Culdrose v Penzance match report

[cornishteddyboy]

Cornwall Combination League

17th January 2009

RNAS Culdrose 1-0 Penzance Reserves

After last weeks fairly comfortable win over Ludgvan, Penzance faced a much tougher test at Culdrose where the strong gusting gale blowing across the pitch prevented both teams from playing open attacking football. Any ball above head high was whisked away and for long periods the game was held up while the ball was retrieved when trying to escape towards Helston!

To be truthful neither side had many chances and watching them play was like watching skaters going onto an ice rink for the first time. Every time a player tried to change direction down he went sliding on the wet grass that cut up badly.

Penzance play the first half with the wind and find themselves camped for almost the whole of the fourty-five minutes inside the Culdrose half of the pitch. The first real chance comes on 8mins when the ball is knocked across the pitch to the right where Ashley Thomas puts in a high chip towards goal but the home keeper, Colin Brown makes a great diving one-handed palm away for a corner.

A couple of minutes later a Penzance free kick on the left is knocked in. It’s cleared off the line but bounces to James Street who somehow hits the back post upright from three yards out when a goal would have been simpler.

Then Culdrose break working the ball down their left. A shot comes in but Craig Nicholls palms it over for a corner.

Then Penzance’s Liam Devine starts and finishes a great move. He brings the ball out from the back, crosses onto the right to Thomas, who passes it back. He then whacks the ball goalward and a Culdrose player gets his head to it and the ball just whistles past the upright.

A Thomas cross from the right sees Devine sliding in at the back post but the ball just eludes him with the goal empty. Dan Richardson almost scores with a glancing header from a Thomas cross from the right.

Then Culdrose get a great chance to go in front. They get a free kick on their right, 30yds out. The ball is chipped over the wall and Ross Taylor runs onto it, turns and shoots but Nicholls manages to smother it.

The last action of the half sees the Culdrose keeper make a great diving save from a Thomas shot following a lay-off from Steve Hancock.

H-T.

The second half starts off fairly even with neither side threatening until Penzance cross the ball along their back four. Morris runs onto a pass but shoots tamely wide of the goal.

Penzance’s Darren Holsey has to come off due to a knee injury.

The game then becomes very broken as the ball spends more time off the pitch than on.

Then Culdrose win the ball from a silly pass in mid-field. Matt Thirkle gets the ball, threads it through the Penzance defence for Chris Morris to run onto and put a simple curling shot from 15yds round a stranded Nicholls. 1-0 after 68mins.

Both teams make substitutions and to be honest the game dies a death with both teams battling the elements more than each other.

Culdrose try a volley from 25yds but the ball spins wide, Penzance try a couple of long range shots but that’s all there was in the last 20mins.

A few minutes from the end we have a bit of handbags with most of the players involved and a player from each side gets booked but apart from that …..nothing.

Well done to Culdrose for grabbing their chance whilst Penzance should have got in closer and kept the ball low.

Penzance Man of the Match was Ashley Thomas. Set up the few chance Penzance had and tried a couple of times himself.

Penzance – Craig Nicholls, Ashley Thomas, Tom Hosking, Steve Hancock, Darren Holsey, Ryan Holland, Steve Burt, Liam Devine, James Street, Gary Matthews, Dan Richardson

Subs – Wade Brown (Holsey 50), Tom Withecombe (Burt 70), Ross Badcock (Holland 70), Ian Philips

Corner count – Culdrose 3-8 Penzance (1-6 1st half)

Crowd – 17 (10 from Pz) 2nd half crowd 11 of with 10 from Pz.

[Soccer Follower]

Referee - Mike Carter (Camborne) aka Porky