Tavistock AFC 0 Yate Town 1
Tomlinson 58
Saturday 10th August 2024
Southern League Division One South
Yate Town opened their Southern League campaign with a well-deserved win at Tavistock with a goal by Lucas Tomlinson just before the hour mark, in a game played in wet and drizzly conditions in West Devon.
Yate Town manager, Darren Mullings, had to make some minor changes to the team that beat Holyport in the FA Cup the previous Saturday with Ewan McMillan coming in for the injured Wayne Nderemani.
Yate Town started brightly and dominated the first half. After 7 minutes Lucas Tomlinson fired a free kick from 25 yards straight at home goalkeeper, Aaron Dearing, after he had been fouled.
Shortly afterwards Stan Wyatt set up Joe Guest, whose well-directed, fierce shot from 30 yards brought a spectacular save form Dearing as he pushed the ball over the bar for a corner. Will Christopher fired another free-kick straight at Dearing from 25 yards as the visitors continued to dominate and Ryan Hillier’s shot was deflected for a corner.
Marlon Jackson in action during the first half.
Hillier then supplied a cross from the right and from 6 yards Marlon Jackson got a touch and the ball hit the cross bar and went over. Jackson then saw Dearing off his line and from 40 yards tried to lob the goalkeeper but his effort went just wide of the post.
Ryan Hillier takes on the Tavistock defence.
Eward Harrison was booked for a foul on Lucas Tomlinson but as the half drew to a close it was Tavistock who threatened for the first time in the game and Lewis Hall made an excellent tackle to slide the ball away for a corner – the challenge having to be perfectly timed in the wet penalty area.
The second half started with Yate again in complete control. Marlon Jackson’s back heel nearly put Lucas Tomlinson through on goal and this was followed shortly afterwards when Jackson again supplied Tomlinson but his shot was blocked and went for a corner. From the corner Joe Guest fired just over and Lucas Tomlinson then shot wide from a Joe Guest cross as the home goal came under severe pressure.
Eventually the goal that Yate deserved finally came after 58 minutes, when an excellent cross from the left by Stan Wyatt found Lucas Tomlinson and he slotted the ball home from 6 yards out to put Yate into a deserved lead.
Tavistock made a couple of substitutions and started for the first time to apply some pressure on the visitor’s goal but Yate continued to create chances with Hillier’s shot being well saved by the feet of Dearing on 65 minutes. Tomlinson became the second Yate player to be booked shortly afterwards, following Ewan McMillan’s mistimed sliding tackle earlier in the half.
Will Christopher then supplied an excellent pass to set up Marlon Jackson but his shot was again saved by Dearing, who was having an excellent game.
Tavistock started to come more into the game and Joe Guest deflected a shot that went only just wide after 70 minutes. Yate Town made three substitutions in a short space of time with Ewan McMillian having to go off with an ankle injury and being replaced by James Byrne and Oli Jenkins coming on along with Ross Staley replacing Marlon Jackson and Stan Wyatt.
Despite Tavistock winning a number of corners Yate Town held firm with Aaron Sainsbury asserting his authority in the penalty area and only being extended once.
The referee waved away a penalty appeal after Liam Prynn went down in the area and Yate Town saw out the game efficiently with Staley showing all his experience and during added on time Jenkins had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 but again Dearing was again equal to the challenge and saved well with his feet.
Oli Jenkins has his shot saved by Tavistock goalkeeper Aaron Dearing in the final moments of the game.
This was an excellent performance from Yate Town when in reality they should have won by a greater margin. Darren Mullings was pleased with the performance of the team and the way that they effectively saw out the closing stages of the game. The whole squad deserved credit for this win, a clean sheet plus it’s a team that are enjoying their football and playing with purpose and confidence whilst at the same time playing the type of football that is easy on the eye.
Yate Town entertain Bishops Cleeve on Tuesday at the South West Interiors Stadium and will be hoping for a good crowd to help support them and create a good atmosphere.
Tavistock: Dearing, Alman, Stone, Elkington, Harrison, Prynn, Fowles, Steer, Tiamuna, Kane, Harris
Subs: Matthews, Endacott, Bernard, Odiaka, Wilkins.
Bookings: Harrison (45), Kane (63)
Yate Town: Sainsbury, Taylor, Hall, Dempsey, McMillan (Bryne 77), Guest, Tomlinson, Christopher,
Hillier, Jackson (Jenkins 71), Wyatt (Staley 71)
Unused subs: Stearn, Felix
Bookings: McMillan (53) Tomlinson (65)
Referee: Luke McFarlane
Attendance: 135
Yate Town Man of the Match: Lucas Tomlinson
