Bovey Tracey AFC make winning start at step five

BOVEY Tracey AFC made a winning start to life at step five as they dispatched Wellington AFC on home soil.

Manager Ben Gerring exclaimed that “the pitch was like concrete” and that certainly disrupted their gameplan but it was good to get “three points on the board” all the same.

The hosts started in the ascendancy at the Western Counties Roofing Ground only to be caught cold at the other end of the field with 10 minutes gone. A defensive lapse saw Wellington skipper Josh Baker claim possession and he picked out the side netting with pinpoint accuracy from range.

Gerring’s side continued to dominate the ball and came close to hitting back through Jadore Lawson and Cieran Bridger.

They did find a first-half equaliser eventually with Ollie Aplin remaining composed when it mattered most, notching the club’s first goal of the season. Wellington had defended admirably but a missed clearance afforded the Bovey striker a golden opportunity.

Aplin could maybe have had a hat-trick within the opening 45 minutes but it wasn’t to be and the sides went in at the break all square.

Looking to be more forthright in the second half, Gerring made a double change.

Lawson and Charlie Stevens were “collateral damage” and on in their places came Rudi McKinnon and the dual-registered Jack Brimming. On the departing duo, Gerring said: “I don’t think they did themselves any harm at all, I just wanted to change things and give [Wellington] a different idea.”

It didn’t take long at all for Bovey to forge ahead, Callum Leech heading home a Lewis Perring cross for a 2-1 lead, but not before Aplin had a header of his own ruled out for a clear push.

Two quickly became three and it was that man Leech again!

A good team move set Brimming away down the right flank and his cross found the dynamic midfielder left unmarked once more.

From here, it looked as if the Moorlanders would go on and win by five or six but two injuries in quick succession changed this.

First, Louie Roberts limped off to be replaced by Charlie Castlehouse and then Leech, his partner in the middle of the park, was also unable to continue. Levi Landricombe went on for him, signalling another change in shape.

With Bovey still adjusting to the shift, Harvey Conroy found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Andy Collings and from the other end of the ground, it looked like he couldn’t miss. The effort from the Welly forward bounced just wide of the post though, courtesy of a huge intervention from Collings.

They would go onto reduce the arrears either way, Evan Howse converting from the penalty spot after a rash challenge from McKinnon.

McKinnon, one of the new arrivals in Bovey Tracey, took a chance at redemption as he put in the cross that set up their fourth of the afternoon.

James Fowler, who made several superb stops on the day, spilled the awkward ball with Cieran Bridger on hand to pounce and head home.

After the game, Gerring made a level-headed assessment: “It wasn’t our best performance by any stretch but I put that down to conditions and just getting the legs going again in a competitive game.”

He continued, “It was a really difficult game to manage, we couldn’t get any control in the first half,” as well as confirming “I think they’re impact injuries, hopefully nothing too serious and ready for Tuesday.”

As mentioned there, Bovey’s focus will swiftly shift to a derby clash with Buckland Athletic at the WCR Ground.

One player for whom it will be a big one is Bovey captain Owen Stockton as his second game with the armband will be against his former club.

Stockton said: “It’s going to be a good one, I obviously know a few of the lads there, a few familiar faces.

“[It’ll be] a good derby so let’s see what it brings.”

Buckland were beaten 2-0 away at Tavistock AFC on the opening day and so they will be looking to bounce back and secure local bragging rights.