RNAS Culdrose v Penzance Reserves

[cornishteddyboy]

RNAS Culdrose 4-2 Penzance Reserves

For once the game was played in sunny conditions with a slight breeze blowing across the pitch.

Pz took a bare 12 players to the match and one of them was Jerry Ede our new manager. Of the 12 only 4 could be classed as senior players as the rest were very young and are still learning their trade. Mind you Culdrose had some youngsters in their side as well.

Culdrose kick off playing up the slope and are instantly on the attack. Pz try to flood mid-field by playing a 3-5-2 formation with Tony Riggall playing just in front of the back line.

After 4mins Culdrose get a direct free kick just outside the box. 4 players line up in the wall but they didn’t need to be there as Jeff Lonergan blasts the ball over them and to the right of our keeper Damien Norman. 1-0 to the lads from HMS Seahawk.

Pz kick off again lose the ball and instantly under pressure. The ball is fed into the Pz box and after a ping-pong kick about hits the middle of our upright. The linesman flags for off-side but is ignored by the ref. In fact the ref makes quite a few strange decisions during the game which seem to have both sets of players, supporters and management puzzled.

After 12mins Pz put Culdrose under their first bit of pressure and get a corner. It’s floated over but knocked away up the pitch and Culdrose break lob the ball into the Pz box but its flicked away for a corner by Mike Burt. Culdrose get a 30yd shot in which was on target but was luckily deflected past our right-hand post for another corner.

Jerry Ede is shouting on the touch-line to the Magpies to get the ball wide but we keep banging it down the middle where George Patterson, the Culdrose player/manager eats up every high ball. Time and again the ball is headed straight back at Pz.

Culdrose have a couple of youngsters who can take the ball and seem to jink their way past tackle after tackle to get into the Pz box. Pz can only belt the ball away for corners or throw-ins.

Pz manage to get one shot in and the Culdrose goalie watches it go high and wide. Pz try pushing up and are caught on the break and luckily the Culdrose finishing is a bit wayward. They have a 2-on-1 with just the keeper to beat but luckily the ref spots the flag is up for offside.

Matt Fox gets booked for verbals (3rd time this season). Then a Culdrose player gets booked for a tackle on Tony Riggall

One problem Pz have is their goalie kicks the ball several times too far and no-one can reach it in time before it is cut out. Pz get a corner and Mark Grenfell just heads wide at the back post.

Culdrose get a corner and Pz try to clear it four times but it comes out Nick Slade who bangs it in from 15yds. 2-0

H-T

The 2nd half starts brightly for Pz with a couple of attacks but Culdrose break and force a good save from Pz’s keeper.

Pz then break themselves and as Sam Long breaks into the box he is pushed from behind and the ref awards a penalty as well as booking the Culdrose player. Mark Grenfell steps up and puts the ball to the keepers left whilst he dives to the right. 2-1.

The game then becomes a bit end to end with some wayward shooting from both sides. Pz keeper saves one shot with his legs. 3 minutes later he has to do the same saving with his legs.

Tony Riggall gets booked for kicking the ball away when the ref blows for a free kick.

Pz break, Sam Long goes down the left, beats three shoots from 5yds but the Culdrose keeper makes a fine save pushing the ball round the post for a corner.

Culdrose now start to put pressure on Pz as the youngsters start to tire. Pz keeper makes a couple of good saves from crosses to keep the ball out of the net. Mark Grenfell makes a last ditch tackle to deny a shot at an open goal.

Culdrose beat the Pz offside trap but one-on-one the Pz goalie manages to get the ball off the feet of the forward. Culdrose get a corner. Ball comes over and Marvin Brooks heads the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. 3-1.

Almost immediately Culdrose break down the Pz right. Keeper and a defender drawn across and the player knocks it through them to Phil Nicholson who has a simple 5yd tap into an open goal. 4-1.

Pz hit back when Matty Fox puts a through ball into the path of Sam Long who places the ball past the advancing keeper along the ground into the net. 4-2.

Culdrose get the ball into the net but the whistle goes for offside and everyone had stopped as they saw the flag up.

The last action of the match sees Culdrose with a free kick on the edge of the Pz box but the ball is blasted wide.

Conclusion:- A scrappy game won by the better team, with Pz once again not being able to defend set pieces. One each from a free kick and corner to add to the others let in this season. They need a couple of big central defenders who can head the ball and one or two strong lads up front who can hold onto the ball. Culdrose have some good youngsters who could dribble their way past most of the players in the league and set up goals and with George Patterson in the centre of defence to head every high ball out should do better than their current league position.

[Guest The Seahawk]

Well-said Cornishteddyboy fully agree with your report Pz have some great youngsters in the team but missing a few more older heads on the pitch to guide them. Nice to see Culdrose investing time in local youth and have five young lads that are making a name for themselves and growing in stature with each game played. Seems that the balance of youth and experience will pay dividends (we hope) sure the young lads down at Pz will do the same all the best to them. :yahoo:

[cornishteddyboy]

Who was that lad who played with the No17 shirt?

He put in some neat jinking runs beating player after player. He was the one that took out Tony Riggall. He was your player of the match.