WESTERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Ivybridge Town 2, Ilfracombe Town 1

TWO top-quality goals enabled Ivybridge Town to extend their recent impressive run with a 2-1 home win over Ilfracombe Town in the Jewson Western League at Erme Valley on Saturday, March 1, reports Graham Hambly.

They may have looked a little rusty after being without a game since a similar win over Paulton Rovers three weeks previously but Ivybridge still made the perfect start against Ilfracombe with a goal in the fourth minute. Ollie Aplin broke down the right and provided an accurate cross for Sean Thomson to head past Ollie’s brother, Dom Aplin, in the Ilfracombe goal for his 12th goal of the season.

Despite that early tonic, Ivybridge had to wait until the 85th minute before increasing their lead. This time it was a well-worked passing movement on the left that ended with Jake Lane crossing for Owen Pritchard to score with a close-range header to bring his season’s tally to 15 goals.

At 2-0 with only a few minutes remaining, Ivybridge were looking comfortable, but Ilfracombe stuck to their task and pulled a goal back in the fourth of eight added minutes when Finn King-Smith was fouled and then responded by converting the resultant penalty.

That led to a nervous few minutes, but Ivybridge held on for an important victory with skipper Scott Pocock turning in a man-of-the-match performance at the heart of defence.

Ivybridge joint manager Wayne Gamble admitted: “It felt a little bit flat today. We had the momentum, but the two-week break did us no favours today.

“There was no quality in that game whatsoever apart from our two goals. We probably scored two of our best goals of the season in the worst performance.

“But we gave away a last-minute penalty, just as we did against Paulton, and then it is nerves again.”

Gamble believes that the three points keep his side in touch with the playoff positions, saying: “At this stage of the season it is not too much about performances. We are in a strong position with the home games that we have got to play.

“The playoffs are still there for us with four teams dropping points around us today. We have got some games that we should be winning in front of us, so it is positive times.

“We are in a good position for our first time in the Western League and we are in the semi-final of the Devon County Bowl. We have games in hand in the league with a lot of them being at home. We are probably the dark horses in the play-off running.

“Sometimes you have to take the positives out of games like today. The boys dug in and got the three points. Scott Pocock, our man of the match, kept our defence in check and kept our standard as high as it could be.”

Gamble also had a word of praise for Ilfracombe, who looked better than a team in the league’s bottom three.

“They keep on going and going,” said Gamble “They are a rugged team, and I don’t know how they are down as low as they are. I have a lot of respect for them.”

Nailsea & Tickenham visit Erme Valley next, on Saturday 8, with Brixham and Barnstaple amongst those to come to town subsequently in March.