LES PHILLIPS CUP Bradford Town 5 Ivybridge 1

Details

Last Updated on Sunday, 01 March 2026 12:31

Published on Sunday, 01 March 2026 06:27

Written by GRAHAM HAMBLY

Despite taking an early lead Ivybridge Town were knocked out of the Western League Les Phillips Cup after suffering a 5-1 semi-final defeat away to Bradford Town yesterday.

Ivybridge started brightly following their 118-mile trip to Wiltshire and went ahead after only nine minutes with a goal from Joe Cook.


Bradford equalised ten minutes later with a header from Harvey Woods following a corner by Ashton Shanley.

The tie remained in the balance although Bradford took the lead with a shot from Jensen Wakefield on the half hour.

The turning point came in the 62^nd minute when Wakefield scored his second goal of the afternoon being the quickest to react after Leo Gallazi had a shot saved by Ivybridge goalkeeper Jason Peters.

Ivybridge were chasing the game from that stage and suffered as Bradford added further goals through Gallazi (70^th minute) and Kye Teague (90).

Ivybridge joint manager Brad Gargett said: “We started well and had a good first 20 minutes but then we made an error which allowed them to score from a set piece.

“It was still nip and tuck at half-time, but Bradford took their chance for a 3-1 lead. After that we had to take some risks in the closing stages and conceded two more goals.

“Although we were disappointed at the result there were some positives to take from the fact that we reached the semi-final of the competition.”

Ivybridge now face a busy time completing their league fixtures, playing two matches most weeks.

Gargett says: “We have a lot of games in quick succession as a result of the wet weather and also our progress in cup competitions.”

Next up for Ivybridge is a rearranged home match against Wellington on Tuesday evening (March 3) (7.30pm) followed by a short trip across the River Tamar to Saltash United on Saturday (March 7).

• Next >