MacMartin, J.Lee

Scorer: S.Szabo

15th April 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Weston Super Mare 3 v 1 Tivvy U18`s

Tivvy went from strong title favourites to weak looking outsiders within 90 minutes on Tuesday evening as the Yellows lost a "winner takes all" tie 3-1 away to top of the table Weston Super-Mare. The fact that the home side quicker to every ball, working well as a unit and seemingly far more "up for it" than Tivvy ultimately puts the title out of the Young Yellows hands, with Weston needing to slip up in their final fixture away to mid-table Keynsham and the Ladysmead outfit requiring maximum points from their two remaining tricky games.

The game began with Weston dominating and continued as the visitors turned in a lacklustre opening half. After a couple of wayward attempts the opening goal for the hosts seemed inevitable, and it came after 20 minutes when a corner was flicked on at the near post and the ball found its way to the unmarked Sam Clarke who fired into the empty net from close range. This momentarily sparked the Yellows into life and they created their first opening of the game when Sean Szabo found himself with only the keeper to beat, but his chip was off target. The home side though deservedly doubled their advantage five minutes later, but in bizarre circumstances. A long ball ended up seemingly bouncing through harmlessly to Tivvy keeper Danny Lewis, but with an attacker charging the ball down Lewis lost concentration and let the ball slip out of his grasp allowing the Weston forward with the easiest goal he'll ever score. Tivvy couldn't cope the hosts' quick pass and move football and their dominance was there for all to see as they went on to hit the post and force Lewis into a decent save. However, the Yellows did manage to carve one or two openings with strikers Szabo and Alex Faux both testing the Weston keeper.

The second period saw Tivvy send on Ross Szabo as a more attacking formation was adopted with three up front, and this improved the poor first half performance with Tivvy attacking with more purpose. Yet, due to the attacking nature of the Yellows play they left themselves fairly exposed at the back and Lewis went some way to atoning for his earlier error with two top-drawer saves. In a much more even second period of 45 Tivvy nearly grabbed a goal back when substitute Ross Szabo, who looked sharp and dangerous on the left wing, crashed a volley against the upright. Despite the improvements in commitment and desire though, it was Weston who got the next goal and effectively put the game to bed when Lewis misjudged a cross and the ball bounced off a defender in a Yellow shirt and into the path of Weston's Clarke who tapped in for another close range goal. Credit must go to the lads who didn't let their heads drop, with captain Brendan O'Boyle leading by example time and time again in a more advanced midfield role and providing a real driving force. After Steve Goss missed a glorious close range opportunity, the Young Yellows did pull one goal back when Ross Szabo's jinking run on the left resulted in the winger putting in a low cross that was prodded in by his twin Sean. But overall it was a case of too little, too late and the lads need to quickly get their heads up and turn in a big performance on Thursday evening in the League Cup final against Mangotsfield at Clevedon Town, else risk finishing a season that has promised so much but delivered nothing.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Goss (Nott), Strong, O'Boyle, Gould, Harper-Penman, S.Szabo, Faux (Hoare), Squire (R.Szabo) Unused: MacMartin

Scorer: S.Szabo

10th April 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Tivvy U18`s 4 v 1 Keynsham

The Young Yellows found themselves in action again on Thursday with the re-arranged league fixture with Bristol outfit Keynsham, after crashing out of the BGB cup two days earlier.

After a sloppy start to the game, Tivvy started to dominate proceedings with midfield generals Steve Goss and Glenn Gould controlling the tempo of the game. Good passing and movement eventually paid off as the inevitable first goal came from the boot of Richie Emmett who slid the ball home under heavy pressure from a crowd of Keynsham defenders. His second of the game came moments later after another assured finish in a one-one situation, after being found brilliantly by an inch perfect through ball by Glenn Gould, who arguably enjoyed his best game in a Tivvy shirt.

At half time Aiden Harper-Penman was brought on for Glenn Gould and the industrious midfielder worked hard in the centre of midfield as Tiverton again asserted control of the game. An enforced substitution was forced upon the Tiverton management after a “dopey” ‘Mr. T’ head butted Richie Emmett when they were both attacking a ball from a corner, and unfortunately this meant the latter could play no further part. This gave James “Jimbo” MacMartin the chance to come on and the substitute emphatically finished with his first touch after a raking ball over the top split the Keynsham defence apart. The equanimity of Luke Bryant was apparent for all to see as the sturdy right back conducted proceedings with authority and panache. His pin point ping over the top for Jimbo’s third oozed class, but despite putting in a near faultless display he still managed to collect the ‘Muppet of the match’ award!

Tiverton’s fourth should have come from the head of captain Brendan O’Boyle, who masterfully controlled the threat of any Keynsham attack by putting in a sterling performance. After ghosting into the box unmarked, he saw his header sail over the bar. Sloppy defending from a corner allowed Keynsham to pull one back as the ball fell to a player on the edge of the box, who duly poked the ball into the corner of the net. Things could have got worse for the lads, but an excellent sliding challenge from a covering Sam Tennant stopped the Keynsham striker running clean through. The game was put to bed by Sean Szabo, who turned and struck the ball in following a routine long throw-in.

A comfortable win for the lads in the end now sets them up nicely for a crunch title decider with Weston Super Mare on Tuesday night.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, Tennant, O'Boyle, Faux (Lee), Gould (Harper-Penman), S.Szabo, Emmett (MacMartin), Squire. Unused: Strong & Nott

Scorers: Emmett (2), MacMartin & S.Szabo

8th April 2008 BGB Youth Cup Quarter Final

Tivvy U18`s 1 v 2 Merthyr Tydfil

The Young Yellows suffered their second successive 2-1 home defeat on Tuesday evening, this time against a highly useful and organised Merthyr Tydfil in the quarter finals of the BGB Youth Cup. In a fairly even game between two very well matched sides, Tivvy were made to rue the slack start they made, which gave the visitors a two goal lead within the first 30 minutes. The home side never really got going in the opening exchanges giving Merthyr the confidence to attack and ultimately harm the Yellow's backline with their pace. The first goal came shortly after the 10 minute mark, when an excellent 25 yard drive from a visiting midfielder beat Tivvy keeper Danny Lewis at his near post. Merthyr thought that they had doubled their advantage just moments later when the ball was in the back of the net but the decent finish from a good flowing move was ruled out for offside. The Yellows offered little going forward with set pieces looking the most viable option to get back on level terms. But around the half hour mark it was 2-0 to the Welsh side after another decent flowing move tore its way through Tivvy's right hand side, and a neat pull back was clinically finished by their big centre forward leaving Lewis with little chance. Minutes later Lewis had to be alert again with a good "camera save" following a curling attempt on goal from 20 yards that was heading towards the top corner.

The hosts finally started to string some passes together after this point and worked their way back into the game when a delicate through ball from Richie Emmett released Sean Szabo whose shot from just inside the box found the bottom corner nicely. But Szabo went from hero to villain in the space of a couple of minutes when after winning a penalty, which was a result of the striker being brought down inside the box after quick-thinking from Luke Bryant, he stepped up to take the spot kick and embarrassingly chipped the spot kick straight down the middle for it to be easily saved by the Merthyr keeper who barely had to move.

The action just before half time could have left the Tivvy lads feeling deflated but to their credit they battled away in the second period, dominating possession and keeping Merthyr penned in their own half for large periods but failed to grab that elusive equalising goal. Chances were few and far between for both sides and the game frustratingly petered out for the boys in Yellow, as the dream of the unprecedented youth quadruple was over. However, it is vital that the Young Yellows pick themselves up quickly after these two poor results in succession to ensure that the season doesn't end in overall disappointment, being in two cup finals within the next two weeks and a series of hugely important league games to cement their title-favourites tag.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, Strong, Tennant (MacMartin), Squire (R.Szabo), O'Boyle, S.Szabo, Emmett (Lee), Gould

Scorer: S.Szabo

3rd April 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Tivvy U18`s 1 v 2 Weston Super-Mare

A lacklustre display from Tivvy, where the hosts failed to get going for the entirety, has left the title race wide open after their 2-1 home defeat to title rivals Weston on Thursday evening. In a cagey match, where clear cut chances were few and far between it took a deflected effort and two penalties for the two sides to record goals, but ultimately it sent a delighted Weston side home with the three points that they probably just about deserved.

The whole of the first half was a scrappy and nervy one with neither side wanting to go hell for leather and leave themselves exposed at the back, whilst both sides struggled to get into their flowing passing football. However, the first golden opportunity fell to Tivvy's Glenn Gould in the 10th minute when he released by a ball over the top, but in a one on one situation he dragged his shot just wide of the Weston goal. The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute in fortuitous style when visiting striker Sam Clarke had a shot from the edge of the box that got wickedly deflected off a Tivvy defender, changing the direction of the ball and wrong-footing Yellows keeper Danny Lewis, who could only watch the ball nestle in the right hand bottom corner. The goal momentarily woke Tivvy up with Danny O'Brien, playing his first game for Tivvy Under 18's, always looking the home sides biggest threat on the right wing. The Yellows' equaliser came about ten minutes after Weston gained their advantage, stemming from some decent short passing and Sean Szabo's run into the box. The striker was cleanly brought down just as he was about to pull the trigger and an unquestionable penalty was awarded. Szabo dusted himself off and calmly sent the Weston keeper Luke Purnell the wrong way, to draw Tivvy level. The only other real chance of the half went to the visitors as Lewis did well to tip another long-range effort over the bar.

The second period followed a fairly similar story, but it was clear that as the sides began to tire chances would emerge and Purnell did well to save a vicious Alex Faux volley from 20 yards five minutes in. At the other end, Lewis also had to be alert in parrying away a close range effort after a cross into the box was failed to be dealt with. Just before the hour mark though, the eventual winner was scored as slack marking from the Yellows allowed a long ball over the top to be latched onto by the dangerous Clarke. Initially it looked as though he had over-ran the ball, but as Lewis failed to smother convincingly, the striker had a second bite at the cherry and he nipped round the keeper and Lewis brought him down, conceding a stonewall penalty and lucky not to be sent off. Clarke himself stepped up and beat Lewis with the power of his spot kick, leaving the Tivvy boys in the unusual position of facing the prospect of defeat at home. The Yellows failed to get into their usual stride and the game began to fizzle out with little opportunities being created. A late onslaught of free-kicks and corners failed to come to anything and Tivvy's bad night was summed up when substitute Cam Nott was taken to hospital with a broken nose after an aerial challenge in the dying moments.

This poor performance, Tivvy's first loss for four months since the Northampton FA Youth Cup game, must be rectified in time for Tuesday's home game in the quarter finals of the BGB Youth Cup against Merthyr Tydfil else the team could find themselves out the competition. Also next Thursday there's an important home league game against Keynsham, where the Young Yellows will be looking to take advantage of their games in hand.

Team: Lewis, Bryant (Jones), Martin, Goss, Strong, O'Boyle, O'Brien (Nott), Gould, Szabo, Harper-Penman (Emmett), Faux Unused: Squire, Lee & MacMartin

Scorer: Szabo

30th March 2008 Devon County Cup Semi Final

Tivvy U18`s 5 v 2 Elburton Villa

AET

The reigning Devon Youth Cup champions Tivvy progressed through to this years final of the competition with a hard fought 5-2 win over a determined Elburton Villa side after extra time to set up a repeat of last years final against Plymstock, which the Yellows won four goals to one.

As expected, the game started at a pretty hectic pace with both sides coming out all guns blazing, but it was Tivvy who carved out the better chances with a Glenn Gould long range drive stinging the visiting keepers gloves and Ed Squire and Richie Emmett shooting wide in one-on-one situations. But the first goal of the game went to Elburton in the 20th minute and came in bizarre circumstances. The away side's left back picked the ball up 40 yards from goal near the touchline and played in a cross that transferred into a goal-bound attempt, and with Tivvy keeper James Woodcock misjudging the flight of the ball the shot nestled into the near post top corner. The goal gave the visitors real belief and Woodcock atoned for his earlier error when he produced a fine close range save after poor marking. But Tivvy got their equaliser on the half hour mark with a very harshly awarded penalty, given after Squire's marauding run into the box was obstructed with seemingly a standard shoulder barge. Steve Goss stepped up and coolly converted the spot kick. Returning striker Richie Emmett was forced off in the 35th minute with hamstring problems, but Tivvy's strong bench meant that his replacement was top goalscorer Sean Szabo, who was influential in changing the balance of the game into Tivvy's favour yet no more goals were scored before the interval.

