Saturday 30th November 2024.                    Southern League, Premier Division South.

Tiverton Town 1 Walton & Hersham 0.

Swans made the long journey back from Devon without the result their performance deserved. They had played well, battling throughout on a poor pitch that put good football out of the question. With the ball bobbling and sticking on the uneven, cloying surface it was difficult to get any flow to their game. The extra touch and control needed to get the ball forward into attacking areas enabled the home side to get men back to defend. In the circumstances, to have come away with a point would have been a satisfactory outcome for Swans, but they were undone with just over a quarter of an hour remaining by what must have been a very marginal decision by the match officials. Goalkeeper Jos Barker was judged to have just carried the ball outside of his area, and Tiverton scored the winner following the free-kick.
Swans made two changes to the previous starting line-up, with Tom Olyott coming in for Nana Owusu, and Lucas Defise for Johl Powell, who was serving a one match ban for accumulated yellow cards.
They went close to taking the lead straight from the kick-off. Dawid Rogalski collected 35 yards out, and got forward to the edge of the ‘D’ to drive the ball just over.
Eoin Bolger was soon having to clear in Swans’ box when the home side got down the left to drive the ball low across. Joey Jones had to head away as Dylan Jones delivered the first of what was to be several long throw-ins, Tiverton then forcing the first corner of the match.
Jordan Esprit was fouled by Oli Jenkins just outside the box on the left, giving Swans a free-kick in a promising position, but Olyott’s delivery was headed clear from the 6 yard-box.
Barker made a good take at the far-post when Jones followed up another long throw with a cross from the right, before his side again went close with ten minutes played. Paul Field found Rogalski on the right, and when his attempted cross took a deflection the ball fell to Josh Tobin on the right edge of the box. Tobin drove in a low, first-time shot that was just wide of the far-post. Esprit made a good run into the left of the box, but with the ball holding up Matt Britton was able to just close him out on the byeline.
Tobin, and then Barker, had to deal with two more long throws from Tivvy’s Jones, before Defise and Mason Obeng combined to get Olyott down the left for Swans, but his low cross was cut out in his 6 yard-box by home keeper Joe Duncan.
Barker finally fell on the ball at the near-post when Tiverton caused problems with a cross from the left, the Swans’ keeper then having to deal with a corner. The kick from the left was headed away by Defise, but the ball was delivered back into the box for Bailey Kempster to send a header looping onto the top of the net from the edge of the 6 yard-box.
Just before the half hour Esprit was fouled just outside the right edge of the box to give Swans a free-kick in another good position. Olyott drove a left-foot shot over the wall, and Duncan did well to go down and turn the ball round his near-post. Successive right-side corners followed, and from Olyott’s second Jones headed back across at the far-post, the ball glancing off Tobin’s head on the edge of the 6 yard-box. Olyott regained possession on the right, to drive into the box and fire in a low, left foot shot that was blocked at the near-post. After the ball was cleared, Field collected in the centre-circle and set up Tobin for a cross into the box from the right. Duncan could only push the ball away to the edge of the box, where Obeng drove in a low, left foot shot that the keeper was able to block away. Swans could count themselves unfortunate not to be in the lead, and Esprit just failed to get to the ball at the near-post when Field drove it in low from the right.
Swans made a good start to the second-half, putting pressure on the home defence. Bolger found Olyott on the left, and he got forward before sending a fine cross to the far-post, where the ball was cleared to Junior Eccleston on the corner of the box. Eccleston laid the ball back to Tobin, 25 yards out, and he struck a low, first-time shot that Duncan saved down at his left post.
Instead of being ahead, Swans were fortunate not to go behind. The home side had a free-kick on the front edge of the centre-circle, and when Kai Churchley delivered the ball into the box Swans could only clear to the edge, where Josh Bernard drove a low, first-time shot just wide of the left post.
Esprit was fouled 35 yards out, giving Swans a free-kick, but Olyott’s ball into the box was cleared.
The home side continued to threaten however, and space opened up for Jones to make a strong run down the left, but fine covering by Field got him across to make the tackle. With an hour played Tiverton broke down the left, and the ball was played across to find Jevan Wright in the right of the box. Wright got past Defise to drive the ball low across to the near-post, where Nat Jarvis got between Barker and Jones, but stabbed wide.
Swans immediately brought on Anis Nuur for Olyott, and midway through the half his cross from the right was just too high for Esprit in the box. Rogalski then did well to hold the ball up before finding Tobin, who played a fine through pass to send Esprit driving to the right corner of the 6 yard-box, but he was unable to wrap his foot round the ball and could only shoot into the side-netting. Jones forced a corner on the right, and keeper Duncan just got a hand to Bolger’s kick to tip the ball behind for another corner on the left.
Swans then brought on Owusu, with Defise going off, and with just over a quarter of an hour remaining they went behind in unfortunate circumstances. Tiverton lobbed the ball down the middle from halfway, and Barker came out to the edge of his area to gather, only for the assistant referee to flag that the Swans’ keeper had stepped outside. A free-kick was awarded right on the edge of the box. The wall did its job by blocking Joe Parker’s initial effort, but the ball fell kindly for him to drive a low, left foot shot past Barker.
Swans brought on Joe Garcia to replace Field and make his first appearance since recovering from the injury he picked up in pre-season.
Esprit got down the right to almost get Rogalski in, but Duncan fell on the ball to deny him. Swans continued to lay siege to the home goal, Obeng forcing a corner on the left, and Duncan punching the ball off his line as the kick came in. Deep into stoppage-time Bolger found Obeng on the left, and when he crossed to the far-post Jones got his head to the ball, but it was cleared away from the 6 yard-box, the final whistle then being blown by the referee.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Paul Field (Joe Garcia 78’), Eoin Bolger, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston, Josh Tobin, Jordan Esprit, Mason Obeng, Dawid Rogalski, Lucas Defise (Nana Owusu 71’), Tom Olyott (Anis Nuur 60’). Subs. not used: Elliott Bolton, Thabo Kuaho. Caution: Barker (74’).
Tiverton Town Team: Duncan, Jones, Britton, Wright, Kempster, Bernard, Jenkins, Day (Swann 59’), Jarvis, Churchley, Parker. Subs. not used: Gleeson, Harmer. Scorer: Parker (74’). Cautions: Jarvis (69’), Bernard (56’).