SWPL EAST Axminster Town 1 Ivybridge Town 1
- Details
- Created on Tuesday, 30 November 2021 00:02
- Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 2021 10:10
- Published on Tuesday, 30 November 2021 00:03
- Written by GRAHAM HAMBLY
The result extended Ivybridge’s unbeaten run to five games and kept them third in the table with 41 points from 20 matches.
The greens gained ground on the top two with leaders Okehampton losing 3-0 away to Newton Abbot Spurs while Ottery St Mary lost 2-1 at home to Elburton Villa.
Ivybridge are five points behind Okehampton with a game in hand while they are only one point adrift of Ottery, also with a game in hand.
It was a testing time for Ivybridge in the opening stages at Axminster and the home side took the lead after a quarter of an hour through Braeden Symes.
Ivybridge were then indebted to goalkeeper Kane Gregory for saving a penalty awarded for a foul just inside the penalty area. That kept the interval deficit to a single goal.
Ivybridge battled back strongly in the second half and were rewarded when Aplin scored with a quarter of an hour remaining for his 13th goal in 19 league and cup matches.
Ivies boss Darren Stewart was pleased with the way his players earned their point after coming under early pressure.
Stewart said: “We found the conditions difficult and suffered an onslaught for the first 15 or 20 minutes and Axminster deservedly took the lead.
“But then we settled and had some better possession. I was really pleased with our second half performance. We were more aggressive and dominated the play once we found our feet while Axminster lost their discipline and had a player sin binned.
“It was a good point on the road for us, but I felt we could have had all three because we missed some good chances.”
Ivybridge’s unbeaten run continued with three wins and two draws, but Stewart admitted: “Although we might have settled for a draw before the game, it still feels like two points dropped.”
Next up will be two home Saturday games for Ivybridge with Sidmouth due at Erme Valley this weekend followed by the return clash against Axminster on December 11.
Sidmouth are currently second from bottom of the table with one win and one draw from 19 games, but Stewart warns: “Sidmouth may be struggling at the foot of the table but they are fighting to stay in the league and we cannot take anything for granted.”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.