After the half-time team talks, Tivvy came out of the traps the faster and put their noses in front with a goal out of nothing really. A long ball forward was headed clear by a Villa defender, but only reached the hard-working Aiden Harper-Penman 30 yards out who expertly chested the ball down and unleashed a superb half volley into the bottom corner for a fine goal. The lead was kept intact for a further 15 minutes, until a long ball over the top released Elburton's nippy forward, whose pace caused the Tivvy backline problems all afternoon, and he ran clear and dinked the ball over the top of the advancing Woodcock to grab a probably deserved leveller. Both sides had chances to retake the lead as the second half progressed, forcing both keepers into saves, with Jack Lee and substitute James MacMartin both firing wide for Tivvy when in decent positions. The introduction of winger Cam Nott to the field of play for Ed Squire, seemed to give the home side the pair of fresh legs and lift that they needed to push on and win the game, but despite the Yellows being on top now the best chance of the final few minutes of normal time fell to Elburton as another long ball forward was latched onto by their forward who lifted the ball over Woodcock but saw his effort crashed against the crossbar and extra time was needed to separate these two sides.

Despite the heavy legs on a sticky pitch, credit must be to both side for attempting to play football but the long ball forward seemed the most effective method of penetration, and this time Tivvy used it to their advantage when Szabo was set free and rounded the keeper, only to be brought down by the goalie for Tivvy's second penalty. Szabo dusted himself down and slotted past the keeper who guessed the right way, to give the Yellows a 3-2 lead at half time in extra time. The second period of 15 minutes saw the home side dominate as Villa's fitness and confidence disappeared, and fine individual work from Nott saw him use his pace to get to the by-line and stand up an inch-perfect cross for Gould to steam in at the back post and powerfully head into the net for Tivvy's forth. The fifth and final goal came after Nott threaded a through ball to MacMartin who after good work saw his shot saved but the rebound found its way to Szabo who shot through the crowd and into the bottom corner to wrap up the victory.

Again credit must go to Elburton Villa who battled on throughout and probably have the right to feel slightly unlucky with the fact that big decisions at key moments didn't go their way, but for Tivvy this result puts them into their second cup final, and with a strong league position and place in the quarter finals of the BGB Youth Cup the first ever quadruple is still very much on if the lads can produce some performances that matches their potential. The next game is a hugely important league game with title-rivals Weston at home on Thursday evening and the lads would appreciate your support.

Team: Woodcock, Martin, Bryant, Goss, Davey, O'Boyle, Harper-Penman, Gould, Lee (MacMartin), Emmett (Szabo), Squire (Nott) Unused: Wilson-Lamb

Scorers: S.Szabo (2), Goss, Harper-Penman & Gould

25th March 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Chard 1 v 2 Tivvy U18`s

The under 18's played their "get out of jail free" card in a thrilling game away to relegation-threatened Chard on Tuesday evening, to score two very late goals after the home side had gone one goal up midway through the second half and take all three points by the skin of their teeth.

Hit by a string of unavailability's, a mix and match Tivvy side started brightly and it looked as though a repeat of the 9-1 victory over Chard in the reverse fixture could be on the cards, but decent chances were squandered by James MacMartin, Alex Faux and Ed Squire through a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping. However, as the half continued Chard grew in stature and confidence, and they applied some serious pressure to the Tivvy backline as the visitors struggled to clear their lines going up the demanding slope. However, the home side failed to force Yellows keeper James Woodcock into a meaningful save, with their best chances including a tame header and an effort that skimmed wide of the post.

After the interval, Chard remained the more likely side to break to the deadlock with their experience of playing up the colossal hill and their central midfielder trio dominating over Tivvy's pair Glenn Gould and Aiden Harper-Penman. Although largely outplayed the visitors still carved out a couple of decent chances with MacMartin again shooting off-target in a one-on-one situation and Luke Bryant seeing his header from a corner being hacked away on the line. The disjointed performance was made worse in the 65th minute when Chard deservedly took the lead, as a long through ball caught the Yellows defenders ball-watching and their winger stole in a fired his shot under the advancing Woodcock. Despite this setback, Tivvy found it difficult to penetrate the hosts' solid defensive unit and Chard could have doubled their advantage as a powerful shot after a good move just flashed past the far post.

The introduction of substitute Jack Lee 15 minutes from time seemed to be the catalyst for Tivvy's late surge, as they adopted a gung ho attacking style that finally troubled Chard's back four. Yet, it seemed as though it was just not meant to be the Young Yellows' night when Faux, who worked tirelessly all night despite playing for Taunton just the day before, raced clean through but shot agonisingly wide in the 85th minute. However, just moments later a long throw in found Lee inside the box who magnificently twisted and turned to shrug off his defender and provide an inch perfect cross for Cam Nott, his header cannoned against the post but Faux was on hand to touch in the rebound from 2 yards out and grab Tivvy's equaliser. Not content with the solitary point the visitors continued to press and deep into added time, largely due to Chard's time wasting, a ball over the top was latched onto by Gould and he made no mistake in touching the ball over the on-rushing keeper to gain the victory. The goal sparked celebrations from the away side who knew that they had rode their luck for large periods of this game against a spirited and determined Chard outfit, who on this sort of form deserve to keep their Premier division status.

The Yellows now look to avenge the disappointment of drawing with Keynsham away earlier in the season, as the two sides meet in the return fixture at Ladysmead on Thursday evening with a 7.45 kick off.

Team: Woodcock, Martin, Bryant, Harper-Penman, Tennant, O'Boyle, Squire (Lamb-Wilson), Gould, Faux, MacMartin (Lee), Nott

Scorers: Faux & Gould

20th March 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Tivvy U18`s 4 v 0 Mangotsfield

The Young Yellows strengthened their league title claims with a fine 4 nil victory over a useful Mangotsfield side at Ladysmead on Thursday evening, stretching their unbeaten run to 13 games in the process. After a nervy opening to the game, where both sides struggled to keep the ball, Tivvy settled the quicker with Alex Faux, Ed Squire and Steve Goss all having decent attempts on goal. The visitors also had a few half chances but failed to trouble home keeper Danny Lewis. The home side got the goal they deserved after 35 minutes, with the overall quality of the goal forcing all in the ground to applaud. Strong running from Squire in middle of the park, led to the ball finding Sean Szabo's feet 30 yards out from goal who instead of shooting, turned on the ball and played in Faux on the edge of the box who delightfully caressed the ball into the far top corner with his left foot leaving the keeper with no chance. Further chances came and went for Tivvy but they had to settle for the one goal advantage at the half time whistle, despite playing some decent football. However, just 5 minutes after the break the strike partnership of Szabo and Faux combined superbly again, which resulted in a similar outcome. Szabo picked the ball up on the right wing, evaded the challenges of a couple of Mango's defenders and squared the ball to Faux who had the easy task of rolling the ball into a largely unguarded net. Unfortunately, a series of poor refereeing decisions climaxing in a visiting player harshly getting red-carded in the 60th minute for a challenge from behind, gradually ruined the flow of the game and pretty much ended the game as a contest. But full credit must go to the Mango's side who battled on regardless, and kept the scores the same until the 75th minute when substitute Jack Lee notched his second in as many games firing home a fierce half-volley from the edge of the box after the ball bounced loose. The scoring was complete five minutes from the end when a Faux corner was guided into the bottom corner by central midfielder Goss on the volley.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, Strong, O'Boyle, Gould, Harper-Penman (Hoare), S.Szabo (MacMartin), Squire (Lee) Unused: Tennant & R.Szabo

Scorers: Faux (2), Lee & Goss

13th March 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League Cup Semi Final

Sherborne Town 3 v 5 Tivvy U18`s

The Young Yellows scraped through to the league cup final on Thursday evening with a 5-3 victory over South Division hosts Sherborne. A surprisingly lacklustre and flat performance from a Tivvy side depleted by injuries and unavailability's, saw them struggle to get to grips with the home side for large periods who without doubt wanted it more. Their superior desire to win alone nearly booked them their place in the final, but the Yellows higher levels of fitness and perhaps additional bit of quality saw them progress to the leagues showpiece in extra time.

The game began excellently for Tivvy as they took the lead within the first 5 minutes of the tie to somewhat deflate the pumped-up Sherborne boys. The goal came after a James MacMartin shot was well saved, but the keeper could only parry the ball into the path of the lurking Richie Emmett who had the easy task of putting the ball into the back of the net from five yards. Moments later Cam Nott then had a decent one-on-one chance to double the early lead, but the keeper saved the wingers rather tame effort. From then on it was largely all Sherborne, as Tivvy struggled to hold the ball up and retain possession. The equaliser came after twenty minutes when a long range shot was misjudged by Yellows keeper Danny Lewis who allowed the ball to come off the post and in when thinking the effort was going wide. This put even more fire in the hosts' bellies and in all fairness Tivvy were lucky to cling on to the 1-1 score line at half time with wave after wave of Sherborne attacks, but Lewis produced a couple of decent saves to atone for his earlier error and keep the scores as they were. A notable attempt on goal just before half-time for Tivvy saw a good header by captain Brendan O'Boyle from a corner, which forced the home keeper into a reaction stop.

The second half saw Sherborne take the lead within 5 minutes as slack marking allowed a through ball to find the feet of the home sides attacker who ran through on goal and finished convincingly past Lewis. It was evident that Sherborne had put a lot of effort into their first 60 minutes of football as they began to tire past this hour mark allowing Tivvy that bit more time on the ball that they wished for to create a number of openings. Despite the shift in momentum changing in the Yellows favour, the hosts still troubled the Tivvy backline and forced Lewis into a magnificent save in the 70th minute when a rocket was unleashed and the stopper managed to tip the ball to safety. Striker Emmett thought he had scored the equaliser ten minutes from time when he prodded past the on-rushing keeper from just inside the box, but his effort lacked power and the ball was hacked off the line to safety. Sam Strong also went close as his glancing header from a Nott free-kick went within whiskers of the far post. As the game moved into injury time it seemed as though it would be Sherborne's night to savour, but with a minute left on the clock the hosts failed to clear their lines after a long ball was put into their box and after a bit of a goalmouth scramble central midfielder Steve Goss, who influenced proceedings more as the game went on, was brought down inside the box when just about to pull the trigger. Sean Szabo, this seasons top goalscorer who was deployed on the right wing for this game, stepped up and his penalty kick just about beat the opposing keeper who guessed the right way to send the game into extra time.

First blood in extra time went to Sherborne as they scored nearly straight from the kick off after the attacker turned defender Strong easily and buried the ball into the near corner. The defence was ripped apart once again moments later, but somehow the Sherborne player put his shot over the bar from 12 yards after rounding keeper Lewis and the goal wide open. However, Tivvy responded well and made the score 3-3 five minutes later when the two front men linked up well as Emmett slid MacMartin a through ball and the latter forward finished superbly into the far top corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Fitness was a big influencer in the second period of extra time and Tivvy grabbed the lead when the improving Goss fired home a half volley from ten yards into the bottom corner. The game was put beyond doubt in the dying minutes when Emmett chipped a pass into the area, which found substitute Jack Lee whose first time volley lobbed the keeper for the midfielders first for the club.

The 5-3 result now means that Tivvy face Mangotsfield in the League Cup final at Clevedon Town, but credit must be given to Sherborne for their battling spirit and overall will to succeed, so we wish them all the best for the rest of the season.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, O'Boyle, Strong, Szabo, Squire (Lee), MacMartin, Emmett, Nott

Scorers: Emmett, Szabo, MacMartin, Goss, Lee

28th February 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Radstock 1 v 5 Tivvy U18`s

Even though the Young Yellows were under strength and played some way off their best football, they were still too hot to handle for basement boys Radstock as Tivvy gained three more points in the league campaign to elevate themselves up to second in the table (three points behind leaders Bishop Sutton, but with 2 games in hand).

The visitors to Southfields couldn't have wished for a better start as winger Ed Squire found Alex Faux 25 yards out from goal, whose fairly tame effort somehow trickled through the home sides keeper's body and over the line for a goal within the first minute. From this point onwards it seemed as though the Yellows thought that all they had to do was remain in first gear for the remainder of the game and the goals would flow; they were wrong. As the half grew old, Radstock's confidence improved after their horror start and they began to threaten the Tivvy backline, albeit with minimal success. Chances came and went for the Yellows, with in-form hotshot Richie Emmett guilty of fluffing a couple of good chances as Tivvy had to settle for a disappointing one-goal lead at the interval.

