OLLIE Aplin’s second-half hat-trick helped Bovey Tracey to a 5-0 win over Dartmouth on Tuesday night, extending their Peninsula League unbeaten run to six games.
Aplin had youngsters James Watts-Barciela and Jerry Revell for company on the score sheet after a potent second half saw the Moorlanders take total control.
‘It’s nice to get three points on the road,’ said Bovey boss Will Small.
‘It was important, having got the draw with Ivybridge and them then winning, that we went and won again today and keep our momentum going for Saturday [at home to Cullompton Rangers].
'I’m glad we kept a clean sheet; I thought everyone contributed and I rotated the side with a couple coming in that got 90 minutes who haven’t been playing much so far.’
Early exchanges pointed towards a game in which Bovey would dominate, and their pressure paid dividends 20 minutes in. Alangel Joseph received the ball wide on the left flank and floated in an inch-perfect cross for Aplin, who headed towards goal. ‘Keeper Scott Corderoy saved well but stood little chance of keeping the ball out altogether as he parried into the path of Watts-Barciela, who poked home as he arrived at pace.
‘James has been great for us this season,’ Small said.
‘He’s really effective on both wings and is just as good at floating balls in as he is scoring. We have a lot of depth on the wings too, so the competition for places in the team is keeping him on his toes and he’s stood up to the challenge so far.
‘AJ is also a good outlet and he’s got a great eye for a cross, so to see him creating what he did is really promising and gives us another channel to focus our attack down.’
Aplin opened his account on 50 minutes. Neil Last snatched the ball off the Dartmouth defence and broke away to whip a sublime cross in for front-man Aplin to tap home.
He had a second four minutes later in nearly identical fashion, although this time Aplin’s provider came in the form of 17-year-old Watts-Barciela.
With his side in command of the game, Small made some changes and brought Revell on for the first time this season. The manager’s tinkering was rewarded on 65 minutes with a goal as Revell met a beautifully-driven cross from Joseph and tapped home.
‘We saw an opportunity to get some good minutes into the side and I think we did that,’ Small explained.
‘I was pleased for Jerry scoring in his first minutes of the season and Tom [Cavanagh] got his first start and kept a clean sheet. It was a good run-out for us but it is frustrating that we are still a second-half team.
‘We should have put more than one past them in the first half and we would get punished by some teams in this league for that.’
Aplin chalked up his hat-trick on 71 minutes when he found a pocket of space in the box at a corner-kick and clipped the delivery home.
‘Ollie’s in a good vein of form at the minute which is nice because he’s always been somebody I can rely on for goals,’ Small said.
‘None of them were from further out than a few yards but he was in the right place at the right time to score, and that’s a great part of his game.’