Firewatch Devon Senior Cup Final

Thorverton 2 – 1 Millbridge 3rds

 Played at Coach Road, Newton Abbot 04/09/2020

Millbridge 3rds, from the Plymouth & West Devon Combination League, were always going to find this an uphill task on the new 3G at Coach road against a strong Thorverton team from the Devon & Exeter League, who were clearly up for it from the start. Despite some strong tackling from the Millbridge lads Thorverton were first to show as early as the 4^th minute when a Sam Stewart corner, swung in from the right, was glanced wide off the head of Ben Stevens.

Although Thorverton were making most of the running it was Millbridge who had the best chance of the half when, in the tenth minute, Ben Sweet, in the centre of goal eight yards out, got on the end of an excellent pull back from Lee Card only to blast his shot right at Thorverton keeper Justin Land, who did well to parry.

The next opportunity came in the 17^th minute when, from a corner from the left, won by Elliott Allen after a driving run down the left flank, Thorverton almost went ahead. Sam Stewart pulled the corner back to the edge of the box where Jake Ebdon blasted in a left foot shot but was denied by the crossbar.

In the 20^th minute Millbridge should have gone ahead, Zak Jones heading a well-placed left wing corner onto the bar from five yards.

A midfield battle then ensued which was going the way of Millbridge, but they could not find a way through a well organised Thorverton defence and, despite a number of half chances, neither keeper were troubled until the 30^th minute, when Thorverton’s Josh Hale won the ball in the centre circle and found Chris Powell racing in from the right to bring a great save out of Millbridge custodian Chris Coombes.

The deadlock should have been broken in the 35^th minute when Jones got on the end of a floated free kick from the left only to slice his shot wide from 6 yards. Thorverton seemed to go into their shell and were creating very little as the first half came to a close with the score still nil-nil.

Millbridge were first to show, winning an early corner swung in from the right to Ben McKinley whose near post header slid wide of the near post. The game seemed to suddenly open up and by the 50^th minute the score was one apiece, Thorverton going ahead on 48 minutes, Chris Powell pouncing on a loose ball to fire into the far corner giving Coombes no chance. Two minutes later it was Lee Card for Millbridge, picking up the loose ball after a mix up in the Thorverton defence, driving forward unchallenged to slot past Land with aplomb.

On 67 minutes, as the rain started to pour down, Thorverton went ahead again. Ebdon switched with Powell, crossed low from the right, and there was Powell to smash home what proved to be a deserved winner. There was no further scoring despite the best efforts of both teams to keep the momentum going in the pouring rain.

Millbridge thought they had the equaliser in the 1^st minute of added time. Curt Hutchinson powered his header from an Ebdon right wing cross towards goal, Land managed to get a hand on it to keep it out but Paul Rapson, first to the loose ball, poked the ball over the line. His and his team’s joy was short-lived however, as the referee’s assistant on the far side raised his flag for offside. That being the last action the Senior cup goes deservedly to Thorverton.

Man of the Match - Sam Stewart (Thorverton)