Wotton Printers Devon Under 18 Youth Cup Final

Torquay United Youth U18  6 - 0   Tavistock Community Youth U18

Played at Coach Road, Newton Abbot 01/05/2022

Three goals in each half served as evidence of the dominance Torquay’s young charges held over a brave Tavistock team who, to be fair, never let their heads drop despite seeing very little of the ball. Torquay kicked off and it soon became clear that they were much sharper all over the pitch and it was only a matter of time before they made their presence felt. However, they took a little time to find their rhythm during which they could have gone a goal down. In the 3^rd minute Tavistock’s Haydn Halfyard got on the end of a cross from Luke Tyler drawing a good save from Torquay stopper Matt Wonnacott.

That woke Torquay up and they soon went ahead with goals from Jack Winsor, who fired in a fierce looping drive from 25 yards into the corner of Tavistock custodian Fynn Hall’s net on 6 minutes, and Lewis Brooks converting a cross in the 12^th minute.

By half time things would have been a lot worse for the Tavistock lads were it not for some defiant saves by Hall. In the 11^th minute he palmed clear a shot from Jayden Gilbert who had got on the end of a cross from James Rowe. In the 19^th minute he denied Winsor who had got on the end of a corner from Sammy Stayt. In the 24^th minute he was in called upon again fisting clear a drive from Winsor. However, he was beaten again as, in the 25^th minute James Rowe headed home the third from a right wing corner and the game was virtually over as a contest.

Tavistock were not completely out of it though as, from the restart Halfyard was fouled some 25 yards from goal, the resulting free kick from Sam Brereton being cleared by Cullum Thomas. Torquay went back on the attack and Hall was needed yet again, this time blocking a close range effort from Brooks.

The Tavistock defence were struggling to contain a pacy Torquay front three and, in the 41^st minute, Brooks should have made it four, but blasted his shot straight at Hall. Between those two efforts Tavistock had a chance to pull one back. In the 33^rd minute they were awarded a free kick taken by Tyler which was headed wide by Matt Daniel. So, Torquay went into the break with a comfortable half time lead of three goals to nil.

The second half went much the same way as the first with Torquay having the majority of the play and the Tavistock boys feeding off scraps. In the 54^th minute Torquay went further ahead as Rowe, completely unmarked at the far post, poked home his second and his teams fourth.

Both teams started to use their benches but, in truth, the substitutions made little difference to the flow of the game. Torquay skipper Alfie Collings along with Rowe, moved from right wing back to his favoured center back role, kept their defensive line well organised giving Tavistock few sightings of goal whilst Hall, at the other end made two more fine saves, first denying Gilbert from 8 yards on 60 minutes and then, on 75 minutes, denying Brooks.

Torquay finally made their dominance count with goals in the 81^st and 89^th minutes. First, Gilbert made it five deceiving Hall from just inside the box and then Joe Edmonds fired in a rasping drive that Hall could do nothing about. Six nil to Torquay who deservedly take the County Youth Cup down the A380 to Plainmoor to sit with the Women’s Cup secured 9 days earlier.

Player of the Match – James Rowe (Torquay).

Dennis Smith Devon FA.