Ilfracombe Town travel to Willand Rovers for FA Cup Preliminary round battle

Live coverage as Willand Rovers and Ilfracombe Town do battle in the FA Cup Preliminary round.

Silver Street plays host to another FA Cup match following Willand’s 2-1 victory over Wellington two weeks ago, with Ilfracombe travelling from North Devon in hopes to knock the home side out of the tournament.

Windy conditions meet the players at Willand with the sun shining down on the pitch. This gives the home side much different conditions when compared to the scorching temperatures seen at their last FA Cup fixture.

After Charlie Prentice for Ilfracombe and Kieran Bailey for Willand led their teams out, referee Matthew Redmond got the game underway.

The game started in quick tempo as both sides sent the ball to either side, testing the keepers in an attempt to find gaps in their defence. However, both George Burton and Llloyd Marshall were ready to deal with any loose balls.

Just six minutes into the game, Willand made a quick start, taking a corner. The ball was placed cleanly into the box, with Adam Poole doing well to find the net.

In immediate response, a well-timed attack on the right-wing looked set to equalise. However, the attack was left futile as the ball was sent narrowly over the goal.

Willand’s strong form continued, allowing Rovers to get the ball into the box yet again. But with a foul in the box, Ilfracombe conceded a penalty, with tension in the air as Will Richards lined up the shot.

From the spot, he remained calm, and placed the ball into the bottom right of the net, extending Willand’s advantage to two with less then 15 minutes played.

It seemed that Willand held the advantage, but quickly Ilfracombe found a route through their opposition. Liam Short took a well-timed shot to break past George Burton, taking the team’s third goal of the competition.

Willand don’t seem happy as Ilfracombe continue to make chances, giving advice from the side of the pitch. With another counter attack seemingly inbound from them, the home side surely breathe a sigh of relief as the attempt is ended.

However, John Downing was left on the floor after a tackle, with Ilfracombe handed a free kick for the incident. Later in the first half, it seemed that Liam Short was dealing with pain as well, kneeling and sitting on the pitch for a brief moment as he looked to catch his breath.

The game was back underway, and immediately Willand made a switch on the pitch. Lewis Hill come off, being replaced by Ethan Matthews.

Medical attention is then needed on the pitch, with Ilfracombe’s captain Charlie Prentice treated for knee pain on his right leg. He is quickly back up and the game is resumed.

It was then Ilfracombe’s time to make a substitution, with Ben Musselwhite replacing John Downing after 60 minutes on the pitch.

With the clock counting down, Ilfracombe held the perfect opportunity to equalise late on. However, Burton impressed to save the shot, holding his team’s one-goal advantage intact.

The game finished with brutal attacking play from Combe, with constant attacks bombarding Willand. The home side’s defence along with Burton dealt with any danger.

In extra time, a red card for Jamie Hearsay following a second yellow card was handed out. However, this had no effect on the match, and Willand emerged as victors once again in the FA Cup.

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