Ludgvan v Penzance Report

[cornishteddyboy]

Before anyone moans (Handsom Dan, etc) and says this report is biased towards Penzance, I'm afraid it isn't. Ludgvan had a couple of chances on goal but the rest of the time it was one-way traffic.

CTB.

Cornwall Combination League Cup

1st Round

Ludgvan 1-6 Penzance Reserves

History was made at Fairfield on Saturday afternoon when Penzance booked their place in the quarter-finals when they defeated near neighbours Ludgvan in the Combination League Cup for the first time ever! In reality they had only ever met once before in 1985-86 season with Ludgvan winning 4-2 at Penlee Park.

Penzance came into this match with possibly one of their strongest squads of the season whilst Ludgvan had a bare eleven players to call upon. Mind you those eleven never gave up trying to take the game to Penzance even when they were reduced to ten for the last fifteen minutes due to an injured player.

Ludgvan have the first chance to score when they break down their right, but the shot from the edge of the box is gathered by the keeper.

Penzance are playing a short passing game and get the ball down their left to Ross Badcock who works his way to the goaline, turns and puts in a dipping volley from the edge of the box which the keeper fingertips away for a corner.

The game becomes one-way with Penzance having a series of half-chances. A Bradley Wills header from a cross from the right goes just wide. A Badcock shot is blocked. A Liam Devine shot is deflected over by Ludgvan’s John Matthews. A Danny Magee shot is pushed away for a corner by the keeper.

On 35mins Penzance are awarded a penalty for hand-ball. Badcock steps up and puts the ball low to the keepers left to put the Magpies 1-0 up.

This starts a flurry of scoring as three minutes later they double their lead when Devine runs out from defence with the ball, lays it off to Gary Matthews on the right who passes it back in for Devine to shoot from the edge of the box past the diving keeper. 38mins 0-2.

Then Ludgvan pull a goal back. They get a free kick centre-midfield and fire one forward. John Matthews on the right edge of the box puts a glancing header cross goal to wrong-foot Craig Nicholls in the Penzance goal. 41mins, 1-2.

The scoring is not over as another three minutes pass and Penzance increase their lead again when they get a free kick 30yds out left of centre. Bradley Wills volleys round the wall to put the ball low into the right-hand side of the net. 44mins 1-3.

Penzance still have time to attack once more when a shot down the centre from Tom Withecombe is saved by the keeper bounces out, booted in again but John Matthews clears off the line.

H-T 45+4mins.

The second half carries on much as the first with Penzance passing and Ludgvan closing them down where they can.

Wills gets early chance to try to score again from a free kick in a similar position as before but this time his shot goes just wide of the post. But a couple of minutes later he gets his name on the score sheet again as Penzance break with Devin who shoots, the keeper parries the ball but Wills taps in the rebound to make it 1-4 in the 49th minute.

At this point Penzance seem to settle for their lead and the game seems to go into a state of limbo. They have 60% of the ball but seem to lose that killer touch in the last third of the pitch. They make a substitution on 60mins taking off Ian Phillips and bringing on new signing Wade Brown who goes up-front. Ten minutes later Danny Magee goes off to be replaced by Wayne Edwards.

A Penzance corner is cleared off the line, then a Badcock shot is once again cleared off the line by John Matthews with the Ludgvan keeper beaten. Penzance bring on Charlie Penny for Liam Devine on 75mins. Penzance get a series of corners with the keeper making some good punches to clear plus a great diving save at the post to push the ball away for a corner.

Ludgvan go down to ten when one of their players comes of injured. Then a Ludgvan player brings down Gary Matthews who has to come off so numbers are evened up.

The game is running down when it explodes into life. Withecombe breaks down the Penzance right, puts in a cross goal ball and Wade Brown leaps at the ball and connects with a flying header at the back post for his debut goal and Penzance’s fifth. 90+1mins 1-5.

A minute later he gets a second from the same place but this time with a back post volley from a cross from the right again. 90+2mins 1-6.

Penzance Man of the Match was Bradley Wills, two goals plus his passing in mid-field set up quite a few moves.

I must mention the Ludgvan keeper and the two centre backs, John Matthews and Walid Abouelhana who had an outstanding game and kept the score down to a respectable level. Plus the rest of the team battled well and never gave up. John Matthews was overall Man of the Match for both teams.

Penzance – Craig Nicholls, Tom Hosking, Darren Holsey, James Street, Danny Magee, Bradley Wills, Gary Matthews, Ian Phillips, Tom Withecombe, Ross Badcock, Liam Devine.

Subs – Wade Brown (Phillips 60), Wayne Edwards (Magee 70), Charlie Penny (Devine 75), Mark Grenfell, Sam Long, Ashley Gray

Corner count Ludgvan 1-20 Penzance (1-10 1st Half)

Crowd 35 with roughly 15 from Penzance which was suprising with the 1st team playing at home.

[hansome dan]

i can,t really comment as i went shopping ctb,but i hope your statement about john matthews being mom is a joke.With so many YOUNGER players on the pitch i would be embaressed to say i was there playing. :SM_carton_y:

[pootash]

I WOULD HAVE BEEN EMBARRASED TO SAY I WAS SHOPPING WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYING/WATCHIN FOOTBALL YOU SAD LITTLE ****

[hansome dan]

i agree ...its really sad when you get more excited going shopping than watching ludgvan vs penzance reserves... :smiley20: