Battling Torpoint push ambitious Clevedon all the way in narrow defeat

TORPOINT suffered their fourth league defeat of the season on Saturday when they were edged out by title hopefuls Clevedon in an enthralling encounter.

A draw would have been a fair result in this hotly-contested fixture, but the visitors won for the first time at The Mill in three seasons, to lift themselves up to second place in the table.

Lucas Vowles put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time, Dave Barker equalised four minutes into the second half but Charlie Saunders smashed home the winner 15 minutes from time.

The match was only four minutes old when a loose back pass in the visiting defence fell to Torpoint’s James Rowe, but his angled shot flashed across goal.

In the tenth minute, Clevedon’s Tom Chaplin found Vowles, who laid the ball through to Jacob Sloggett, but his shot was deflected wide by home keeper Ty Rowe.

Six minutes later, home skipper Elliott Crawford had a free-kick wide on the left, the ball found Sam Hepworth at the far post, but his header was somehow cleared around the post by visiting keeper James Dunn.

Just past the half-hour mark good build-up play by Clevedon led to Nathan Byrne playing in Sloggett on the left and he crossed to Chaplin whose shot went just over the bar.

Just as it looked like it’d be goalless at the break, the Seasiders took the lead. Lloyd James crossed the ball, Saunders’ header took a deflection off a defender, and the ball broke to Vowles who reacted quickest to slot the ball home.

Four minutes into the second period Torpoint equalised. There was a scramble at the edge of the box, Sam Morgan latched onto the ball and played in Barker, who ran through unmarked to fire past Dunn.

Just before the hour, with the visitors responding, Vowles ran down the left and his cross found Saunders whose effort went just wide.

A few minutes later Sloggett had a free-kick on the edge of the area, his effort smashed the underside of the bar and was cleared away by Rowe. Clevedon appeals to the referee that the ball the crossed the line were waved away.

With a quarter of an hour remaining, the visitors got the winner. James crossed into the area from a corner and Saunders smashed the ball into the net.

In the 90th minute, James launched a ball forward towards Nick McCootie, and although he beat Rowe to head towards goal, Hepworth got back to clear the ball off the line.

In the fourth minute of stoppage-time, Torpoint came agonisingly close to equalising. Home man-of-the-match James Rowe had an angle shot wide on the right, which looked goal-bound into the far corner, but Dunn just got to the ball and palmed it away.

The Point created one more chance in the final minute of stoppage time, however Tom Payne’s volley from distance was well saved by the Town stopper.

TORPOINT ATHLETIC: Ty Rowe; Dave Barker, Sam Hepworth, Owen Haslam, Callum O’Brien (Tom Payne, 82), Elliott Crawford (capt), James Rowe, Sam Pearson, Curtis Damerell (Joe Rapson, 60), Lewis Flowers (Darren Hicks, 73), Sam Morgan (Josh Jansen, 73). Sub not used: Fred Chapman.

Torpoint Athletic man-of-the-match: James Rowe.