SWPL WCP CUP Ivybridge Town 5 Torrington AFC 0
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 17 October 2021 11:05
- Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 October 2021 11:15
- Published on Sunday, 17 October 2021 11:06
- Written by GRAHAM HABLY at Erme Valley
It was a comfortable win for the Ivies, who took command with early goals from Jacob Bowker and Callum Merrin in the ninth and 12th minutes.
Winger Luke Forward maintained his run of scoring in the last four matches when he got the final touch to a goalbound header by Fletcher Williams following Bowker’s right wing corner in the 33rd minute.
The 3-0 cushion enabled Ivybridge to replace Williams, who was nursing a calf strain, and send on sub Harry Jefferey.
Ivybridge kept up the pressure in the second half with recent signing Connor Rush, who replaced leading scorer Ollie Aplin in the starting line-up, scoring his second goal for his new club in the 62nd minute.
Aplin came on as substitute for the final half hour and collected his ninth goal of the season a couple of minutes from the end.
Ivybridge manager Darren Stewart was pleased to make progress in the competition after recent defeats in the FA Vase and Devon St Luke’s Cup.
He said: “We were disappointed to go out of the other two cups. The league is our bread and butter but it is lovely to have a cup run and have the chance to play teams that we don’t normally meet.
“Torrington was going to be a banana skin for us. They came into the match on the back of four wins, two of them against decent sides.
“From the first whistle we controlled the game, kept the ball really well and looked really dangerous going forward. It was great to see Jacob and Callum score the first two goals to get us going. They have had good performances of late without adding that end product.”
With a 3-0 half-time lead, the message from Stewart to his side was more of the same in the second half. He explained “A lot of managers would have looked to seal the game, waste time and slow the tempo down. But. as a manager who is predominantly a coach, I want us to play the full 90 minutes and have a level performance.
“We said at half-time that we have to set the tempo for the second half and continue to play, which we did for the first 15 or 20 minutes.
“Once we scored the fourth, we maybe took our foot off the pedal and gave them a few chances, but at 4-0 you are not going to lose the game.
“When you come in at 3-0 you don’t want to win 3-1 or 3-2. You want that dominance for 90 minutes and I think 5-0 is a pretty fair reflection of the game.
“Their ‘keeper made three or four really good saves. We got players in areas to cause problems and get shots on goal, which is pleasing. Sometimes they go in but if someone said you were going to score five goals at the beginning of the game, you would settle for that.”
Regarding the injury to Williams, Stewart explained: “He had a slight calf strain, which we were aware of, and he came to the ground early for a bit of a fitness test. He had some treatment on it before the game and felt he was good enough to start but at 3-0 up we thought it was a good opportunity to not risk it because we have a few big games coming up.
“We have got a good squad now, so whoever we bring on from the bench is going to do a comparable job. We sent on Harry Jefferey and he slotted in and had a good game.”
The SWPL WCP Cup draw takes place at 1900 before tonight's AFC St Austell versus Dobwalls league game at Poltair (1930ko).
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