The beginning of the second period was a carbon copy of the first, with Tivvy grabbing an extremely early goal. The combination of full back Luke Bryant and winger Ed Squire down the right hand side was a real thorn in the Radstock side throughout the match and it was no surprise that these two linked up, with the help of Faux, to tee up Squire inside the box who superbly fired into the far bottom corner to give the Young Yellows are two-goal cushion. This settled any feelings that the result could be in doubt, and an increase in space all over the park was exploited well by the new central midfield partnership of Aiden Harper-Penmen and Callum Hoare. Ten minutes later a loose ball in the final third was collected 30 yards out by Squire, who seems to be getting better and better after every game he plays in his recovery from a broken leg, and the winger forced his way inside the box and unleashed a similar strike to his first goal which again nestled into the far corner of the net to give Tivvy their third. After a few mis-hit efforts, Faux was back in the goals five minutes later when another run and cross from Squire saw the ball find its way to striker Faux who bundled the ball across the line at the back post for his second of the evening. Once the game was effectively over, a double substitution just after the hour mark saw a new strike force in place as Faux and Emmett made way for James MacMartin and Lee Radford. Moments after coming on Radford, making his first league appearance, somehow missed a glaring chance from all of two yards with an open goal in front of him when it seemed easier to score. But the young forward made up for his earlier error when, after a good run, he squared the ball nicely to the outstanding Squire who prodded home from 12 yards to get his hat-trick that he thoroughly deserved and give Tivvy their fifth of the evening. With ten minutes left MacMartin decided not to take up an opportunity to make it six as he ducked out of his header five yards out with the goal gaping. Then at the other end keeper Danny Lewis produced his only save of the match, fingertipping a glancing header around the post from close range. However, five minutes from time the Yellows let 4 successive clean sheets slip, when slack defending left the Radstock forward able to round Lewis and neatly tuck the ball home.

Despite not being at their best it was a case of beating whats put in front of you and the lads certainly did that with ease and can now look forward to the Devon Cup Semi Final on Sunday afternoon away to Elburton Villa.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Harper-Penmen, Strong, O'Boyle (C), Squire, Hoare, Faux (MacMartin), Emmett (Radford), Nott

Scorers: Squire (3) & Faux (2)

25th February 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League Cup Quarter Final

Tivvy U18`s 6 v Bishop Sutton

The second meeting within just 4 days between these two teams resulted in the Young Yellows storming to a six goal victory over the current league leaders Bishop Sutton in the quarter finals of the league cup. Superb passing football throughout the ninety minutes tore the visitors apart time after time, and the comfortable victory now means that Tivvy face Sherbourne, a team in the division below, away for a place in the final.

The drastic improvement over the past couple of weeks in the Yellows play was evident once more from the first whistle as the hosts attacked with purpose and soon forced Sutton on the back foot. An early goal helped matters as Richie Emmett, returning from a months lay-off with a back injury, was put through via a ball over the top from fellow forward Sean Szabo and the striker looked as if he had never been away as he demonstrated his goal scoring prowess by calmly dinking the ball over the top of the advancing goalkeeper. More clear cut chances came and went for the hosts as Szabo and Cam Nott were both guilty of freezing in front of goal when clean through. But Tivvy got the two goal cushion they deserved 10 minutes from the interval after a goalmouth scramble led to the ball finding winger Ed Squire 12 yards out, and he made no mistake in burying the ball into the far corner. The whole half passed without home keeper Danny Lewis having to make a single meaningful save, and things stayed the same in second half partly due to another fine performance from a settled Tivvy defence, led superbly by captain Sam Strong, which has now gone 3 games without conceding a goal.

The ever-improving Yellows took off at the same sort of pace that they had finished the first, and a 15 minute goal blitz at the start of the second period startled Bishop Sutton as Tivvy got into the groove we know they are capable of. It began as Szabo did well flick the ball through to Glenn Gould who raced through and beat the Sutton keeper with a precise left foot finish. The forth came soon after as Nott sprayed the ball out wide to Squire who outpaced the visiting fullback and delivered a low cross that Emmett was able to poke into the far corner for a wonderful team goal and "Farmer's" second. The bushy haired striker bagged his hat-trick moments later after again linking up well with strike partner Szabo and producing a neat turn inside the box and an even better finish low into the corner. The final goal of the game was another one straight out of the top drawer on the hour mark when a long ball from full back Niall Martin picked out Emmett excellently who joyfully lobbed the visiting keeper with the ball remaining in the air the whole time. It was football at its finest, and the Yellows professionally saw the game out keeping their clean sheet intact, with Thursday's league game away to Radstock in mind.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Goss (Hoare), Strong, O'Boyle (MacMartin), Squire, Gould (Harper-Penmen), Szabo, Emmett, Nott Unused: Faux & Tennant

Scorers: Emmett (4), Squire & Gould

21st February 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Bishop Sutton 0 v 2 Tivvy U18`s

The Young Yellows gave an assured and professional performance away to title rivals Bishop Sutton on Thursday evening, winning by two goals to nil to claim three highly valuable points in their league campaign. Despite a distinct lack of "the Haribo man", the first half saw Tivvy produce some superb football to keep the hosts penned in their own half for large periods. After strikers Sean Szabo and Stuart Davies both saw efforts float agonisingly close over the crossbar, the Yellows took the lead after 20 minutes when the pair combined excellently to spilt the hosts defence in two. A long ball forward was flicked on by Davies, straight into the path of Szabo who showed a clean set of heels to the trailing defenders and a calm head to clinically round the on-rushing keeper and tuck away his 17th of the season. This goal woke the hosts up and they started to attack with a bit more purpose, but fine defensive displays from Niall Martin, Sam Strong, Brendan O'Boyle and Luke Bryant nullified any threat limiting them to long range efforts which rarely trouble keeper Danny Lewis. The Yellows deservedly doubled their advantage in the 40th minute when an Alex Faux in swinging corner found Davies inside the box, who sweetly guided the ball into the far bottom corner on the full volley. The first 45's exploits, however, were soured in additional time when a challenge between central midfielder Fred Kingdom and a Bishop Sutton player resulted in Kingdom screaming with pain on the ground, with what is thought to be a broken wrist. Our best wishes to Freddie for a speedy recovery as his hardworking, combative displays will be sorely missed.

The incident before half time almost took the edge of the visitors game and the Sutton were definitely more prominent in the second period, but again failed to force Lewis into any serious action. The miss of the game came when substitute Cam Nott broke free down the right wing and squared the ball for the unmarked Davies who had the whole goal to aim at, but the big front man somehow spooned his kick over the crossbar. Ed Squire and Steve Goss battled well in the middle of the park against physical yet useful opponents, with both fulfilling defensive and attacking duties admirably. Yellows keeper Lewis' first and only real save of the game came in the 75th minute, and it was a good one as he did well to palm a vicious strike around the post. The game petered out with Tivvy very satisfied with a superb three points and a victory that'll no doubt give the Young Yellows a psychological edge ahead of the next time these two sides meet on Monday evening at Ladysmead in the League Cup quarter final.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Goss, Strong, O'Boyle, Faux (R.Szabo), Kingdom (Nott), Davies (Tennant), S.Szabo, Squire Unused: MacMartin

Scorers: S.Szabo & Davies

19th February 2008 BGB Youth Cup

Tivvy U18`s 1 v 0 Paulton Rovers

Abandoned at Half Time due to frozen pitch

This BGB Youth Cup fixture was unfortunately abandoned at half time due to a large section of the pitch near the clubhouse frozen solid and therefore proving a dangerous risk. It was a shame for Paulton who had made the long trip to Devon, but probably an even bigger shame for the hosts who were one goal up and playing some superb football. Flowing passing football led to near total domination for the Yellows against a side that really had no answer to it. The home side were unlucky to be up by more after hitting the crossbar and missing some decent chances, but the only "goal" came from the penalty spot when Steve Goss converted after a handball inside the box.

This means that both sides will have to play the game again sometime in the future, but the case will not be helped by the fact that both teams have very congested fixture lists as it is. The wait for the Yellows' next game is a short one with a crunch clash at title rivals Bishops Sutton on Thursday.

Team: Woodcock, Martin, Bryant, Goss, Strong, O'Boyle, Kingdom, R.Szabo, Nott, MacMartin, Davies Subs: Lewis, Squire & Hoare

13th February 2008 BGB Youth Cup

Chippenham Town 1 v 4 Tivvy U18`s

With numerous players unavailable for the long trip to Chippenham, the Young Yellows were down to the bare bones as they searched for three valuable points in the group stage of the BGB Youth Cup. The numbers situation was emphasised by the fact that Tivvy's only sub was in fact regular keeper Danny Lewis, who had initially been given the evening off so that the progress of the other keeper in the squad James Woodcock could be monitored. However, the low numbers seemed to galvanise the lads as they produced a performance that was much more like what we know the lads are capable of as they showed the passion and desire to win that had perhaps been lacking in recent weeks, to record a fine 4-1 victory over the Bluebirds.

Tivvy started the game at a blistering pace, penning the hosts into their own half in the entire opening 10 minutes. With debutant Ricky Davey and Steve Goss pulling the strings in the middle of the park, Tivvy looked a real force to be reckoned with and nearly went ahead when a Cam Nott left footed volley from the edge of the box after a Ross Szabo cross was brilliantly saved by the home goalkeeper. As Chippenham settled into their stride they began to apply more pressure on the Tiverton backline, yet the defence of Bryant, Tennant, O'Boyle and Strong coped admirably and limited the hosts to occasional long range efforts. The Yellows deservedly broke the deadlock after 15 minutes when Chippenham failed to clear a Nott corner, and the ball squirmed its way to Sean Szabo who did well to adjust his body and bury the ball into the back of the net with his left foot from a tight angle to grab his 15th goal of the season. Despite always looking comfortable and solid there was a real scare mid way through the half, when Tivvy failed to clear their lines from a set-piece and a vicious drive from the edge of the box was wonderfully headed off the line by captain Brendan O'Boyle. Tivvy pushed to increase their advantage with efforts from James MacMartin, S.Szabo and Davey all forcing decent saves from the keeper but the score remained 1-0 at the interval.

The second 45 continued in much the same vein as the first with Tivvy dominating proceedings and it wasn't long before they got rewarded with a two goal cushion. A Ross Szabo corner was nodded down inside the box by Sam Tennant, which eventually found its way to the predator inside the box, Sean Szabo, who once again with his left foot made no mistake from close range to notch his and Tivvy's second of the night. Instead of resting on their laurels, the attacking play just kept on coming, with Davey and Goss influential in both attack and defence. The third goal came with 20 minutes left on the clock as a combination of MacMartin and S.Szabo, who both worked tirelessly up front all night, managed to feed the ball over the right hand side where winger Nott was in ample space to take a touch and smash the ball into the top corner. With the game effectively over, MacMartin was replaced in attack with Danny Lewis and the Young Yellows suddenly lost their edge with a severe lack of hold up play in the attacking areas and general inability to move around the pitch! However, ten minutes from time Tivvy crashed in their forth and final goal of the game when a Nott cross was only cleared to the lurking Davey on the edge of the box and the Millfield schoolboy showed his class by nonchalantly rolling the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards leaving the keeper with no chance, giving him a goal that he certainly deserved for his efforts. The only black dot of the night came in the final 5 minutes when the defence (who had been sound all evening with both fullbacks even offering attacking options and keeper Woodcock dealing with everything thrown at him with ease) momentarily switched off to allow a midfielder time and space to run with the ball and unleash a fierce effort that Woodcock could only parry, and the rebound was swept home from 6 yards.

In all though, a very encouraging all-round performance considering the circumstances and on a pitch that allowed the Tivvy boys to play their usual flowing passing football they excelled to gain three points that now means they are in a commanding position to qualify from the group stage. Next up is another crucial BGB Youth Cup game at home to fellow leaders of the group Paulton Rovers on Tuesday evening, where a win would really put the Young Yellows in the driving seat.

