Ivybridge Town - Erme Valley

Ivybridge Town FC

Erme Valley

Ermington Road

Ivybridge

Devon 

PL21 9ES

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1291
Saturday 30th March 2024

Ivybridge Town 6-0 Dartmouth
South West Peninsula East

IVYBRIDGE TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1925 and joined the Plymouth & District League in 1926. They later became members of the Plymouth & District Combination, which was formed by the league's merger with the Plymouth Combination League. Ivybridge Town were founder members of the Devon League in 1992. They finished as runners-up in 2003 & 2004 before becoming champions in 2006. In 2007, the league merged with the South West League to form the South West Peninsula League. Ivybridge Town were placed in the Premier Division which sat at step 6 of the Non-League pyramid. They have been there ever since, moving to the Eastern Division when the league was expanded in 2019. Their highest finish is 4th, achieved on five occasions.

Ivybridge Town have played in the FA Vase continuously since 2015. Their best run came in 2018 when they beat Cullompton Rangers & Holyport before losing to Saltash United in the 2nd Round. Local cup wins include the Devon League Charity Shield in 2004, two Devon Premier Cups and two Thogmorton Cups. Well-known players to turn out for the club include former Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United defender Nicky Marker who was also on the management team for nearly a decade.

The town of Ivybridge is 13 miles east of Plymouth and has a population of around 12,000. The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution. Stowford Paper Mill was built in 1787 and rebuilt again in the 1860s with extensive investment. The paper mill closed in 2013 after 226 years in Ivybridge and the buildings were converted to homes and shops. The topography of Ivybridge is generally hilly. This is because of the River Erme which flows right through the centre of town. The town's natural landmark is Western Beacon; a hill that overlooks the town. People walk up there for the views of Ivybridge and the South Hams. The town's first manmade landmark is the Ivy Bridge; a 13th-century hump-backed bridge covered in Ivy. It is still in use today and gives the name of the town – Ivybridge.

MY VISIT

It was an easy and short journey from Elburton Villa to Ivybridge Town. I'd done research and parking looked tricky so it was an easy decision to leave my car along with the other hoppers on a decent wide road around five minutes walk from the ground. It was another £6 to get in, the standard and fair price for all the games. We headed straight for the clubhouse and Colin got me a pastie and a can of Thatchers Haze. The former was tasty and had good thick pastry but nowhere near as good as the one I had at Falmouth Town via Pip's pasties of Penryn. It was the perfect amount of time before the game to have a rest and a walk around to get some photos.

Ivybridge Town were enjoying the best season in their history, sitting top of the league by some 23 points. They had won 22 of their 26 games so far this season although by their standards were in patchy form having lost 2-1 at Teignmouth last Saturday, won 3-1 at Bridport before that and to complete the set, drawn 1-1 at Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police. By contrast, Dartmouth were rock bottom and had won once all season. They were in great form by their standards, thumping Bishops Lydeard 4-1 in their last game two weeks ago and gaining a credible 1-1 draw against Elburton Villa before that.  The hosts were close to winning the league and had the better of the game. They took the lead on 40 minutes, a low shot on the turn from the edge of the area. Dartmouth were proving a tough nut to crack, strong defensively and very direct. A close-range header from a corner made it 2-0 just after the hour. Despite some good stops from the Dartmouth keeper, it was 3-0 on 75 minutes, a blocked shot followed up. A few minutes later, they added a 4th and a 5th a few minutes after that. As full-time approached another one went in, shortly after they'd had one disallowed for offside.

From the game, it was a dark and wet drive over to Torquay through some pretty substandard roads. I was glad I wasn't driving home tonight and we got to our hotel at 9.30. Parking was tricky in the densely packed streets but I found something five minutes walk away. We were staying in a Britannia hotel which had a pretty rotten reputation, but had decided to take a gamble due to the cost. It paid off, despite us being the youngest guests by at least 20 years. It was a matter of dumping our bags and in Colin's case something in the toilet before we headed out. It was half an hours walk to the Wetherspoons, but not before I'd sent out a Tweet referencing a famous Fawlty Towers scene. We got to the Green Ginger at 10.15 and in my case, ordered a pint of Black Dragon. It was very busy and unsurprisingly, stuff took a while to come. It was reminiscent of the one in High Wycombe on a Saturday night and I was glad to get a table. A few pints and some chicken and chips were enjoyed before we headed back. A pleasant stroll got us back at 12.15, having had a good night. 

THE GROUND

ERME VALLEY is a ground set in beautiful surroundings and it is the only one I know that has a river running alongside the far side and a man with a fishing net to collect any stray balls. Parking is available, plus there is plenty outside. Food and drink is basic but wholesome. There is one area of cover, the standard metal stand holding around 50.