Swindon Supermarine 3 Plymouth Parkway 0

Match Report from Pete Crockett

Marine gain vital win

After the first fifteen minutes few spectators would have predicted this score line. In the early stages the visitors pressed high and attacked with gusto. Marine were very much under the cosh and struggling to find any fluency. Early chances fell to the visitor’s Dylan Jones and Mikey Williams but both missed the target.

In the 19th minute, and decidedly against the run of play, Marine took the lead from a Jake Andrews corner. Ioan Richards soared above the visitor’s defenders to power home a back post header that squeezed into the top corner of the goal.

Still the visitors had chances with Jack Crago volleying straight at Fiachra Pagel in the Marine goal. The visitor’s Dylan Jones then had two good chances in ten seconds - his first effort was tipped on to the post and then his follow up effort was heroically blocked by Marine’s Sam Turl who flew through the air to get his body between ball and goal. Between these two incidents Plymouth Parkway had also seen the host’s Mat Liddiard clear a goal bound Dylan Jones effort off the line.

In the 42nd minute Plymouth Parkway nearly secured the most bizarre of equalisers. As Marine’s Ioan Richard looked to clear he was closed down at close range by Rio Garside on the 18-yard line. The block saw the ball freakily heading at force for the bottom left-hand corner of Fiachra Pagels’s goal. However, the Marine custodian made an excellent save. Marine were also having their moments and a minute later Dave Sims-Burgess forced an excellent save from Plymouth keeper Adam Parkes.

At the half-time whistle the away team will have felt decidedly unfortunate not to at least be on level terms. The reality was the score line was the result of a combination of the visitor’s profligacy and some resolute Marine defending.

At the start of the second half it was Marine who came out of the traps the quicker. In the 50th minute Marine’s Liban Ibrahim surged down the left wing. He drove a low cross towards the front post where Dave Sims-Burgess got ahead of his marker and doubled Marine’s lead with composed assuredness.

Just after the hour mark a Jake Andrews free kick from some forty-five yards surprised the away team keeper who was forced to back pedal at pace. Much to his relief the ball just cleared the cross bar.

The game then got a bit scrappy and a little feisty. In the 65th minute a tussle between Dave Sims-Burgess and a Parkway defender saw the Marine man grabbed and then pushed in the face by a visiting defender. The home crowd on that side of the ground were decidedly bemused to see the offending player only receive a yellow card. The consensus was that more often than not such an incident would see the crimson card brandished.

As the visitors threw caution to the wind Marine defended doggedly. The attempt to get a goal back saw the Devonians throw players forward with abandon. However, this meant they were always vulnerable to a home team counterattack. In the 88th minute substitute Michael Fernandes, leaving defenders in his wake, played in another substitute Brad Gray in on goal. The experienced striker steadies himself and slid the ball past the visiting keeper for 3-0.

This victory saw Marine extend their unbeaten run to three matches. In those matches they have secured a valuable seven points out of a possible nine. Meanwhile the league’s 20 match form table sees Marine nestle in fourth place whilst the 15 match form table sees them one place higher in third. This would suggest that Marine are most certainly capable of pulling clear of the relegation zone.

Whilst today’s score line was flattering the victory was deserved. Marine defended resolutely; went toe to toe in the scrapping stakes; and finished the opportunities that came their way more clinically than the visitors. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said “victory belongs to the most persevering” – a quote most apt for this Marine performance.

Come on Marine!

Editors Marine Star Men: Sam Turl and Ioan Richards
Editors Parkway Star Man: Dylan Jones
Attendance: 261

Line Ups

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Head Coach: Stuart Fleetwood
Colours: Blue & White Hoops
Line-up: 1. Fiachra Pagel 2. Sam Turl 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Mat Liddiard 5. Ioan Richards 6. Jake Andrews (c) 7. Zack Kotwica 8. Liban Ibrahim 9. Dave Sims-Burgess (17. Michael Fernandes 72’) 10. Harry Williams (16. Brad Gray 85’) 11. George Dowling (14. Joe Tumelty 60’)
Subs not used: 12. Jamie Edge, 15. Matt Bower
Goalscorers: Ioan Richards 20’, Dave Sims-Burgess 50’, Brad Gray 88’
Cards:
Dave Sims-Burgess 65’, Jake Andrews 65’, Mat Liddiard 81’ Liban Ibrahim 89’
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PLYMOUTH PARKWAY
Manager: Lee Hobbs
Colours: Yellow & Navy
Line-up: 1. Adam Parkes 2. Shane White 3. Ryan Lane (c) 4. Tom Purrington 5. Oscar Halls 6. Toby Down 7. Micky Williams (16. Cameron Sangster 56’ ) 8. Callum Hall (14. Reece Thompson 68’ ) 9. Dylan Jones 10. Rio Garside (17. Matt Wright 56’) 11. Jack Crago
Subs not used: 12. Alex Cairo, 15. Callum Rose
Goalscorer: None
Cards:
Toby Down 65’, Ryan Lane 66’, Shane White 75’
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Match Gallery

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Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Team Sheet

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Match Officials

Referee: Jake Wolley
Assistant Referees: Lucas Bomela, Joe Drew