F. A. Carlsberg Vase match reports 1999 |
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Wembley
goal hero hero Scott Rogers
admitted that he was
surprised to have got on the
pitch, let alone to have
scored the winner that
clinched an historic FA Vase
double for Tiverton Town.
The 19-year-old was probably
unlucky not to have made the
starting line-up, but he
more than stated his case
for a starting place next
season with a vital strike
two minutes from the end of
normal time that sent the
10,000 Tivvy supporters wild
with delight.
'I didn't think I was going
to come on because the lads
were playing very well,' he
said. 'I was surprised when
Grimmers (assistant manager
Martyn Grimshaw) told me and
Richard Pears to get warmed
up.' And he couldn't have
dreamed of the impact his
introduction would have had
on the game. 'Last year, I
hardly touched the ball but
this time I had more of the
ball and I obviously enjoyed
it more.' And the strike
that earned him a place in
Tivvy folklore? 'I took it
off Pete Varley's toes, went
a bit wide, rolled it and it
sneaked in.'I didn't strike
it the best, but thank God
it went in.' His second
cousin, godfather and
manager Martyn Rogers said
he thought long and hard
about including Scott in the
starting 11. 'I was
deliberating whether he
should have started, but
there were one or two team
selections that could have
gone either way,' he said.
'Scott's just told me he
should have been playing
from the start!' Rogers the
manager was full of praise
for every one of his men but
singled out his rearguard
for a special mention. The
much vaunted Bedlington
strikeforce of John Milner
and Dean Gibb was snuffed
out by a sterling display at
the heart of the Yellows'
defence. 'Milner and Gibb
are a real handful, but Neil
Saunders and Darren Tallon
did a tremendous job,' he
said. And there was also a
mention for 'keeper Paul
Edwards who lit up the
occasion with his extrovert
personality as well as with
his bright yellow hair. 'He
asked me about two or three
weeks ago if he could have
his hair dyed for Wembley
though he told me it was
going to be blond! 'There
are not many players who
would have their hair that
colour and perform as well
as he did which shows how
confident he is. 'Whether he
has got green or orange
hair, he is still an
excellent keeper.' Rogers
also had a word for defender
Stuart Smith, who had to sit
it out because of injury.
Smith pulled a hamstring
playing against Elmore and
spent last week undergoing
intensive treatment in a bid
to make the final. But he
broke down at the end of a
rigorous training session
before the match. Rogers
said: 'He was one sprint
away from being involved. It
was the last sprint of the
session and he pulled up.
'At the end of the day it
was the right decision to
give him a hard test. If he
had played he could have
gone in the first minute.
'He was absolutely
distraught and I was very
disappointed for the kid,
but he said to me that he'll
be back at Wembley next
season in the Trophy.'
Victorious
Tivvy boss Martyn Rogers heaped
praise on his players for seeing
off the best side he has faced
at Wembley. There were some
voices at the start of the
season claiming that the Yellows
wouldn't be back at Wembley in
May, despite their status as FA
Vase holders. But Rogers said
the fact that they were and that
they had beaten a team of
Bedlington's calibre proved his
men were still a class act.'To
be honest, Bedlington are a
cracking side and the best
opposition we have had in a
final,' he said. 'So it's full
credit to our players because
they responded magnificently.
'We knew Bedlington were a
capable side and we're delighted
we won today. 'They are probably
the best side we have played in
the final. Their pedigree this
year in the Northern League has
been second to none. 'We knew we
had a tough game but once again
the players have come up with
the goods.' Rogers accepted it
was close but said he was
confident that Tivvy would
score. 'The game was fairly open
and I always fancied that we
were going to get a chance. 'We
started to niggle away at their
back four but it was two tough
teams locking horns. 'It got
very tense. The first half took
a lot out of the players - it
was very hot down there - and it
told on the players in the end.'
The Tivvy boss added that a
major factor in their success
was last year's win over Tow
Law. 'I've been more relaxed -
the players have noticed it.
Last year a lot was said about
getting back to Wembley and we
just wanted to win. 'It was very
tense, we were red-hot
favourites and it was tough.
