Bayside Graphics Devon St Lukes Challenge Bowl Quarter Final.
Ilfracombe Town 0, Tavistock AFC 4
With seven of the squad missing through suspensions, unavailability, injury or from being cup-tied, in came Sam Rutter, Noah Maund and George Beardsmore from the Development side, to gain their places on the substitutes bench.
The Lambs still managed to field a strong eleven with newly appointed goalkeeping coach, Mike Searle, in between the posts and Taylor Scarff returning from suspension.
There was a great start for the Lambs as they took a sixth minute lead, when Ed Harrison’s header was pushed out by the keeper and from the subsequent corner, Scarff was able to head home from close range.
The visitors doubled their lead on 12 minutes with a well worked move, as Adam McPherson from deep in defence fed the ball forward for Liam Prynn to set up Josh Parry, who stepped inside with one touch to smash home from 20 yards with a well taken effort.
McPherson was then booked for a late challenge and Harrison’s run onto goal and shot was saved by McCormack.
The home side’s first threat on the Lamb’s goal came on the half hour, when Searle brought off a point blank save on the goal line. Appeals that the ball had gone over the line were waved away by the officials for the Lambs to go in at half time two goals to the good.
There was a half time substitution for the Lambs with Josh Grant replacing Harrison, who had taken a bit of a knock earlier, and not long after, Rutter
replaced the injured Parry.
Scarff would see a shot go wide from a corner, and then Beardsmore replaced
Ben Cross.
Grant had a free kick that bounced off an upright after a deflection. This went for a corner where the ball dropped for Ben Fowles to smash home to make it 3 nil for the Lambs on 66 minutes.
Maund then replaced McPherson before the Lambs rounded off a good evening’s work with their fourth goal on 80 minutes. Confusion in the penalty area allowed Grant to nip in, take the ball around the keeper and calmly tuck home.
So the Lambs are the first into the semi finals of the competition. They have not reached this far before and will now eagerly look forward to the draw.
Report by Eric Pinch