Team: J.Woodcock, L.Bryant, S.Strong, R.Davey, B.O'Boyle, S.Tennant, R.Szabo, S.Goss, S.Szabo, J.MacMartin (D.Lewis), C.Nott

Scorers: S.Szabo (2), C.Nott & R.Davey

7th February 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth League Cup

Tivvy U18`s 2 v 2 Weston Super Mare

AET Tivvy win 4 v 3 on Penalties

The Young Yellows booked their place in the League Cup Quarter Finals after a hard-fought victory on penalties against a Weston team who were without doubt one of the strongest teams the lads have faced all season. The eventual win now means that Tivvy now face top of the table Bishops Sutton in the next round for a place in the semi-finals against South Division side Sherbourne.

On an extremely heavy pitch, both sides must be given credit for attempting to play football and try to make a decent game of it, however, in the end the pitch was the only real winner. It was a first half that Tivvy largely dominated, with midfield general Glenn Gould spurning two great one-on-one opportunities and numerous efforts on the Weston goal kept out by a fine display from the visiting keeper Luke Purnell. However, probably against the run of play, it was Weston who broke the deadlock with their first real shot. As Sam Clarke was sent racing through and slotted home after the ball crept under the reach of Tivvy keeper Danny Lewis in the 20th minute. It took the hosts just 5 minutes to get back on level terms though as a header from Alex Faux, who worked tirelessly all game and was to many of Tivvy's attacks, was well saved by Purnell, but the keeper could do nothing about the rebound which winger Ed Squire was on hand to smash home from a tight angle, as he starts to start to look like he his gradually getting back to his best. More chances came and went for both sides before the half time whistle, but with both stoppers in inspired form the teams went in level after 45.

The second period began in the same vein with Tivvy doing most of the pressing but unable to turn their possession into goals, with both Stu Davies and another Gould attempt being excellently kept out by Purnell. As the half progressed, Weston grew in confidence and start to shift the dominance of the game towards the end of the second period, forcing the Yellows on the back foot and having to defend with their backs against the wall. In the final minute of the 90, Yellows keeper Lewis produced a brilliant point-blank save to keep his side in the tie saving with his chest, therefore taking the game into extra time.

The energy-sapping pitch made the game very open throughout the whole of the additional time, but it was Weston who had the more clear cut chances and were rewarded for their efforts when Sam Clarke produced a superb turn inside the box and fired past Lewis to grab his second of the night and send his team into raptures. In the second period of ET Weston's lively Clarke had his hat-trick goal disallowed for offside as Tivvy piled on the pressure for the equaliser in the dying minutes. And it came with nearly the last kick of the game as a long ball forward from Luke Bryant, who enjoyed a commanding display at right back, was latched onto by Faux who found the strength from somewhere to shrug the opposing defender and calmly finish from just inside the box into the far corner. This goal took the game to penalties, which was a battle of two superb keepers.

Lewis in the Tivvy goal excellently saved the first penalty to his right, whilst Steve Goss confidently stroked home the hosts' first one to give them the advantage. The next two penalties for both sides were well converted, with Callum Hoare and Brendan O'Boyle making no mistake for the Yellows. Weston then scored their next one, but Tivvy captain Fred Kingdom hit a weak penalty straight down the middle to level the scores up. However, the visitors couldn't take advantage as they missed their next pen, leaving Gould to confidently smash home his spot-kick and send Tivvy through. Overall, an excellent game that either side would have been unlucky to lose.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Strong, Goss, O'Boyle, Gould, Kingdom, Squire (Tennant), Nott (R.Szabo), Faux, Davies (Hoare) Unused: MacMartin & Martin

Scorers: Squire & Faux

31st January 2008 BGB Youth Cup

Paulton Rovers 1 v 1 Tivvy U18`s

On a bitterly cold evening at Paulton, it was a case of yet more points dropped for the Young Yellows as they failed to turn superior possession (particularly in the second half) into goals, in a carbon copy of what happened on Monday night at Keynsham. In a very even first half of this BGB Youth Cup match, both sides failed to create any clear cut chances in a game that was largely battled in the middle of the park. Probably the best half-chance of the half though fell to Ross Szabo on the left hand side just before the interval as he did well to get a shot away in between defenders, but the effort didn't have enough curl on it to find the target.

As the second half began, the heavens started to open as a mixture of hailstones and rain fell leading to the previously decent pitch cutting up pretty badly. However, this seemed to open the game up as a contest and both sides had good chances to break the deadlock. A misjudgement from Luke Bryant nearly gifted Paulton the opener, but their forward failed to get his volley on target. Whilst at the other end, Aiden Harper-Penmen and Sean Szabo both had efforts well-saved by the home keeper before somehow James Macmartin headed against the post from just two yards out with the goal gaping. However, with just 15 minutes left on the clock, a cross from Ross Szabo on the left found substitute Stuart Davies inside the box and from 12 yards his sweetly-hit volley roared into the top corner of the net for a superb 1st Tivvy goal. This however fired the hosts up and they hit back seven minutes from time to score the equaliser after the Tivvy defence failed to put a meaningful challenge in on their right winger whose winding run led to a cross which found Paulton's captain free inside the box and he made no mistake, as the two sides shared the spoils at the final whistle.

Tivvy can now look forward to a bit of a rest period before their next game, which is a home tie against Weston Super-Mare next Thursday in the League Cup Quarter Finals.

Scorer: Stuart Davies

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Strong, Harper-Penmen, Tennant, O'Boyle, R.Szabo, Kingdom, S.Szabo, MacMartin (Davies), Squire (Nott)

28th January 2008 Somerset Floodlit Youth Lge

Keynsham 0 v 0 Tivvy U18`s

The Young Yellows made the trip to Keynsham on Monday evening to play their second game in as many days and the performance showed that the weekend's exertions had taking too much out of the players as they recorded a lacklustre and tired display to play out a nil nil draw with their Bristol hosts. Tivvy pretty much dominated proceedings from the first whistle to the last but lacked that spark and invention in the final third to make their possession count. New signing Stuart Davies did well in his attempts as the lone striker on a very difficult pitch to get the ball down and start playing football, but the breakthrough just wouldn't come as a resilient Keynsham side stood firm. In the first 15 minutes it looked as though Tivvy might run away with it as the hosts struggled to get out of their own half, and their keeper pulling off two fine saves from a Davies shot and an Alex Faux header. As the game grew old Keynsham grew in confidence and started to apply some meaningful pressure but rarely troubled keeper Danny Lewis in the Tivvy goal for the entirety.

The second half produced more of the same with Tivvy really bossing the game and looking as though the break-through goal would be a matter of time. Winger Cam Nott had the two best opportunities of the half after being put through by Davies both times but saw one shot shave the post and the other cleared off the line. In all, the game petered out with a few suspect refereeing decisions towards the end not going down well with the frustrated Tivvy lads. It was definitely a case of two points lost but this point could prove crucial in what is expected to be highly competitive league campaign. The Young Yellows must now rest their weary legs in preparation for Thursday's BGB Youth Cup game away to Paulton Rovers as they look to maintain their 100% start in that competition.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, Strong, O'Boyle, Faux, Kingdom, Davies, Gould, Nott Unused Subs: MacMartin & Lee

27th January 2008 Devon County Cup

Tivvy U18's 3 v 1 Topsham Town

The Under 18's progressed to the semi final stage of the Devon Cup with a fairly comfortable 3-1 win over Topsham Youth on a sunny afternoon at Ladysmead. After the first team game the day before, the pitch made it difficult for both sides to the passing football that they so wished but after an even start the Young Yellows took the lead in the 8th minute. A defensive error saw the ball only get cleared straight to the feet of Jack Wilson-Lamb who from 12 yards made no mistake in slotting the ball home for his first Tivvy goal. However, Topsham hit back just two minutes later through a similar defensive mistake where a ball into the box was failed to clear and the visiting attacker produced a composed finish leaving Tivvy keeper Lewis with little chance. Yet the scoring-frenzy didn't stop there, just five minutes later Tivvy were back in the lead as the referee spotted a push on Yellow's captain Steve Goss inside the box. The resulting spot-kick was placed home confidently by striker Sean Szabo and the hosts were fairly comfortable from then on. With both teams seeming to cancel each other out the goal-scoring stopped until the 60th minute when Tivvy effectively put the game to bed. A defensive-splitting through ball sent Aiden Harper-Penman racing through on goal, and the central midfielder kept a cool head to clinically guide the ball past the visiting keeper and into the bottom corner of the net. The Yellows saw out the remainder of the game convincingly with captain-for-the-day Steve Goss leading by example with a good performance at centre half, leaving the Young Yellows on course to retain their title as Devon champions.

Team: Lewis, Squire, Martin, Goss, Tennant, Hoare (Nott), Harper-Penman (Bryant), Wilson-Lamb (Lee), R.Szabo, S.Szabo, MacMartin

23rd January 2008 British Gas Business Youth Cup

Team Bath2 v 4 Tivvy U18's

After more than a month without a game the Tivvy lads blew away the cobwebs and got rid of the rustiness to record three points in their first group game of the BGB Youth Challenge Cup with a fairly comfortable 4-2 victory over Team Bath at Bath University.

Playing in the in-field of the athletics track, the pitch was devoid of atmosphere and this was reflected in large parts of the game. After a lacklustre start Tivvy found themselves struggling to back out of their half, with the home side applying all the pressure but failing to force Yellows keeper Danny Lewis into a save. In actual fact it was Tivvy who grabbed the first goal after 25 minutes, which sparked the game into a 5 minute goal frenzy. A lofted corner from Cam Nott, was brilliantly nodded down by Sam Tennant into the path of Ross Szabo who made no mistake in firing home from 10 yards to give Tivvy an undeserved lead. However, just two minutes later Team Bath levelled the scores when Lewes fumbled a 20 yard free-kick into the path of an on-rushing forward who put the ball into the back of the net from an acute angle after the Tivvy defenders were left ball-watching. In a further twist though, the Young Yellows regained their one-goal advantage straight from the kick off as Luke Bryant linked up well with winger Nott, and the latters ball over the top wonderfully found Richie Emmett who finished emphatically into the top corner from 18 yards with a looping volley. As half-time approached Tivvy increased their lead when a goal-mouth scramble following good work from Ross Szabo, who had a hugely impressive game on the left wing, led to the ball finding the feet of striker Emmett who stabbed home inside the six-yard box to bag his second of the game.

The second half largely failed to inspire with both teams struggling to look after and keep the ball. The scores remained the same until the 70th minute when a hopeful free-kick from Team Bath into the Tivvy box was misjudged by Lewis to allow the hosts back into the game with a simple finish. At 3-2 the Yellows realised they had to start playing again, but it was the home side who took the initiative and they had a golden opportunity to level the scores with 15 minutes left. The referee awarded them a penalty when Sam Tennant brought down an opposing forward inside the box with a mistimed challenge. However, keeper Lewis made amends for his earlier mistakes by producing a trademark penalty save down to his right. Tivvy then kicked back into life during the last 10 minutes, with captain Fred Kingdom the driving force for many of the attacks and he enjoyed a magnificant game commanding the middle with authority. With 5 minutes to go the Yellows put the game to bed when profilic striker Sean Szabo found space inside the box to produce a well executed turn and shot with his left foot leaving the home keeper with no chance.

This three points gives Tivvy a vital basis to build on as they aim to progress in this competition. However, the next game is the quarter final of the Devon Cup on Sunday afternoon where they entertain Topsham Youth at Ladysmead, which is followed the next evening by a trip to Kenysham in the league.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, R.Szabo, O'Boyle, Tennant, Gould (Hoare), Kingdom, S.Szabo, Emmett (MacMartin), Nott (Squire) Unused: Strong & Harper-Penmen

13th December 2007 Devon County Cup 2nd Round

Tivvy U18's 2 v 0 YMCA Kitto Parkway

A mix and match Under 18's team booked their place in the quarter finals of the Devon Cup with a comfortable two nil win against YMCA Kitto Parkway on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon at Ladysmead. The wholesale changes were clearly evident as winger Cam Nott donned the goalkeeping gloves, prolific striker Sean Szabo filled in at right back and five players (Callum Hoare, Jack Wilson-Lamb, Jack Lee, Aiden Harper-Penmen and Lee Radford) made their competitive debuts in a Yellow shirt.