'But this year the squad was
more relaxed and I was as well
and it has helped. 'Our first
and foremost aim this season was
to get promotion. We have lost a
few trophies this year so it is
nice to keep this one. It is the
best one.'
Scott's a godsend as last-gasp
goal silences Terriers
One thing you
can't accuse Tiverton Town
manager Martyn Rogers of is
nepotism. But you could forgive
him for picking second cousin
and godson Scott Rogers for the
rest of his career after
Sunday's priceless goal at
Wembley.
Rogers junior sat on the bench
for 70 minutes of the FA
Carlsberg Vase final, then came
on and stole the limelight with
a mis-hit strike he will savour
for the rest of his life.
The 1-0 victory over Bedlington
Terriers means Tivvy enter the
record books as the only the
third side to succesfully defend
the Vase.
And it was the perfect way for
promoted Yellows to sign off an
illustrious history in the
competition as they move on to
the Doc Martens League and the
FA Trophy.
There was a strange sense of
deja vu around the famous Twin
Towers. A 1-0 win over a tough
Northern side with the goal once
again coming from a super-sub.
But while Pete Varley netted the
winner against Tow Law 12 months
with 10 minutes to go, Rogers
waited until the 89th minute
before earning his place in
Tivvy history.
It was hardly a classic goal.
Rogers nicked the ball off the
toes of Varley on the edge of
the area, hurried on and across
the face of the goal, and
scuffed a shot through the legs
of Terriers' centreback Craig
Melrose. Keeper Paul O'Connor
looked odds on to make the save,
but the ball bobbled, crept past
the scrambling goalie and inside
the post. The team, bench and
huge swathe of Yellows' fans
went bananas and there was no
way back for Bedlington. It was
a crushing blow for the Terriers
who had put up stubborn
resistance against the holders
and seemed destined to take the
tie into extra time. But Rogers
senior took a gamble on
substitutes and it paid off. He
threw on fresh legs in the form
of Rogers and Richard Pears in
an attempt to win the game in 90
minutes while Terriers
counterpart Keith Perry was
waiting for extra time to make
changes and ultimately paid the
price.
The first half was a hugely
entertaining affair and
threatened to produce the
goal-glut that the pedigree of
the two team's free-scoring
strikers suggested. Tivvy took
the early honours, with Dave
Leonard having the ball whipped
from his feet in front of goal
after just three minutes.
Everett got no joy from the
Terriers defence four minutes
later when a superb through ball
from Steve Daly sent him clear
only to be tackled by Melrose.
Then, at the other end,
Terriers' strikers Dean Gibb and
John Milner bared their fangs
and only a block tackle from
Yellows' captain Neil Saunders
prevented a shot from powerhouse
Gibb heading goalwards. And it
was Saunders who nearly put
Tiverton ahead. A ninth minute
short corner routine was drilled
into the box by Daly and the
skipper swivelled and fired a
shot that whizzed the wrong side
of the post. Bedlington then
started to take the upperhand
and it was madcap Tiverton
keeper Paul Edwards' turn to
earn his corn. Last season, he
got the Wembley logo tattooed on
his bottom and this year he
marked the occasion by dyeing
his hair yellow. However, it
wasn't his fluorescent barnet,
but two quality saves in the
space of two minutes that made
him stand out. First he raced
off his line to beat away
midfielder Mickey Cross's shot
and then he leapt like the
proverbial salmon to grasp a
cracking curling effort from
tricky winger Steve Boon.
Chances came thick and fast at
both ends. Gibb stole a yard
from Paul Tatterton, but fired
off a Geoff Thomas-esque effort
that actually went out for a
throw-in, while Pete Conning had
a rocket drive from the edge of
the box narrowly deflected wide
of the Bedlington goal.
