Foxhole 3 Plymstock 1

[Darin Morse]

Foxhole 3 Plymstock 1

Saturday 20 th December 2008

Richard Griffin's timely return provided the energy so lacking recently, enabling the Foxes to comfortably overcome a young, defensively naive, visiting outfit in an often scrappy affair. Foxhole opened the scoring within six minutes when Butler released Rickard, who cut in from the right before unleashing a fierce drive that cannoned into the net off Jones. Although Griffin contrived to fire over Butler's driven cross from virtually underneath the bar, the next half an hour saw Plymstock create the better chances, but Billy Holland twice denied Jasper in quick succession, foiled Knight from close range and was relieved to watch Everard's effort roll wide.

However, on 36, Griffin's searching ball allowed Nicholls to cleverly lob Elphick and, three minutes later, Nicholls' early pass was seized on by Griffin to calmly round the keeper for the killer third. After 42 minutes, Plymstock reduced the arrears when Knight's header from Stoffell's deep free kick looped in, and Jasper nearly made a game of it moments before the break, but his shot on the turn flew past the post.

The visitors rarely threatened to repeat their second-half revival of the first game in November, though Everard and Young might each have done better with presentable opportunities. Rickard was striving hard for a deserved goal but found Elphick in good nick, before the striker was worryingly stretchered off with a leg injury. Griffin failed to capitalise on a generous offside call before the referee somehow failed to penalise Byrne's crude lunge on Butler in the area, although he was left with no option but to caution Bromley at the death for a foul on Jones.

Foxhole (4-4-2): Billy Holland 6; Phil Hobbs 6, Lewis Prince 7, Adam Holland 6 (sub. Kyle Friendship 5), Mark Rowe 7; Andrew Butler 6, Richard Griffin 7, Adam Bromley 6, Jason Warne 6; Carl Rickard 7 (sub. Matt May 5), Liam Nicholls 6.

Plymstock (4-4-2): Ben Elphick; Sean Jones, Josh Harris, Sean Byrne, Lewis Young; Aaron Hulme (sub. Joe Ridgway), Gary Harding, Chris Stoffell, Joe Knight; Joe Jasper (sub. Sam Ingram), Duncan Everard.

Referee: Mr Martin Smith (Plymouth) 7.