Jewson Western League premier division: Wellington 2, Ivybridge Town 3
Wellington produced a spirited fightback but were unable to overturn a three-goal deficit as Ivybridge Town held on for victory at the Carly Press Ground.
Trailing at half-time, the Tangerines responded impressively after the break, with goals from captain Josh Baker and substitute Gabriel Plant setting up a tense finish.
The visitors took the lead in the 14th minute when a long clearance from goalkeeper Kane Gregory bounced over the Wellington defence, allowing ex-Tangerine Alfie Slough, to race through and lift the ball over keeper Luke Vernon.
Wellington struggled to find a response, and Ivybridge doubled their advantage in the 31st minute. A through ball brought appeals for offside but, with no flag forthcoming, the ball was squared across goal for Slough to tap home his second of the afternoon.
Things went from bad to worse for Wellington just before the interval as Chris Harvey struck from the right-hand side of the penalty area, beating Vernon to make it 3–0.
The Tangerines emerged from the break with renewed determination and began to put the Ivybridge defence under greater pressure.
They found a way back into the contest after 55 minutes when a free kick into the Ivybridge area was not cleared, and the ball fell to Baker, who fired home to reduce the arrears.
The goal lifted the Tangerines, who continued to press forward. In the 59th minute, sustained Wellington pressure resulted in two excellent saves from keeper Kane Gregory.
Plant replaced Elijah Hiller five minutes later and made an almost immediate impact. The sub found himself in possession as the ball dropped invitingly into his path and produced a clever looping effort over Gregory to make it 3–2.
With the momentum firmly behind the home side, the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
As the match entered its closing stages, Wellington continued to throw players forward in search of a deserved leveller.
In the 90th minute, a corner fell to Baker in a promising position, but the captain was unable to keep his close-range effort down, sending the ball over the crossbar.
There was still time for one final opportunity in stoppage time. A clearance was blocked by Evett who advanced on goal, only to see his effort drift agonisingly wide of the post.
It proved to be Wellington’s final chance as Ivybridge secured all three points.
The challenge for the Tangerines will be to carry that second-half performance into their next fixture when they welcome third-placed Portishead to the Carly Press Ground on Wednesday evening.
Wellington: Luke Vernon, Luke Perry, Jack Lewis, Connor Pengelly, Mike Murphy, Harrison Price, Elijah Hiller, Ollie Ackland, Josh Baker (capt), Ben Evett, Ryan Brereton. Substitutes: Gabrial Plant, Harry Chetland, Lewis Oaten (used); Dan Conway, Danny Wordworth (not used). Attendance: 92.
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