Match Preview: Southern League Premier Division South
Tiverton Town vs Basingstoke Town
When: Tuesday 17th March 2026 Kick-off 7.45pm
Where: Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium, Tiverton Devon EX16 6SG
Tiverton Town (Tivvy/Yellows), 2025-26 League Position 24th
Following our controversial 1-1 draw at home to Dorchester Town, we head west, to take on another Devon-based side Tiverton, in what will be the third attempt to get this fixture played. However, since the original attempt back in December, the Tivvy, due to a lack of home fixtures, and thus a lack of match-day income, have undergone major financial worries, and have had to jettison a number of their key players, to settle the ship.
With this being our first match-up of the season, it was a year ago that we gave them that famous 5-0 thumping down in Devon. Tiverton however had beaten us 3-1 five months before that at Winklebury.
Our Opponents
Tiverton made a change in manager, after Basingstoke gave them that five-nil thrashing back in March this year, with Asa Hall replacing Rob Bray, Asa then saved them from relegation in May, and has given-up his playing efforts to concentrate on his Management of the team, which has been bit hard by a fire-sale of players in recent months.
Tiverton have sat adrift at the bottom of the table for most of the season, and are pretty much doomed to relegation, although they acquired their first clean sheet since September, in a goal-less draw at Wimborne Town. This also gave them their first point since their 2-1 win at home to Taunton at the start of January. Their record now sits at Pld 30 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 23 and 15pts. Yes they have a still number of games in hand over others, but with a lack of goals, being the lowest goalscorers in the league with just 30, whilst conceding the most goals in the league at 74, the reality is they will be playing step 4 football next season. Their home record sits at 2 Wins, 1 Draw and 9 Losses. One remaining striker is Aiden Horne, who now has four goals, who rejoined the club from local side Cullompton Rangers. With him is Jacob Wellington, who has two goals, and is a former Torquay academy player, who joined from Willand last summer. Forward Fletcher Poole, just 18, joined on loan last week from Plymouth Argyle
The midfield contains Player-Manager Asa Hall, who has three goals and joined after six seasons at Torquay United. He has amassed over 600 competitive games in a 19-year career that began at Premier League Birmingham City and has included seven EFL clubs. Toby Stephens, rejoined the club last month, after spending time across the Devon border at Taunton. He’s a former Southampton academy product who started at Yeovil Town, and has also played at AFC Totton & Hungerford Town. Gabe Billington, has signed permanently this summer, after making 17 appearances and scoring twice whilst on loan last season from Exeter City. Jack Kennell(19) joined from Exmouth Town, after beginning in the youth set up with Torquay United before moving to Willand Rovers in the summer of 2024. Another 18-year-old, who joined on-loan last week is midfielder, Sam Lord, and he started in Saturday’s draw at Wimborne.
Matthew Wood is their current team captain, and is regarded as a commanding centre back, after joining the Yellows last summer from Frome Town. Brooklyn Wilkins is the right-back, having impressed on trial during pre-season. Brooklyn previously with Plymouth Marjon, Tavistock & Camelford. Corey Koerner is a left-sided defender, who joined the Yellows this summer following his departure from Yeovil Town. In recent weeks John Ross has been wearing the keepers jersey.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
Last Saturday’s good periods of dominance, ultimately ended-up with just one point, which could have been worse if not for Jack Ball’s emergency goalkeeping endeavours in the final twenty minutes of the match. This was due to the controversial sending off our keeper Simon Grant, with an appeal going into the FA for this card to be rescinded. Tom Blake’s excellent finish, gives him six goals on the season, and continues to be a star signing by the club. However, the result does now worryingly extend our winless streak to ten games.
As we prepare to head to Tiverton, we still sit in sixteenth place with our league record at Pld 34 Won 10 Drawn 7 Lost 17 and 37pts. Our away record now stands at 3 Wins, 4 draws & 9 losses. Our forward line, is likely to remain unchanged, unless Cheick Sylla, passes a fitness test tomorrow. George Reid is now unlikely to make the squad, and thus Joe Grant, Robbie Gallagher & Joe Barough, will likely start. Dan Rowe, an unused sub Saturday is also an option, whilst Ore Bello will once more be sidelined through injury.
The midfield behind Tom Blake, Josh Green, and newly signed Josh Dockerill, controlled the middle of the pitch for large parts of Saturday’s game, and therefore you would assume they will start tomorrow evening. Max Herbert, who made a second-half debut appearance, is a strong option also, whilst Ben Cook, who scored that cracking goal in our last visit to Tiverton, and D’Andre Brown, were both second-half substitutes Saturday, and could of course be options to start, or options off the bench once again. Depending on Lloyd Snell’s injury, he could also play apart somewhere in the middle or elsewhere in the line-up tomorrow night.
The defence who kept Dorchester’s attack-force quiet for most of the game, will hope to have a quieter day tomorrow night, against an opposition struggling to score goals. This should allow any possible change to the defence, if needed, but the centre-back pairing of our captain Billy Upton & Jack Ball, is likely with Scott Armsworth possibly missing out once again, being an option of the bench. With it being a Tuesday night game, we could see the return of Joe O’Loughlin in the left back role. If not then James Clark will happily fill in here. The right-back role will be on-loan Zach Ioannides, unless travelling from where he’s based to the back-end of nowhere, means he may not travel to the game. Unclear what Elliott Legg’s latest injury, but of course could be an option if needed. Simon Grant will once again don the goalkeepers gloves, and will hope that his red-card will be rescinded by the FA before this Saturday’s much-more important game at Farnham, otherwise a dip into the loan market maybe be required then.
Despite Tiverton’s first point for sometime, they have failed to find the net in their last five outings, and with an expected strong Basingstoke line-up, anything less than three points tomorrow night, will put more pressure on us, as we enter the final stage of the season.
Let’s Go Stoke !
Match Preview by Martin French..
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