Saturday’s visitors were North Devon team, Torridgeside, looking to carry on from their win in the F.A. Vase cup last week, after a poor start to their league programme.
From the kick off, Cullompton began well but found out pretty early that the visitors were going to be a tougher proposition, having a strong defence giving the Cullompton forwards no room and time on the ball.
On 20 minutes through a break down the right, with the White brothers combining well, saw Aiden turning in Lucas’s cross.
The game became more even now, although Aiden should have done better when he failed to convert a cross from Lewis Hill.
Torridgeside were to take advantage of this miss, and equalised almost immediately, when a free kick sent deep into the home penalty area, was turned in.
The visitors were well on top now and it wasn’t long before they went ahead, when Cullompton failed to clear a long throw into the box, allowing Torridgeside to scramble the ball home. For the first time this season, Cullompton found themselves a goal behind at the break.
Cullompton made a lively start to the second half and on 50 minutes, Aiden broke through on goal, only to be hauled down by a Torridgeside defender. The referee, in awarding Cullompton a free kick, had no choice in sending the offender off, whilst also sending a visitor’s player to the sin bin for 10 minutes for objecting to his decision.
The game restarted with Cullompton blazing the free kick over the bar. It wasn’t long though before Cullompton equalised, with Aiden turning the ball home for his second goal.
Torridgeside seemed to lose their discipline now, when another of their players was sin binned, objecting to a refereeing decision.
Although with the visitors down to eight players, Cullompton were unable to turn this this advantage into goals.
Torridgeside were back to nine players when one of their numbers returned to action from the sin bin. However, he didn’t stay on the pitch long, as just after the other player returned from his stint in the sin bin, an off the ball incident saw him receiving a red card and his marching orders.
Torridgeside had no choice but go on the defensive, to try and hold out for a draw. It was Aiden who broke the deadlock, when from another cross from the right, he controlled the ball before calmly scoring his and Cullompton’s third.
Torridgeside must have thought things couldn’t get worse. However, after being awarded a free kick, their centre half in trying to retrieve the ball appeared to punch a Cullompton player, and again the referee had no option but to send him off.
With a tiring Torridgeside, Cullompton were able to add a fourth goal, when substitute Billy Spurway latched onto a through ball, calmly scoring in the corner of the goal.
There was just enough time for the restart, before the referee blew the full time whistle.
Final score Cullompton 4 Torridgeside 2.
This was a good test for this young Cullompton team.
Next game is on Tuesday evening, when they play at the unbeaten Newton Abbot Spurs.
Rev the roving reporter
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