The reigning champions were rarely in trouble throughout the match, however much of this was owed to solid displays from defenders Brendan O'Boyle and Sam Tennant who hardly lost a challenge all game, giving Nott in between the sticks a quiet afternoon and forming the foundations for Tivvy to attack without worry. The midfield, of whom all four were making debuts, got a grip on the game from the first whistle and it was encouraging to see each of them linking up well with some good passing moves. Whilst up front last years deadly Under 16's strike partnership of James MacMartin and Lee Radford was reunited and their tireless running was a good outlet for the duration. And it was Radford who broke the deadlock on the half hour mark when he latched on to a through ball inside the box and fired the ball into the far corner leaving the visiting keeper with little chance. Despite further intense pressure from the home side, the score stayed the same until the hour mark when a corner from the right was swung in dangerously, causing the Kitto defender to unfortunately direct the ball into his own net from inside the six yard box. A double substitution saw a further debutant take the field as Matt Hancock replaced Radford, whilst Glenn Gould also came on for MacMartin. Chances came and went to increase the scoreline but a mixture of poor finishing from certain individuals (who will remain nameless!) and excellent goalkeeping saw the final score remain at two goals to nil in Tivvy's favour.

Team: C.Nott, N.Martin, S.Szabo, J.Wilson-Lamb, B.O'Boyle, S.Tennant, A.Harper-Penmen, C.Hoare, L.Radford (M.Hancock), J.MacMartin (G.Gould), J.Lee

13th December 2007 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Tivvy U18's 4 v 0 Brislington U18`s

In their first game since the footballing masterclass from Northampton two weeks ago, the Young Yellows, back in league action, defeated an ever-lively Brislington side with relative ease but only after going about it the hard way. On a chilly night at Ladysmead, a full-strength Tivvy line-up enjoyed pretty much total domination throughout the ninety, with keeper Danny Lewis not having to make a proper save for the entirety, and got their reward for keeping their heads when tempers started to boil over with a 4 goal to nil victory.

The match started in the same vein as it was to continue throughout the whole game; with Tivvy on the attack, as Sean Szabo spurned an early one-on-one chance. Despite an encouraging start, the rustiness from lack of games was clear to see throughout the play with final balls not reaching their intended targets, some poor finishing and the backline looking shaky when pressured. However, as the game grew old pleasingly the lads started to find their touches and ended up producing an attacking onslaught on the Bristol side which they had no answer to. But somehow, through a mixture of good goalkeeping and disappointing finishing, the scores remained tied at the half way stage with the attacking quartet of Szabo, Glenn Gould, Alex Faux and Cam Nott all guilty of missing numerous good chances that on another day would have hit the back of the net.

The second 45 took off as it the first finished with Tivvy in the ascendancy, and a couple further chances went begging once again but the deadlock was broken just before the hour mark when a Faux corner was helped on by Szabo for Cam Nott to stab home from close range and a huge sigh of relief could be heard throughout the ground. The breakthrough seemed to fire up the visitors, but unfortunately they couldn't direct this renewed vigour into their football and were instead intent on looking for some trouble and almost forgot about the game in hand. After Bris had their captain dismissed for a flurry of colourful words at the referee, who handled the difficult game in a respectable manner, the away side were soon down to just nine men when a Nott effort was prevented from flying into the top corner by a brilliant tip around the post from their left-back, the lad had to walk and the penalty was awarded. At a time when tempers were hitting fever pitch, no-one predicted the way that Szabo dispatched the spot-kick; a cheeky little chip straight down the middle of the goal rubbed salt in the wounds of the opposition, leaving their keeper red-faced, for his 12th of the season. Brislington started to rally together after this and they began to apply some pressure on the Tivvy defence however they put their early shakes behind them to sniff out any attacks with confidence. The central midfield partnership of Fred Kingdom and Steve Goss was a commanding presence throughout and the two work-horses provided an excellent platform for the attackers to penetrate. After Szabo somehow missed from a couple of yards after rounding the keeper, Faux hit the crossbar in the 70th minute from a strong individual run and good save from the keeper and Nott was 'unlucky' not to put the ball into the back of the net with the rebound as the ball took a wicked bounce. With 15 minutes to go a triple substitution was made with Szabo, Gould and Faux making way for Richie Emmett, James MacMartin and Ross Szabo, displaying the strength in depth that Tivvy have this term, and the impact was immediate. MacMartin picked the ball up thirty yards out, looked up and found Emmett inside the box who, with the aid a huge bobble, rolled the ball into the near corner off his shinpad with his first touch! Another substitute combination just seconds later saw Tivvy grab their forth when Ross Szabo's inch-perfect pass sent MacMartin through who coolly rounded the keeper and tap home for his first Under 18's goal, which he greatly deserved. Their was still time for miss of the game to occur when Emmett failed to nudge the ball over the line with his head whilst standing on the post after an excellent Nott free-kick.

In all though, the lads will feel pleased to have regained the three points they lost when they visited Brislington early in the year, whilst wondering how they didn't rack up the goals after a number of chances. With three much needed league points now on the board, attentions switch to cup games once again as the squad now face YMCA Kitto Parkway in 2nd Round of the Devon Cup at home on Sunday afternoon and Taunton Town away in the BGB Youth Cup on Monday evening.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Goss, O'Boyle, Strong, Gould (MacMartin), Kingdom, S.Szabo (Emmett), Faux (R.Szabo), Nott Unused: Tucker, Hoare and Aiden

Scorers: Nott, S.Szabo, Emmett and MacMartin

27th November 2007 FA Youth Cup 2nd Round

Northampton Town U18`s 6 v 2 Tivvy U18's

Unfortunately the Young Yellows crashed out of the FA Youth Cup at the 2nd Round stage to a highly talented and organised Northampton outfit. The preparation to the biggest ever game in the Youth Development's history so far was far from ideal, but the individual quality that each of the hosts eleven players possessed begged to question whether arriving hours before kick-off would have made too much difference to the final outcome! However, having said that, the Tivvy boys can hold their heads up high in what they have achieved in the prestigious national competition, doing themselves and the club extremely proud.

Traffic delays meant that Tivvy arrived at the impressive Sixfields Stadium with less than 45 minutes to prepare for the monumental game, and coupling this with the "rookie error" of leaving the correct kit back at Ladysmead (meaning the lads had to mix and match Northampton's blue socks, with black shorts and long-sleeved yellow shirts!) it was not a brilliant start, and this seemed to continue into the first half performance where it looked as though the Yellows got stage-fright and forgot how to play the dazzling football that has seen them progress to this stage of the cup. With the home side camped inside Tivvy`s half for the opening exchanges, it seemed as though it was only going to be a matter of time before a lively Cobbler's frontline breached the Tivvy defence; it took 15 minutes. Northampton's ever-dangerous centre forward Joe Benjamin found space inside the area to fire home into the top-corner leaving Yellows keeper Danny Lewis without hope. This seemed to momentarily bring Tivvy into the game as they began to apply a bit more pressure on the Cobbler's backline, with Sean Szabo hitting a 20 yarder that the hosts keeper Jake Suckling could only fumble and Cam Nott's goal-bound attempt being blocked. However, Tivvy were soon to be on the back foot again but with Lewis in inspired form Benjamin saw his effort superbly tipped around the post to keep the difference to one goal. On 28 minutes Lewis' produced a brilliant full-stretch save, but just three minutes later the keeper gave away a dubious penalty for bringing down Shaun Goodall. Goodall dusted himself off and stroked home the spot-kick, in which Lewis was unlucky not to save. It was 3-0 soon after when Goodall tapped home his second after the Tivvy boys failed to pick up and stay with their runners that were coming through wave after wave. At this stage the lads were longing for the half-time whistle and just when it seemed so close, like a knife through the heart, Goodall produced a magnificent looping header into the top corner to complete his first-half hat-trick and leaving the half time score at 4-0 and the Tivvy boys fearing the worst.

However, the second 45 was in stark contrast with the Yellows playing with a lot more confidence and ambition as the Northampton side seemed to let their foot off the pedal a bit. Despite this the home side still created a vast amount of clear cut chances, and once again Tivvy were indebted to keeper Lewis who pulled off save after save throughout the second period to keep the score respectable. At the other end, on 49 minutes Tivvy's Alex Faux found himself free inside the box but his first-time effort was blazed over the bar. Benjamin got his second of the night on 52 minutes after a goal mouth scramble making it five, but the Young Yellows showed superb attitudes to fight back and dominate the next 10 minutes. Within this pressure Tivvy grabbed a goal back after a good hit from Szabo was only parried by Suckling and the rebound was smashed home by Faux from all of 2 yards. With a spring back in their heels, Tivvy pushed forward even more and won a penalty giving for handball. Captain Fred Kingdom stepped up, in his first game back for a couple of weeks after a knee injury, but his spot kick was excellently saved low down to the keepers right hand side, dashing Tivvy's ambition of forming one of the greatest comebacks of all time! Soon after Greg Taylor made it 6-1 with a follow up after yet another fine save from Lewis. For the final 30 minutes, the Yellows more than held their own, with the defensive side of their game improving as the game wore on; especially Niall Martin who enjoyed a brilliant game against tricky opposition. Szabo nearly made it 6-2 with ten minutes left, but with the goal gaping after a mis-kicked goal-kick he shot just wide. However it was 6-2 soon after when Cam Nott picked the ball up just inside the Cobbler's half and just ran at the Northampton defence, Nott's pace was no match for them and he completed the individual move by nestling a rocketing powerdriver just inside the near post from 20 yards to complete the nights scoring.

This result now means Northampton fully deserve to go on to face a home tie with Reading in the 3rd Round and we wish them all the best for the rest of their campaign and thank them for their hospitality and the renting of the socks! Thanks should also go to all the Yellows' fans who turned out at Sixfields as your support was greatly appreciated. As for Tivvy players, the lads can take a huge amount from this fantastic cup run and can now focus on the bread and butter of the League, League Cup, Devon Cup and the BGB Youth Cup where significant progress is expected, starting off with a home tie in the 2nd Round of the Devon Cup on Sunday against YMCA Kitto Parkway and on Monday evening where they travel to rivals Weston in the League.

Team: Lewis, Martin, Bryant, Goss, O'Boyle, Strong, Gould, Kingdom (Emmett), S.Szabo (MacMartin), Faux (R.Szabo), Nott Unused: Tennant & Tucker

7th November 2007 FA Youth Cup 1st Round

Yeovil Town U18`s 1 v 1 Tivvy U18's

AET

Tiverton win 2 v 3 on Penalties

Many of the most elaborate adjectives in the world would fail to describe the emotions endured by all involved throughout a pulsating FA Youth Cup 1st Round clash between the Young Yellows and Yeovil Town. The picturesque Huish Park played host to a game that somehow failed to create a goal in the normal 90 minutes of allocated time, but in extra time both sides managed to find the back of the net, leading to a tense penalty shoot-out where Tivvy held their nerve better than the home side to reach the 2nd Round of the prestigious competition for the first time ever, setting up another trip to a League 1 side; but this time Northampton Town.

The night started sourly, with Yellows captain Fred Kingdom and winger Ed Squire failing a late fitness tests with troublesome injuries, unfortunately this was Kingdom's first match missed through injury in his whole two years with the club, but hopefully both players will be back in contention for the trip to Northampton. This news meant that Sam Tennant was handed a start in the defensive midfield role, with Steve Goss moving into a more advanced position and the captaincy being giving to defensive rock Brendan O'Boyle.

Early signs were that both sides were intent on playing football on a decent surface, with both clubs showing why they deserved to be at this stage of competition. However, it was Tivvy that carved out the first real half-chance as Alex Faux latched on to Sean Szabo cross, but the left winger hit his first time effort inches wide. With the engine room of Goss and Glenn Gould starting to find their feet in the middle of the park, Tivvy got any signs of early nerves out of their system and grew in confidence. However, the individual qualities of the Yeovil players was apparent, with in particular their right winger, Danny O'Brien, causing Tivvy left-back Niall Martin all sorts of problems with his electrifying pace, but Martin rarely put a foot wrong to cancel out any potential dangerous breaks. The same can be said for the remaining three defenders, O'Boyle, Sam Strong and Luke Bryant, who all had solid performances within the first period to limit the home sides chances. Faux nearly broke the deadlock with a curling free-kick from 25 yards out, but the fine effort rattled the crossbar. Yet, at the other end Danny Lewis produced two excellent saves with his feet to keep the lively Yeovil forwards at bay. With scores still level at half-time, the Yellows definitely started to believe that they had a very realistic chance of achieving great things on the night and progressing.