Terriers' Mr Goals Milner was
expertly squeezed out of the
game by the close attention of
Darren Tallon and Saunders. But
on the half-hour he gave an all
too rare glimpse of why York
City are prepared to sign him,
by rising well to meet Richie
Bond's cross with a header that
was big on power, but small on
direction. Bond was probably the
best player on the pitch for the
first 45 minutes, giving Leonard
a torrid time on the right wing,
but when a poorly defended
free-kick fell at his feet in
the six-yard box he poked it
wastefully wide. Six minutes
from the break, Kevin
Nancekivell took too long on the
ball after O'Connor fluffed a
cross and under pressure he
lifted his shot high over the
bar. Nancekivell set Everett
free soon after, but the Tivvy
striker loosed off a tame effort
that presented O'Connor with no
problems. He was troubled in an
injury-time scramble though,
getting down well to smother a
crisp snap-shot from Varley and
watching in relief as Leonard
stabbed a volley across the
goal-mouth after a superb cross
from last season's Wembley hero.
Bedlington made a bright start
to the second period with Milner
and Gary Middleton both wasting
half-chances. On the hour mark,
Leonard turned the tables on
Bond, leaving him in his wake to
send in a tantalising cross that
Everett met with a header that
flew a fraction over. But as the
half wore on, both teams got the
jitters over conceding and the
game became scrappy. Rogers
double substitution attempt to
conjure up a goal towards the
end didn't appear to have worked
as neither side looked like
scoring. Terriers' defender
Melrose made a bid for Wembley
glory with three minutes left on
the clock, dribbling half the
length of the pitch before
remembering he was a centre-half
not Michael Owen and fluffing
his shot. But the glory went to
19-year-old Rogers instead. He
nipped in front of Varley to
steal the ball, the headlines
and the limelight. And no-one
would begrudge him that.
Yellows put Mid Devon in step
with soccer success
It looked for a moment as if
they had forgotten the way to
those famous steps. They were
taking wrong turnings here and
there, and theWembley steward
was twice fooled into pointing
them in the right direction.
But, leading the Tiverton Town
parade, that Neil Saunders, the
skipper, and that Paul Edwards,
the goalkeeper, they were only
a-joshin'. They knew the way up
those steps right enough. After
all, it was the third time in
six years. It was also as if
Tivvy knew they were going to
win - for an historic second
time in succession. True,
Bedlington Terriers, who had
been sweeping all before them up
North, were the red hot
favourites with the bookies and
many pessimistic Tivvy fans,
too. But they obviously had not
taken into account that old
Ladysmead Vase factor. That's
when Tiverton manager summons up
the extra 10, maybe 20 per cent
or so that carries them through
when all seems lost. On the way
to Wembley, the Vase factor was
most noticeable at Taunton, when
the then SDL
champions-in-waiting were
stunned by a 3-0 semi-final
first leg thrashing when they
looked set to knock Tiverton out
of their Twin Towers stride.
Now, deep into the second-half
of Sunday's final, it was about
to recur. The Bedlington boys
thought they were on to a winner
as the Woof, Woof, Terriers
chant - surely the best in
football - echoed around and
around the famous old stadium.
They thought the strength in
Tiverton legs was ebbing. They
thought it was their year. And
they thought wrong. For Martyn
Rogers had pulled a
masters-stroke with the double
substitution of given-everything
Pete Conning and Kevin
Nancekivell for Scott Rogers and
Richard Pears 20 minutes from
time. Suddenly 19-year-old
Rogers, the manager's godson,
was at bust-a-gut Pete Varley's
shoulder and taking the ball off
the 1998 Wembley hero's toes.
And as Rogers twisted and
tumbled, he sent a bobbling
left-footer towards Paul
O'Connor's left upright. The
keeper, for a fraction of a
second, an awful time-consuming
fraction of a second, would have
thought the save was going to be
a doddle. But he was wrong. Now
the ball was squirming past his
groping hands and into the
bottom corner and a roar was
erupting from myriad Tiverton
throats. And for the second May
in succession Wembley was
turning into a surging sea of
Yellow. They were some 10,000 of
them there again, outnumbering
the North-Easterners 2-1.
Tivertonians old, Tivertonians
new, Tivertonians in exile home
and abroad proudly giving their
team the backing they deserved.
And what a sight and sound they
made as the final whistle
sounded and yellow-haired Paul
Edwards, the excellent, the
extrovert keeper, went through
an acrobatic repertoire. There
may not be as many soccer fans
in the South West as other parts
of the country, but they still
know how to celebrate a victory.
Taken from P Slater's report in The Mid Devon Gazette |
Great
Scott
