TWO goals in either half brought Bovey Tracey’s five-game league winning streak to an end on Saturday as Teignmouth ran out 4-0 victors at Coombe Valley.
First-half strikes from Jake Smith and Ryan Tressider set the Teigns in good stead for a second period in which substitute Sam Chapman would bag two further goals to add insult to injury.
The crowd had barely taken their seats when Teignmouth pushed their noses in front. With less than a minute on the clock, a quick free-kick into Smith caught Bovey napping, and his wild cross-cum-shot from 30 yards looped high into the air before dropping into the netting behind the far post.
‘I think we got what we deserved out of the game,’ said Bovey boss Will Small. ‘We didn’t play well enough to get anything from it.
‘We started very slow and very sloppy, which is unlike us, and [we] switched off completely for the first goal. If we were switched on from the free-kick, that goal doesn’t happen, so that’s our mistake.’
Teignmouth were well on top after taking such an early lead. A pair of chances for club top-scorer Ash Donohue were saved well by Moorlanders ‘keeper Dom Aplin before striker Brad Breslan offered a hint of what was to come on 17 minutes as he broke free and struck the woodwork.
The second goal came on the half-hour mark. Referee Ashley Harris adjudged Bovey midfielder Sam Chorley to have handled the ball in the area and the resulting penalty was tucked away with aplomb by Tressider.
‘[The] second goal was harsh,’ Small continued. ‘Just as we were getting back into the game, they’ve rifled a shot at 100 miles per hour, [Chorley’s] hands are down by his side, he can’t get out the way of it, can’t move and the ref has deemed it handball.
‘That’s just before half-time, we go in 2-0 down and its a different game. Second half we huffed and puffed a bit but we never looked like we were really troubling them.’
Aplin again denied Donohue on the hour, but seven minutes later the third was added by substitute Chapman. Teignmouth chased forwards on the counterattack, with Chapman carrying the ball on the right flank. A heavy touch took him past the last defender and, with two in support, Chapman elected to go alone and smashed his effort underneath Aplin.
Teignmouth made it four with 12 minutes still to play. A quick one-two between Tressider and Chapman split the ailing Bovey defence, with the latter crafted an opportunity from close range. Chapman slammed home with ease despite Aplin approaching to close the angle.
Small explained: ‘The lads are disappointed; they’ve let themselves down we’ve not given a true reflection of ourselves. We know it was a tough place to come today but we’ve just not turned up.
‘Any team would miss [Cliff Walters and Mitch Thomas] but there are no excuses, the lads we’ve got should be good enough to turn up here and put on a performance to warrant getting a result.
‘Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone that way for us today. We didn’t adapt to the situation; we’re a very good footballing side when it is on a nice surface and its spacious and teams allow you to play, but that is not what this place is about.
‘You have to come here and grind out a result and win ugly and today we didn’t do that.’
Donohue came agonisingly close to scoring the goal he had threatened all afternoon when he clattered the crossbar with a rocket of an effort from 25 yards.
Upon full-time, Teignmouth manager Liam Jones said: ‘I thought we were good. I thought we were clinical and it finally looks like we might be clicking a little bit. I think we still left a few goals out there and we could’ve been better on the football but ultimately it’s a clean sheet and a win at home - I can’t fault the lads.
‘You’ve got to put performances like that together where we’re professional, disciplined - all of the horrible stuff that not a lot of people enjoy doing but you’ve got to do it if you’re going to win games at this level, so hopefully the lads understand that.
‘That [win] should be the blueprint; out of possession and all that, to ensure we’ve got the potential to win football matches.’