After the break, Yeovil came out all guns blazing and Tivvy had to withstand vast periods of intensive pressure throughout the remaining 45 minutes. Despite being largely on top though, Yeovil failed to create any glaring chances as the defensive unit stepped up their game, with Strong particularly enjoying one of his finest game in a Yellow shirt. Although penned in their own half, the Tivvy boys attempted to counter attack at any given opportunity and still looked dangerous with the front-line of Szabo, Faux and Cam Nott giving their utmost to release the defence from their duties and grab a goal. As the game grew on, Gould started to show his quality in being able to dictate proceedings in the middle and was unlucky not to find a killer ball on a few occasions. After 75 minutes a double change was made with Nott and Tennant making way for Ross Szabo and Richie Emmett, and it was the fresh pair of legs that the Yellows needed with Emmett causing a flagging home back-line problems. Three minutes away from the end of the ninety, Lewis in between the Tivvy sticks stood up and made a name for himself as he somehow managed to turn a 12-yard volley that looked destined to break Tivvy hearts onto the post and away from danger, such a save it drew rapturous applause from all in attendance. The final phase of play saw the lively Emmett, nearly perform a smash and grab for the Yellows, but his shot was well-saved by the home keeper Pete Burridge. So with the deadlock yet to be broken the exhausted Tivvy lads who had performed so well so far had to endure another 30 minutes of football and attempt to nick a somewhat fabulous victory.

Such tired legs meant that the Young Yellows struggled to get out of their own half throughout the first period of extra-time, and it seemed as if their dreams were shattered in the 10th minute when Martin found himself outnumbered down the left and the hosts managed to score when Ali Lwanga fired home from six yards after a cross, sparking wild celebrations from the home side. Going down like this could well have seen the Tivvy lads let their heads drop but instead they battled on courageously and the introduction of James MacMartin for Niall Martin led to the Yellows adopt a more attacking approach and taking the game to Yeovil. After the swap-around on the 15 minute mark, the clock seemed to tick just that bit too fast and as if the tie could be escaping from them in front of their eyes. But in the 112nd minute of game play, a moment of individual brilliance took place. Yet another forceful run from Gould, who never stopped all night, lead to a free-kick being awarded 25 yards out from goal. Up stepped Sean Szabo, who had impressed in recent 1st team duties and had scored from a similar set-piece in the last round against Bath, to exceptionally curl the ball, with pace, into the top left hand corner of the net, leaving the keeper with no chance and sending everyone associated with the Tivvy lads into raptures. The final five minutes or so of the game then passed by in a blur and the lottery of a penalty shoot-out was to decide who would be victorious.

The Young Yellows had every right to feel confident with Lewis in goal, as the shot-stopper had kept out all three penalties awarded in previous games. First ex-Exeter City Youth player Stuart Davies stepped up for Yeovil and he saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Lewis to give the Yellows real belief and Stevie Goss made no mistake with his kick to give Tivvy an early advantage. Carl Lazenby gave Lewis no chance to bring Yeovil briefly level but Alex Faux sent Burridge the wrong way to restore the lead. Yeovil then smashed an effort against the crossbar, to give the Yellows a comfortable cushion and man of the moment Szabo had no problems in tucking his attempt into the back of the net. With Yeovil now needing to score to stay in the competition, Lewis was unlucky not to save the next kick, which meant if captain O'Boyle scored Tivvy would win. Yet the centre half's penalty was superbly saved but Yeovil put their next spot kick wide causing wild celebrations and ultimately send Tivvy through to the 2nd Round for the first time ever.

The large contingent of Tivvy fans that travelled to the game must be thanked for their support and vocal encouragement that outdid Yeovil on their own patch. Thanks should also go to Yeovil Town FC for their wonderful facilities and hospitality. But the main praise should be awarded to the group of players who have already exceeded all expectations in this competition so far and can be very proud of their achievement when visiting Northampton in a couple of weeks time, and who knows the next round after that could see Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool or Chelsea visit Ladysmead...

Team: D.Lewis, N.Martin (J.MacMartin), L.Bryant, S.Goss, S.Strong, B.O'Boyle, A.Faux, S.Tennant (R.Szabo), G.Gould, S.Szabo, C.Nott (R.Emmett) Unused: F.Kingdom and E.Squire New Manager: Chris Davey!

1st November 2007 Friendly

Devon County FA U18`s 5 v 0 Tivvy U18's

In a friendly designed to give the lads who haven't been featuring regularly for the team this year, the Young Yellows went down 5 goals to nil against a useful Devon outfit at Newton Abbott FC. In truth, Tivvy played like a team that just been thrown together for a one off and were soon on the backfoot and defending to keep the scores level. However, after 20 minutes the deadlock was broken when keeper Danny Lewis could only parry a fierce shot into the path of an on-rushing attacker, who easily tapped the ball home. On the half hour mark Devon doubled their advantage after a long ball over the top was poorly defended, allowing the hosts' striker to skip through and produce a decent lob over Lewis.

With skipper for the night Shane Tucker the only player seemingly up for the game he led by example all night, but the lack of attacking threat meant it was always going to be difficult to keep the half-time score of 2-0 intact. The second 45 saw 15 year old Joel Foster, from Tivvy's Under 16's side, make his 18's debut and the youngster didn't really stand much of a chance with the three decent that Devon scored in the second half. Near the end of the 90 minutes James MacMartin nearly breached the Devon backline for the first time in the whole game, but an excellent run was prematurely ended with an excellent last-ditch challenge inside the box, so the final score ended in a comfortable 5-0 victory for Devon FA.

The next game for the Under 18's is of course the eagerly-anticipated FA Youth Cup 1st Round Proper tie against Yeovil Town at Huish Park on Wednesday the 7th of November, with spaces still on the coach available for anyone wanting to support the lads in their quest to be the first ever Tivvy Under 18's team to reach the Second Round.

Team: D.Lewis, J.Foster, E.Crook, L.Bryant, S.Strong, N.Martin, S.Tucker, F.Henderson, D.vanBussell, E.Squire, J.Greatorex, C.Nott, F.N'goli, J.MacMartin

23rd October 2007 Somerset FA Youth Cup 3 Round Qualifying

Bath City 0 v 3 Tivvy U18's

The Young Yellows produced one of their best performances of the season so far to see off a useful Bath City side, three goals to nil in the final qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup, meaning that Tivvy now have the mouth-watering prospect of looking forward to a game against Yeovil Town at Huish Park in the first round proper of the prestigious competition.

Build up to the game focused mainly around a change of formation and team selection after the dismal performance away to Brislington the week before, with the Yellows adopting a system that was fairly alien to themselves. Come the end of the 90 minutes the gamble had paid off, but throughout the opening exchanges Tivvy struggled to get to grips with the game with ball retention being a big weakness, however, Bath failed to make their possession count and as the game wore on the lads superbly adjusted to the set-up and started to get into their attractive, flowing football. The deadlock was broken with Tivvy's first real chance after 15 minutes, an excellent one-two from lone striker Sean Szabo and winger Cam Nott in the middle of the park released the latter down the right. Nott showed a clean pair of heels to a couple of the hosts midfielders and then skipped away from their defence to reach the touch-line and pull the ball back to the other winger Alex Faux, who twisted and turned inside the box before firing low into the corner of the net with his weaker right foot to cap a fine move and give Tivvy real confidence that a place in the first round proper was more than just a dream. Tivvy really dominated the following passages of play and had to wait just 5 minutes longer to double their advantage. Szabo, who was a real problem for the hosts backline all evening, was hacked down on the edge of the box following another jinking run. The striker then picked himself up and took the free-kick himself, delightfully he curled the ball into the far top corner leaving the keeper with no chance, for a strike that David Beckham would have been proud of and to put Tivvy two goals to the good. Despite the central midfield three of Steve Goss, Fred Kingdom and Glenn Gould dominating proceedings in the middle there was still signs from Bath that they could be dangerous, and the hosts duly stepped their game up following the two quality goals in quick succession. Yet, unlike last week at Brislington, the defensive unit of Luke Bryant, Brendan O'Boyle, Sam Strong and Niall Martin all remained tight and unforgiving meaning that Yellows keeper Danny Lewis was rarely troubled. With the remainder of the first half following a similar suit of end-to-end stuff the large crowd were kept gripped in a game of pure football and a great advert for youth football. Near the end of the 45 though, Szabo was unlucky not to extend the advantage even further with two attempts that troubled the opposing keeper, but failed to find the back of the net.

As the second half grew old, it became evident that the Yellows might struggle to keep up the same pace as the first period, although saying this, the cleansheet was still firmly intact and clear chances were being carved out. Before the hour mark, full-back Bryant played a wonderful high ball into Faux who should have possibly done better with a one-on-one header, but the chances kept coming with Gould and Szabo seeing their shots agonisingly graze the post after being put clean through. However, the half progressed and Bath were starting to come out on top of things and applied long periods of pressure to the Tivvy backline forcing Lewis into two world-class saves to prevent the hosts from the goal they greatly desired. Substitute Ed Squire, who came on for Nott, nearly wrapped things up with 15 minutes to go but the home keeper produced a fine save to stop a venomous effort. With Bath sending player after player forward in search for a lifeline and not coming back with any end result, gaps were created throughout their defence and it was another Tivvy sub who took full advantage in the dying minutes. Richie Emmett picked the ball up in opposition territory and run at the home sides defence before unselfishly squaring the ball to Squire who made no mistake in confirmed the Yellows place in the next round with a cool finish.

Overall it was very pleasing to see the team fulfill their potential on such a big stage, especially after under-performing in recent weeks, and the lads should take pride in what they have achieved. However, you can rest assured that the Young Yellows will definitely not be going to Huish Park just to make up the numbers, and a similar performance could well see a shock on the cards. The match is taking place on Wednesday the 7th of November with a 7.45 kick off and there will be a 53-seater coach going to the game, as well as the players coach, so it would be brilliant if you could come along to support the lads in what should be a memorable night. Coach tickets cost £8, and will be on a first come - first served basis so please contact TTFC to book your place now!!

Finally, thanks should go to everyone who went to watch last night's game, it was excellent to see so many Tivvy fans for a youth game, Mike Perry the 1st team physio who stepped in at short notice and Bath City FC for such good hospitality.

Team: Lewis, Bryant, Martin, Goss, O'Boyle, Strong, Kingdom, Gould (Tennant), Faux, S.Szabo (Emmett), Nott (Squire) Unused: R.Szabo, S.Tucker & J.MacMartin

Scorers: Faux, Szabo and Squire

17th October 2007 Somerset Floodlit Youth League

Brislington 4 v 3 Tivvy U18's

The game started with the home team on the offensive with a couple of good chances missed and one great save from Tivvy keeper Dan Lewis it stayed 0.0 until the 30th min when great work down the left from Ross Szabo resulted in a good save from the home keeper, however the resulting corner was missed by the keeper under a challenge from Steve Goss and fell onto the head of Sam Tennent to notch his first for the club. More ball down the left again from Szabo this time finding Ed Squire in the six yard area with a side foot finish to make it 2.0 and things were looking rosy but in the last minutes of the first half a long clearance from the Bris keeper eluded all the Tivvy back four and was looped in over the stranded Lewis, a terrible time to concede such a soft goal . 2.1 ht.

The second half began as the first half ended with Tivvy`s defending becoming more and more unstable, then after more chances were missed by the home team they were level on the 60min mark, Tivvy unable to clear their lines and were punished by a good finish from the home striker who with his partner were a real thorn in the lacklustre Tivvy backs, and virtually from the kick off we were 3.2 down, another hopeful long ball was met by no one in a yellow shirt and with Lewis rooted to his line the Bris no10 had a clear route and finished well. Changes were then made , Sean Szabo on for Squire and Gould on for Kingdom and this seemed to spur us back into gear and we started to create again with the best chance falling to Gould who played a great 1.2 with Emmet a with the keeper to beat lifted his shot over the advancing keeper and the crossbar, time was running out and we didn't have the killer instinct. The last roll of the dice was to surrender Niall Martin at left back and introduce Cam Nott and go 3.4.3 in search of the all important equalizer and with his first real touch Nott curled a free kick into the danger zone and Emmet was there to apply the finishing touch ,3.3. And then with the players thinking they had somehow managed to get something out of a game undeservedly so the home skipper picking the ball up just inside Tivvy territory ran at the heart of our defence and shook of three challenges and squeezed his shot under Lewis , this was the last action of the game and to any neutral watching would have been great entertainment , Bris deserved the outcome and keep defending this way your all in for a thriller at Twerton Park on Tuesday. Final result BRISLINGTON 4 TIVVY 3 Hope to see as many as poss at Bath next week for the FA Youth cup-tie with a massive carrot dangling it should be a great game ,cheers Notty

12th October 2007 FA YOUTH CUP

Tivvy U18's 5 v 2 Bitton AFC

After an enthralling, action-packed 120 minutes of football, Tivvy Under 18's progressed to the final qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup after defeating Bitton 5-2. The visitors came as a relative unknown and provided the Young Yellows with by far their toughest test of season, playing well-organised and direct football.

