LES PHILLIPS CUP Paulton Rovers 2 Ivybridge Town 3
- Details
- Last Updated on Monday, 16 February 2026 09:55
- Published on Sunday, 15 February 2026 12:28
- Written by GRAHAM HAMBLY with Ivybridge Town
It was the fourth attempt at staging the quarter-final tie in which Ivybridge originally were drawn at home.
Two proposed dates for the match were rained off at Ivybridge and league rules meant the fixture was switched to Paulton, where there was also a postponement on Saturday February 7.
The tie eventually went ahead after the Paulton pitch at Winterfield Stadium passed an early morning inspection. It was the first game for Ivybridge since their 3-1 win at Helston in the previous round of the competition on January 13.
The Ivies started well despite the long trip to Somerset and opened the scoring in the 14th minute with Jake Smelt on target from an opportunity created by Josh Johnson.
Paulton equalised through Wayne Nderemani in the 17th minute after a break on the right by Kitan Taiyeoba.
The game remained level until the interval, but Ivybridge regained the lead two minutes after the restart with a goal from Ryan Smith.
Leading scorer Kai Burrell completed the scoring for Ivybridge with his 16th goal of the season in the 72nd minute.
Paulton reduced their arrears through Dan McBeam in the third minute of stoppage time.
Ivybridge joint manager Brad Gargett praised his players, saying: “They played really well against a good team.
“We took the game away from them in the second half when we opened up a two-goal advantage.”
It has been an impressive run to the semi-finals for Ivybridge, starting with a 4-1 win over league leaders Torpoint, followed by away victories at Helston and Paulton.
Ivybridge will now meet either Devizes Town or Bradford Town, who are due to complete their quarter-final on tomorrow (Feb 17).
In the meantime, Ivybridge are set to play their first league match since January 10 when St Blazey make the trip to Erme Valley this Saturday (Feb 21).
The game is set to be new St Blazey boss Dan Hart's - from Plymouth - first game in charge of the green and blacks.
The tie eventually went ahead after the Paulton pitch at Winterfield Stadium passed an early morning inspection. It was the first game for Ivybridge since their 3-1 win at Helston in the previous round of the competition on January 13.
The Ivies started well despite the long trip to Somerset and opened the scoring in the 14th minute with Jake Smelt on target from an opportunity created by Josh Johnson.
Paulton equalised through Wayne Nderemani in the 17th minute after a break on the right by Kitan Taiyeoba.
The game remained level until the interval, but Ivybridge regained the lead two minutes after the restart with a goal from Ryan Smith.
Leading scorer Kai Burrell completed the scoring for Ivybridge with his 16th goal of the season in the 72nd minute.
Paulton reduced their arrears through Dan McBeam in the third minute of stoppage time.
Ivybridge joint manager Brad Gargett praised his players, saying: “They played really well against a good team.
“We took the game away from them in the second half when we opened up a two-goal advantage.”
It has been an impressive run to the semi-finals for Ivybridge, starting with a 4-1 win over league leaders Torpoint, followed by away victories at Helston and Paulton.
Ivybridge will now meet either Devizes Town or Bradford Town, who are due to complete their quarter-final on tomorrow (Feb 17).
In the meantime, Ivybridge are set to play their first league match since January 10 when St Blazey make the trip to Erme Valley this Saturday (Feb 21).
The game is set to be new St Blazey boss Dan Hart's - from Plymouth - first game in charge of the green and blacks.
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