TIVERTON TOWN 0 v 0 PAULTON ROVERS

Paulton gained a hard won point at Tiverton Town feeling they had to overcome more than their opponents.

With Ben Lacey and Marcus Mapstone unavailable, Paulton began brightly in a game that was played at a fast and furious pace throughout.

Rovers had a smart move on seven minutes when Saul Williams won the ball laid it to Nick McCootie whose cross found Dean Evans narrowly offside.

Right back Stuart Tovey stoutly defended a 'Tivvy' attack and swiftly started a move with McCootie bearing down on the home goal.

Paulton keeper Kyle Phillips was called upon to snuff out danger from Dan Smith and Matt Wright with Tovey beating Max Kowal to the ball and clear upfield.

Mike Perrott fastened on to the ball, slipped it to Williams who laid it into McCooties path, but the striker's shot was too high to cause home keeper Mike Searle any concerns.

The turning point and controversial moment was after thirty two minutes. Evans contested a ball with Smith warrenting at best a yellow card. The referee reacting to the baying Tiverton crowd astonishing flourished a red card to dismissed the Paulton player, but took no action against Smith who clearly threw a delicate punch.

Minutes afterwards Tivvy missed a golden opportunity to go ahead when Smith's cross was driven wide by Kowal from in front of Phillips net.

Town came out for the second half full of attack and Phillips pulled off a great reaction save from a Kowal drive.

Rovers with stood over twenty minutes of sustained pressure with Scott Brice and Ryan Batten holding tight the centre of defence whilst left back Sam Teale coped well with Smith's right wing runs and crosses and Tovey had a great game on the right of the defence.

Tiverton resorted to high balls into the Rovers box and Phillips and his defence answered with solid workmanship.

McCootie on his own up front was replaced by Ryan Bath and he combined well with Brandon Barnes and each had chances as Paulton sort a winner.

Twelve minutes from time captain Dan Cleverley nearly stole the points when he ran from the half way line and hit a fierce shot from twenty yards which Searle could not hold and four minutes later Barnes hit a piledriver which stung the keeper's hands.

'Tivvy' pressed but were largely ineffective and Rovers gained a point they more than deserved. If the game had remain eleven against eleven a more even game was probably on the cards.

As it was Paulton defended in depth with the occasional breaks forward whilst Tiverton lumped high ball after high ball which the tight Rovers defence coped with all night.

Paulton Rovers man of the match - Stuart Tovey