After last weeks fiasco with the Radstock game being postponed, the hosts looked sluggish in the opening periods and were indebted to 'keeper Danny Lewis for keeping the scores level after 10 minutes. The tall stopper made a truly magnificent finger-tip save, turning the ball onto the crossbar, from a thunderous free-kick that was heading straight for the top-corner. This brought the Yellows slightly more into the game, with both sides now threatening to break the deadlock. However, it was Tivvy who did so on the stroke of half-time in sublime fashion. Sean Szabo, who had forced the visiting goalkeeper into a good save earlier on in the half, collected the ball just inside his own half and brilliantly ran at the four defenders that stood between him and the goal, leaving them for dead he twisted and turned within the area and coolly stroked the ball with his left foot into the bottom corner to cap an excellent individual goal.

In the second half, the even balance was still evident with chances coming for either sides, with Szabo and Alex Faux unlucky not to double the hosts advantage. Yet, Bitton, who were gradually applying more pressure to the Tivvy backline, had the golden opportunity to equalise when they were awarded a somewhat dubious penalty when Luke Bryant was adjudged to have brought down the visiting forward. However, the Yellows were once again extremely thankful to Lewis between the sticks, who repeated the exact same trick he did against Wootton Bassett in the last round, smothering the penalty down to his left at the Sponsors End, and keeping Tivvy's slender lead intact. But in the 75th minute the visitors did grab their deserved equaliser, after a goal-mouth scramble led to Bitton's striker leaving Lewis with no chance this time. As both sides cancelled each other out in the final exchanges of the 90 minutes, extra-time came about.

Within the first 15 minutes of the additional time, Tivvy started to string together a few more passes and began to play more to their potential, with the introduction of Richie Emmett proving key. Emmett, Szabo and the combative Tivvy captain Fred Kingdom were all involved in the move down the right hand side which led to the Yellows regaining the lead, as the ball found its way to Glenn Gould at the far post who fired the home side in front. Tivvy seemingly began to get on top of things, who were aided by the Bitton captain picking up his second yellow card, and soon made the score 3-1, the goal coming from the penalty spot after a foul inside the box. Kingdom, who had blasted a spot kick miles over the bar in the previous game, had the bottle to step up and tuck the ball away past the Bitton keeper, who had been in fine form all night, twice after it had to be retaken, sparking wild celebrations with the "Shiney Head Appreciation Society". With many thinking the game was won, Bitton hit straight back capitalising on a weak clearance by Lewis with a tidy finish. After the short break, the second 15 minutes was underway, but Tivvy soon restored their 2 goal cushion with the impressive Emmett grabbing a goal with a neat finish after great play down the right by Gould and Ed Squire. The game was wrapped up a few moments later when Gould tapped in his second of the night and Tivvy's fifth, following a persistent run.

In all, it was a highly entertaining night's football that could have gone either way at various stages, and Bitton must be credited for their valiant effort. But it's Tivvy who progress and will now play Bath City at Twerton Park on Tuesday 23rd October, with a place in the first round proper at stake, however, Tivvy know that they must perform better if they are to get any further in this prestigious competition. A coach will be going to this match, with tickets priced at £8, please contact Martyn Rogers at the club for more details and booking on 01884 252397. The Young Yellows next fixture, though, is a tough trip away to Brislington on Wednesday evening in the league.

Team: D.Lewis, L.Bryant, N.Martin, B.O'Boyle, S.Strong (S.Tennant), S.Goss (R.Emmett), F.Kingdom, G.Gould, C.Nott (E.Squire), S.Szabo, A.Faux Unused Subs: R.Szabo and J.MacMartin

Scorers: Gould (2), S.Szabo, Kingdom and Emmett

28th September 2007 FA YOUTH CUP

Tivvy U18's 5 v 0 Wootton Bassett Town

Despite providing Tivvy's sternest test of the season, the Yellows once again breezed past their opponents, Wootton Bassett from Swindon, with some excellent, attractive football to sail into the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Youth Cup. The luck of the draw meant that the lads from Bassett had to make the long journey to Ladysmead, and they must be thanked for their part in what was brilliant game of football.

The Tivvy line-up featured just one change from the previous round against Bristol Manor Farm, as Sam Strong came in to replace the injured Brendan O'Boyle, and Strong grasp the opportunity with both hands with a solid performance at centre half. The Wiltshire visitors probably started the better and went close after ten minutes, firing over the bar from the edge of the box, but the Tivvy backline were in less of a generous mood throughout the game with Strong, Sam Tennant, Luke Bryant and Niall Martin all looking comfortable, with Bryant especially enjoying one of his best displays in a Yellow shirt at right back. With the Tivvy midfield starting to get a foot on the ball, the lively attacking threat from the Yellows was becoming more and more evident, and after Glen Gould had missed a couple of half chances, Tivvy superbly took the lead in the 25th minute. A free kick was awarded just outside the box and after a slight debate Sean Szabo stepped up to brilliantly bend the ball over the wall and into the bottom corner to set the home side on their way. Szabo nearly grabbed his second soon after when yet more tireless running from strike partner Alex Faux led to Faux producing a magnificant cross, but Szabo couldn't direct his effort goalwards. Ten minutes later, with Tivvy looking dominant, the advantage was doubled when right winger Cam Nott, whose attacking runs into the oppositions box had been causing Bassett problems all half, collected a cross, flicked the ball up and headed home into the top corner. Nott was thwarted a few moments later when his fine effort was denied by a great save from the away keeper. Steve Goss had another dominant game in the middle of the park, and, near the end of the first period, he sent Nott racing through on goal only to be brought down inside the area for a penalty, however the spot kick was blasted well over the bar by 'Jonny Wilkinson'.

The second half saw the visitors get into the game a bit more and Yellows keeper Danny Lewis was alert to tip over a dangerous shot from a Bassett forward. Chances came and went for both sides, with striker Faux unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, but still looking ever-lively in combination with Szabo up front. It was the latter, though, who grabbed his second of the night and Tivvy's third when Szabo chased down what seemed to be a lost cause, however his running paid off when he managed to pick up the loose ball and turn the keeper to tap the ball into the empty net. Just after the hour mark, Faux and Nott made way for Ed Squire and Richie Emmett, again demonstrating the great strength in depth that the squad has this season. Just after the changes, the best goal of the game was scored when Gould, fresh from his first team goal last Saturday, picked up the ball just inside the visitors half, beat three defenders displaying his great dribbling skills and finished his fine work by firing the ball right into the bottom corner of the net to cap an outstanding individual goal. Just minutes later though, the goal could have been cancelled out when defender Tennant was adjudged to have pushed an attacker inside the box, however Lewis, in between the Tivvy sticks, produced a excellent save down to his left to keep the spot kick out. This wasn't the last of the stoppers work either, as he went on to deny a Wootton Bassett forward from close range. The game and scoring was then completed in the last ten minutes, when Szabo got his hat-trick and 8th goal in just 3 games, after good play from sub Emmett left him to cooly slot home past the keeper.

The 5-0 result sets up another home tie against Bitton AFC, from the Somerset Floodlight North Division, in the second qualifying round in a fortnights time. However, attention switches back to the league next Thursday with the Young Yellows at home to Radstock, looking to gain revenge for last seasons disappointment against the current league champions.

Team: D.Lewis, N.Martin, L.Bryant, S.Strong, S.Tennant, S.Goss, J.Wilkinson, G.Gould (R.Szabo), C.Nott (E.Squire), A.Faux (R.Emmett), S.Szabo Unused: S.Tucker and J.MacMartin

Scorers: S.Szabo (3), C.Nott and G.Gould

13th September 2007 FA YOUTH CUP

GAME SPONSORED BY THE RAF

Tivvy U18's 7 v 1 Bristol Manor Farm

Tivvy's Under 18 side couldn't have asked for a better return from their first two competitive games of the 07/08 campaign, as they once again blew their opponents, Bristol Manor Farm, away with some great attacking football to ease into the First Qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup. The game was kindly sponsored by our friends at the Royal Air Force who we thank for their continuing support.

The starting eleven saw four changes from last week's 9-1 league win over Chard, as Luke Phillips, Ross Szabo, Sam Strong and Richie Emmett were all highly unlucky to drop to the bench in favour of Danny Lewis (making his debut in between the sticks), Stevie Goss (back from injury) Brendan O'Boyle and Glenn Gould (both back after suspension).

However, similar to last week, it was the visitors who again started the brighter of the two sides as the hosts struggled to put a foot on the ball, and 'keeper Danny Lewis was soon called into action as he was forced into making an excellent save in the first ten minutes, to deny BMF's forward who was clean through on goal. This seemed to spark the Young Yellows into action, and they soon realised they could benefit from the Bristol side's high backline with the pace and threat of their attacking play. After both of Tivvy's strikers, Alex Faux and Sean Szabo, had missed chances that on another day may have gone in, the breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Steve Goss released Cam Nott down the right wing, who managed to get to the touch line and pull the ball back for Szabo for an easy tap-in. The football now began to flow, and Glenn Gould could have doubled the advantage but scuffed a good opportunity. However the wait for the next goal wasn't long. The move started down the left wing, with the impressive Niall Martin playing some neat football, which led to a quick threaded ball into the path of Faux who made no mistake when one-on-one with the keeper, to coolly slot home.

After the break, Ross Szabo came on to replace the injured Nott and made an immediate impact by delivering an inch-perfect cross for Gould to head home at the far post to grab Tivvy's third of the night. The Tivvy defensive unit of Lewis, Bryant, Tennant, O'Boyle and Martin looked very solid all night and able to cope with whatever the visitors threw at them, however they did get harshly undone on the hour mark when Sam Tennant was adjudged to have brought down a Manor Farm player inside the box. The ref awarded a dubious penalty that was duly dispatched, but the Tivvy boys replied extremely well as five minutes later they went up the other end and made the score line 4-1. It was Sean Szabo's movement once again giving the oppositions defence problems, and he was played in perfectly and finished well from an angle to get his 5th goal in just two games. Richie Emmett was then brought on to replace Faux, and Emmett wasted no time on getting his name on the scoresheet as he fired home a near identical goal to Szabo's last one. With ten minutes to go, Sean Szabo was taken off with a slight niggle, which gave the opportunity for Ed Squires to make his first appearance in a Yellow shirt after breaking his leg in two places last pre-season. Probably the best goal of the night was scored by central midfielder Goss with five minutes left when he waltzed past a couple of challenges and delightfully chipped the keeper from the edge of the box. The icing was put on the cake with the last kick of the game when Squires showed signs of his awesome pace and power to race clear and complete the scoring with a tidy shot.

All in all, it was another very pleasing and comfortable victory, that shows the signs that this Tivvy side great strength in depth could lead to successful season ahead. The final score of 7-1 means that Tivvy face Wootton Bassett FC in the First Qualifying round in a fortnights time, after they beat Westbury United 3-1 away from home.

Team: D.Lewis, L.Bryant, N.Martin, S.Tennant, B.O'Boyle, S.Goss, J. Lee, G.Gould, C.Nott (R.Szabo), A.Faux (R.Emmett), S.Szabo (E.Squires)

Scorers: S.Szabo (2), A.Faux, G.Gould, R.Emmett, S.Goss, E.Squires

6th September 2007

Tivvy U18's 9 v 1 Chard

The "Young Yellows" kicked off their league campaign in outstanding fashion, as they hit 9 goals past newly-promoted Chard Town. The performance displayed a strong message to the rest of the league that Tiverton Town Under 18's are looking to come back with vengeance this year after suffering the disappointment of losing the title in the last game of last season.

