Tavistock AFC show their character with dramatic Bovey Tracey turnaround

Tavistock AFC produced another impressive comeback on the road on Tuesday evening, coming from behind to beat Bovey Tracey 3-1 and make it back-to-back away victories.

The Lambs followed Saturday’s 3-1 victory at Sidmouth Town with another three points in Devon, despite falling behind in the first half.

Tavi started brightly and created a number of opportunities in the opening stages, with young winger Kian Burch going close after good work from Ryan Smith, while number-nine Deacon Thomson also saw an effort cleared off the line.

The Lambs continued to threaten, but Bovey gradually enjoyed a spell of possession and took the lead in the 32nd minute.

A mistake at the back allowed the hosts to capitalise, with Stu Bowker finding the net to make it 1-0.

Despite going into the interval behind, Tavistock had shown enough to suggest the game was far from over.

And they came flying out of the blocks after the restart.

Just a minute into the second half, midfielder Gene Price got the equaliser, his second in as many games.

The Lambs recycled an attacking move, and Tallan Burns played through Price who’s effort took a deflection and looped over the goalkeeper.

Tavistock then had a golden opportunity to turn the game around from the penalty spot.

In the 51st minute, excellent work from Ryan Smith released Kian, who was fouled inside the area.

Captain Shane White stepped up to take the penalty but unfortunately smashed his effort high over the bar.

The miss did little to knock the Lambs out of their stride, however, and they continued to press.

On 66 minutes, the comeback was complete.

Substitue Tom Chastey produced an excellent run before squaring the ball to Gene Price, who laid it across to Ryan Smith.

Smith made no mistake, also finding the net for his second goal in as many games and putting Tavistock 2-1 ahead.

The Lambs then showed the resilience required to protect their lead, with debutant goalkeeper Oscar Noone making an important save from a Bovey effort on 73 minutes.

Tavistock continued to threaten on the counter, with Thomson, Chastey and the substitutes causing problems for the hosts.

And deep into stoppage time, the points were finally secured.

Bovey won a corner, but Tavistock sub Oliver Cleeve cleared and launched a counter-attack.

Tom Chastey raced the length of the Bovey half before calmly slotting the ball home to make it 3-1.

The final whistle confirmed another excellent away victory for the Lambs, their second consecutive 3-1 comeback win on the road.

Speaking after the match, Tavistock AFC manager Steve Tully said he was delighted with the response from his players.

“I thought second half I thought we were outstanding,” he said. “We came out of the blocks, we said we wanted to start fast. We did.”

The manager was particularly pleased with the way the team refused to panic after conceding first.

“There’s a real resilience about us,” he explained. “Even if teams do go one up against us, it doesn't stop us the way we play. We still get the ball down and play in dangerous areas. We hurt teams.”

The manager also praised his squad's depth, with goalkeeper Oscar Noone making his debut and a number of substitutes making telling contributions.

One of the standout performers on the night was midfielder Callum Watson, who was named the Lambs' Player of the Match by Tully.

Watson was typically modest about his own performance, explaining that his role is to provide protection in front of the defence while helping the team maintain its shape.

“It’s just keeping everything neat and tidy and being that backup when we're going forward and then defensively trying to keep our shape,” he said.

Watson also felt Tuesday's performance represented a significant improvement on Saturday's win at Sidmouth.

“I thought today the performance was there,” he said. “The performance was good first half. I don't know how we probably didn't get a couple first half with the chances we made.”

A number of Tavistock supporters made the trip to Bovey Tracey on a Tuesday night, and their backing was noticed by both Tully and Watson.

Tully described the supporters as “immense”, while Watson said there were periods when they were the only fans he could hear.

“They're very much appreciated,” Watson said. “Tuesday night away, Bovey Tracey, they could just say, ‘No, we're not available’, but they're here.”

For the Lambs, there is little time to celebrate, with another difficult away fixture coming up this Saturday.

Tavistock travel to Ivybridge Town in the FA Vase, looking to extend their excellent run of form and make it three consecutive away victories.

After two successive 3-1 wins from losing positions, confidence will certainly be high, and the travelling Lambs supporters will be hoping there is plenty more to cheer about.