Helston Athletic v Penzance Reserves

[cornishteddyboy]

Cornwall Combination League

4th October 2008

Helston Athletic 3-2 Penzance Reserves

Apart from Helston gaining all three points with a second half hat-trick from Mark Goldsworthy, the real winner of this match was the weather. Helston’s Kellaway Park is a bit exposed and all the players felt the full effects of the strong wind and heavy drizzle.

Penzance kicked off with the wind at their backs and were 1-0 up within 60 seconds. Penzance get a corner on the right, fire in an inswinger which the keeper tries to knock clear but the ball ricochets and James Street does a running diving header about two feet off the ground to score from 5yds out through a crowd of legs. He lies on the ground polaxed as he injures himself whilst scoring. After a bit of treatment he’s OK to carry on. 0-1, 1min.

A wind assisted Penzance push forward for a second but time and again, much to the frustration of manager Rob Flack, they keep firing long balls which the Helston keeper is happy to see go out for goal kicks. Helston in the meantime do good work in mid-field but keep breaking down on the edge of the box.

James Street comes up for a Penzance corner but heads just over from 10yds. Then Penzance get a direct free kick, 30yds out, just right of centre. Danny Magee steps up and blasts the ball into top right-hand corner of the net. It is one of those goals no keeper could stop. 0-2, 32mins.

With a few minutes to half-time the game opens up a bit and Helston have a couple of good efforts, one wide but the other a chip shot from Adam Wenn force the Penzance keeper to finger-tip it away.

The second half starts as the first but it’s Helston who score immediately. They have a throw-in on their left, pass it back to the thrower who chips a wind-assisted curler into the six yard box where Mark Goldsworthy bundles it in from 4yds. 1-2, 47min.

Penzance go on a run down the right, cross to the back post where Ashley Gray volleys just wide with the keeper stranded.

On 52mins, Helston are back on level terms from a simple cross from the right and Mark Goldsworthy has a simple 6yd tap-in at the back post. 2-2, 52mins. A few moments later another inswinger from the right sees one of the Helston players turn and shoot just wide with the keeper stranded in the mud.

The game settles down with Helston doing most of the attacking but once again can’t break the Penzance defence and it looks like a draw is on the cards. A Helston break sees the ball crossed but it runs along the goal line but no-one is there.

Then four minutes from time Helston snatch the points. A curling ball into the six yard box is tipped out for a corner by the keeper even as he is slipping over in the mud. From the corner a low curler comes in and Goldsworthy gets a slight flick to send it into the back of the net. This is a cruel blow to the Magpies as they had fought well and to be truthful a draw would have been the fairest result. 3-2, 86mins.

Penzance Man of the Match was Danny Magee, not only for his goal but during the second half he was the instigator of most of the Penzance attacks on the right.

Penzance - Craig Nicholls, Mark Grenfell, James Street, Danny Magee, Bradley Wills, Ross Badcock, Adam Flood, Darren Holsey, Liam Devine, Ashley Gray, Tom Hosking

Corner count – Helston 4-6 Penzance (2-5 1st half)

Crowd 27 with 3 from Penzance.