Thursday nights performance seems even better when taking into consideration that Tivvy were without four key players, with Brendan O'Boyle and Glenn Gould out suspended along with Steve Goss and Ed Squires still struggling with injures.

In actual fact, the visitors from Chard probably started the better of the two teams in the first 10 minutes as a dangerous free-kick forced Tivvy 'keeper Luke Phillips into making a save. However, just five minutes later the goal rush began as Sean Szabo was sent racing clean through on goal and finished coolly to cap a well-worked counter attack. Only a minute after the first had gone in, the advantage was doubled when great play from Rich Emmett and Sean Szabo found the on-rushing Cam Nott, who smashed the ball into the top corner with his left foot. The third goal of the game saw a sequence of tidy short passes down the left wing, involving Niall Martin and Ross Szabo, with the latter sliding the ball through to his twin Sean who gracefully lobbed the keeper from the edge of the box to get his second. With the visitors showing little resistance defensively, the fourth came soon after when Luke Bryant hit a long free-kick over the top of Chard's back four for Nott to outpace his defender and get on the end of it to wonderfully fire past the keeper from a tight angle. Now in cruise control, the Yellows were playing some highly attractive football and looking as though they would score from every attack. The fifth came from the penalty spot, as the ever-dangerous Sean Szabo was brought down after turning his marker inside-out. Whilst the first half's scoring was complete when Alex Faux pinged a great volley into the bottom corner with his unfavoured right foot.

The second 45 saw Tivvy evidently take their foot off the gas a bit with the victory all but assured, which allowed Chard to carve out a couple of chances that Phillips in the Yellows goal, but on the whole the centre-back partnership of Sam Tennant and Sam Strong looked in control and very impressive, with Tennant certainly displaying all the necessities to become a vital player for Tivvy in his first game for the club. Despite not getting totally back into the groove in the second period the chances still came thick and fast, and Richie Emmett managed to add his name to the scoresheet when he was released and slotted the ball calmly under the oncoming keeper. Sean Szabo then completed a great night for himself by grabbing his hat-trick midway through by this time improvising to head the ball over the keeper in a one on one situation to bump Tivvys total up to eight. This was followed by the one black spot of the night for the home side when a simple ball over the top left 'keeper Phillips stranded for Chard's forward to lift the ball over him and somehow evade Bryant's goal-line clearance. The scoring was then complete when yet more good work from S.Szabo led to him putting a cross from the wing straight on to Faux's head, who made no mistake to get his second and Tivvy's ninth of the night.

In all, the result and performance gives Tivvy a great deal of confidence going into next weeks FA Youth Cup tie at home to Bristol Manor Farm.

29th August 2007

Bampton 2 v 2 Tivvy U18's

Tiverton Town Under 18’s had a good work out at Bampton on Wednesday night with some key players missing due to holidays with midfielder, Shane Tucker taking charge of the goalie shirt for the night. The first half started off well with good passing between Niall Martin, Ross Szabo and Steve Goss which resulted with Ross crossing the ball into the penalty box for Alex Faux to slot the ball into the back of the net. Tivvy carried on playing excellent football with Sean Szabo picking up the ball just inside their half, moving forward at pace and passing two players resulting in a superb cross which found the smallest player on the pitch, Jack Lee to head the ball home, just before half time making it 2-0 to Tivvy at half-time.

The second half saw a sluggish start with sloppy defending resulted in a corner which gave Bampton chance to equalise which they took to pull a goal back. Minutes later Bampton were rewarded a dubious penalty where the goalie dived to his right hand side to save. In the last 10 minutes, Tivvy played with 10 players with Glen Gould picking up a knock to his knee which resulted in him leaving the field of play. In the dying minutes, Bampton struck again to make it two all at full-time.

Team: S.Tucker, S.Stong, B.O’Boyle, E.Crook, N.Martin, R.Emmett, J.Macmartin, J.Lee, S.Szabo, R.Szabo, A.Faux, G.Gould, S.Goss

North Curry 0 v 3 Tivvy U18's

A friendly against Taunton Sunday League side North Curry (run by Tony Williams from the Non League Paper) gave a Tivvy side, who were low on numbers, a physical and highly worthwhile test, similar to the games that are to be expected throughout the duration of the season. Good performances all round, including a number of players who were playing out of position, led to a three goal victory for the Yellows.

James MacMartin grabbed his first goal of the pre-season with a composed finish after good work down the left wing from Niall Martin, Sam Strong and Jack Lee. A piece of individual brilliance from Sean Szabo doubled Tivvys advantage just after half-time when he curled the ball excellently into the corner of the net from 25 yards for a goal out of nothing. And the final goal of the game came from the head of the highly impressive Rich Emmett half way through the second half, after a great corner from 13 year old Oli Nott, who was filling in due to the number of absentees.

Once again, this superb performance leaves the management team with many hard decisions to make as they look to narrow the squad down as the coming season approaches. The next game is a hastily arranged friendly with Barnstaple Under 18's on Monday night with a 7.30 kick off at Mill Road.

Team: L.Phillips, S.Strong, D.Greening, B.O'Boyle, E.Crook, L.Bryant, N.Martin, J.Lee, S.Szabo, R.Emmett, J.MacMartin, F.Ngoli, O.Nott, K.Parkhouse

Tivvy U18's 3 v 3 Dorchester

In an excellent and enjoyable friendly match, where the attractive football just kept on flowing throughout, Tivvy Under 18's were unlucky not to come away with the victory against a well organised Dorchester side, who came down from Dorset with the sole intention to play their part in a highly entertaining game that was based purely on football.

Once the hosts had managed to get hold of a ref, due to a mix up in communications, the action began with the Yellows in the ascendancy and within the opening ten minutes the first goal of the game came as Cam Nott picked the ball up in the middle of the park and threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of striker Alex Faux who calmly finished despite being under pressure from a visiting defender. This seemed to wake the visitors up slightly and they gradually worked their way into the game, however it was still Tivvy who were creating the chances, and the home side doubled their lead on the twenty minute mark when great work from Faux in the oppositions box saw the striker brush off a few challenges and cut the ball back for the ever-impressive Glenn Gould to fire home first time into the far corner of the net to cap a fine goal. The home side then seemed to take their foot off the pedal a bit, which allowed the Magpies to get a goal back soon after Tivvy's second, as the home side failed to clear their lines after a ball into the box, and once Dorchester had hit the post and seen a couple of shots blocked, a strike eventually squeezed past Luke Phillips in the Tivvy goal. Ten minutes later, the visitors were to equalise as they capitalised on a defensive mistake. Keeper Phillips rolled the ball out to left back Ross Szabo, who lost possession just outside his own box to leave the forward to round Phillips and score. A very even first half was then brought to an end with the scores finely balanced.

Half time saw Tivvy's strikeforce change, as Faux and Rich Emmett were replaced by Frankie Ngoli and James MacMartin, who were both full of running, with the latter catching the eye on occasions. The other change saw Shane Tucker come off for Jack Wilson on the left wing. Tivvy started the second 45, as they did the first and were unfortunate not to make more of a couple of half chances they created. The danger of the visitors attack was still evident though, but the backline of Elliott Crook, Luke Bryant, Niall Martin and Ross Szabo all continued to do their individual jobs well to limit Dorchester to minimal attempts on goal. It wasn't until the 65th minute when the fifth goal of the night came, the move was made by an excellent pass from Gould in the middle who sprayed the ball out to the left wing for Wilson who helped the ball on to forward Ngoli who was through on goal and slid the ball under the keeper, to score his third goal in as many pre-season games. Again the lead was short lived though as ten minutes later a Dorchester free kick was lofted into the Tivvy box for their big centre forward to brilliantly send a looping header into the top corner of the goal.

This was the last major incident in an action-packed game that would have been a joy to watch for the few spectators inside Ladysmead, played in the right spirit and thoroughly enjoyed by all parties. Thanks must also go to Ryan German, who agreed to referee at the last minute despite other commitments, and "Trucker Tucker" who ran the line without fuss and did a very good job.

Team: L.Phillips, R.Szabo, E.Crook, C.Nott, L.Bryant, N.Martin, S.Tucker, G.Gould, A.Faux, R.Emmett, S.Alford, J.Wilson, J.MacMartin, F.Ngoli

Witheridge 3 - 2 Tivvy U18's

In a highly entertaining game, the young Tivvy trialists and current squad members gave a very encouraging display against their South West Peninsular League counterparts. It was near complete domination for the Yellows in the first half and at the break the youngsters found themselves two goals to the good, following tidy strikes from the impressive Sean Szabo and lively "Frankie". The second half saw Witheridge manage to get a foot hold in proceedings, however the Tivvy backline, which looked solid all night, kept them at bay until the 70th minute when the home side scored from a corner. The equaliser didn't take too long in coming after that effort. And as Tivvy looked to cling on to what would have been a good draw, in the dying minutes current under 18's player Steve Goss (who was playing for his Saturday club Witheridge) popped up inside the box with a header from a corner to score the winner.

Tivvy Team: L. Phillips, D. Lewis, M. Tucker, J. Woodcock, R. Szabo, L. Bryant, N. Martin, D. Jones, D. Greening, E. Crook, D. Thomas, S. Tucker, C. Nott, J. Lee, S. Szabo, Frankie

All in all, a very good work out for the lads as a whole which gave the management team a chance to look at all the players looking to be involved in the coming season. The next opportunity comes on Wednesday when the much anticipated Tiverton Town Youth Challenge Cup takes place for the first time against last years Under 16's at Ladysmead.

Tivvy U18's 3 v 1 Tivvy U16`s

In a game that marked the first ever Tiverton Town FC Youth Challenge Cup, the Under 18 from last year ran out 3-1 winners against the all-conquering Under 16's from the 06/07 season. The match was given added importance due to the fact that many of the Under 16 team are currently trialing to make the step up to the Under 18's squad, but also a large proportion of the lads playing for the older team last night were also hoping to force their way into next years final Under 18's squad.

The fairly strong crowd had to wait just three minutes for the first goal to go in, and it probably went against many people's predictions of who would take the lead. A free kick 40 yards out from goal for the Under 16's, who played in the changed colours of white, was perfectly dinked over a very flat-looking Under 18's backline, for Lee Radford to run on to and delightfully lob the ball over the on-rushing Alex Bowring and into the far corner of the net. This seemed to spur the Yellows into action a bit and made them know that they definitely had a game on their hands if they wanted to lift the trophy at the end of the night. The reply from the older team (who in the first half boasted largely players from the current squad and few trialists) was a good one, and the 18's started to play some decent football and ultimately dominant proceedings. However, the 16's defended well and it wasn't until the 20th minute that the scores were back on level terms. Cam Nott picked the ball up wide on the right wing, before joyfully dancing around a couple of challenges and finding himself through on goal, to slot home a good individual goal. At this point the Under 18's were looking dangerous, with Glen Gould, brimming with confidence after good showings for the first team recently, and Stevie Goss, in the middle of the park, looking impressive. And minutes later it was the three players mentioned above that combined well to complete a deserved comeback, when Gould's cross found Nott inside the box who turned his marker and fired a fierce shot at Luke Phillips in the Under 16's goal, Phillips did well to parry the shot but the found its way to Goss who finished well. As half time came the Yellows could have increased their lead, but a few more good stops from Phillips kept the score at 2-1.

The second half saw major changes for both sides, however it didn't really interrupt the flow of the game that much as the 18's seeked their third goal. To be fair to the younger side they kept battling away and never let their heads drop, and were unlucky not to add to their early goal on a few occasions. Yet big stopper Bowring was in fine form, especially to deny Elliott Frear whose vicious shot was somehow tipped onto the crossbar. It was, however, the Under 18's who grabbed the next, and what turned out to be the final, goal of the game when the lively trialist Frankie Ngoli produced a great piece of skill to create some space for a shot on goal, which wonderfully flew over Phillips' head and into the far corner. A few half chances were created after this for both sides, including Goss hitting the post from a long range effort, as the game entered the closing exchanges, yet at this point the final result wasn't really in doubt.

An entertaining evening concluded with the Under 18's being presented the trophy by Martyn Rogers, 1st team manager, and thanks must be given to Colin Nation and Bardon Aggregates who organised and sponsored, respectively, the successful match which will hopefully be contested in the same good-willed spirit next year.