Devon Premier Cup – second round

Okehampton Argyle 3

Tavistock Reserves 2

THIS was an exciting end to end cup tie and both teams deserve credit for producing some good football in difficult conditions.

Argyle looked the stronger side early on and should have built a bigger lead in the first half but Tavistock showed real fighting spirit in the second period and had the Oke fans biting their finger nails towards the end of the game.

Argyle started strongly and put some good passing movements together and took the lead on 12 minutes when John Wiseman chased a long through ball and charged down Tavistock keeper Tom McHale's clearance to force the ball home from the edge of the box.

The home side nearly increased their lead a few minutes later when a lovely move saw Ed Bradshaw's header rebound from the Tavistock crossbar.

On 22 minutes, Argyle scored a deserved second goal when Gary Hird used his speed to get behind the Tavistock defence and fire home from a narrow angle.

Within a minute, Tavistock reduced the arrears as Matt Mortimer brought down a visiting forward in the area and Jack Crago made no mistake with the penalty. Argyle had dominated up to this point but this goal gave the visitors some heart and they tested Craig Mulholland in the home goal with some strong shots, but three minutes before the interval, a good cross into the Tavistock area was not cleared properly and Gary Hird fired home from close range.

The second half was a fairly even affair and Tavistock must be commended for the fighting spirit they showed to get back into the match.

The visitors were given a boost on 61 minutes when a poor back pass from Chris Wills played in a visiting forward who was fouled by Mulholland. Crago once again fired home a perfect penalty.

Both teams created good chances in the closing 30 minutes and both goalkeepers did well to prevent any further goals.

Several players put in good performances on the day with Harry Eaton and Jack Crago taking the eye for the visitors and John Wiseman, Gary Hird and substitute Ollie Crimmins for the home side.