WEDNESDAY CARLSBERG SOUTH WESTERN LEAGUE Newquay 2 Liskeard Athletic 4 THE Blues were denied top spot by St Blazey's goal- crazy stint at Millbrook which left Liskeard two goals adrift of their rivals for the championship. Liskeard had to come from behind at Mount Wise after Ashley Bradshaw had given the Peppermints a 20th-minute lead. Player-manager Lee Harvey accepted a gift from veteran goalkeeper Dave Philp to level the scores on the stroke of half-time, but it was not until on the hour that the Blues finally made their dominance pay. Jimmy Alexander found striker Paul Baker, who turned past three defenders before beating Philp with a low drive from eight yards. Simon Parnell's volley from six yards came back off the home crossbar, but he had better luck five minutes later as he headed home from close range after Philp had fumbled a deep cross from Jamie Morrison-Hill. The Blues completed their tally 10 minutes from time as Kevin Robinson met Alexander's free-kick with a powerful header that flew into the top corner of the goal. The impressive Ben Wood hit the home side's second goal nine minutes from time, which could be vital with the goal differences between the top three so tight. Millbrook 1 St Blazey 10 THE Green and Blacks made the most of Millbrook losing four of their first-team squad shortly before kick-off at Mill Park. 'They were far too experienced for us and fielded one of their strongest teams of the season,' said Millbrook boss Mark Jones. Millbrook held out for 14 minutes before Steve Ovens opened the visitors' account, with Mike Body adding a second four minutes later. Ovens made it 3-0 on the half-hour before Body scored twice in the final minute of the half to complete his hat-trick and end the game as a contest. It took Blazey until the 63rd minute for Nick Campbell to increase their lead, and skipper Mark Vercesi had added a seventh before Robbie Stephens scored Millbrook's solitary reply. Lee Algar was sent off in the 71st minute after conceding the penalty from which Vercesi made it eight, with Dominic Richardson and Body, his fourth of the evening, completing the rout. Callington Town 0 Wadebridge Town 1 ALTHOUGH Wadebridge deserved their success at the Ginsters Marshfield Parc, the home side were clearly upset with the amount of bookings made by the referee. The much-maligned official was besieged by home players and officials after the final whistle after issuing nine yellow cards against the home side, of which only one was for a foul. The only goal of the game came on 67 minutes when a cross from the right found Josh Insley firing past Dan Johnson from 10 yards. Bodmin Town 1 Tavistock 3 GOALS from Marc Conday, who was sent off on the half-hour, Glynn Hobbs and Will Stringer saw the reigning champions fall three points adrift of the leading pair. Luke Hodge hit the home side's consolation goal deep into stoppage time. q q q SATURDAY Penzance 0 Liskeard 3 LISKEARD kept themselves well in the hunt for the League title with this thoroughly professional performance at Penlee Park – they are just two points behind leaders Saltash with a game in hand. 'It was a pleasing performance as we wanted. We did start at a high tempo and we kept Penzance largely on the back foot throughout the game,' said Blues' player-assistant-manager Lee Harvey. In fact, it was Harvey who opened the scoring as he fired past goalkeeper Paul Williams from a Kevin Robinson pass after only five minutes. And from there Liskeard continued to press, but were unable to add to their lead before the break, though Paul Baker and James Alexander had efforts well saved by Williams. The second goal came shortly after the interval, when Alexander beat Williams with an optimistic 20-yard shot that the goalkeeper should have stopped. Penzance did try to mount a comeback, but the Blues' defensive cohesion and grit kept the Magpies at bay. When Penzance did get a glimpse of goal, they found Liskeard 'keeper Simon Zinn at his best, stopping shots from Steve Floyd-Norris and Nick Pugliese. As the home effort petered out, Liskeard re- asserted their authority and got a deserved a third goal 10 minutes from the end when a Jamie Morrison-Hill cross was put into the net from close range by Sam Matthews. 'Although Penzance had one good spell, the mind- set of the team was such that we were never in any danger of throwing away what we had earned,' concluded Harvey. Saltash 2 Wadebridge 1 THE Ashes showed commendable character to keep themselves in the title race with this hard-earned win at the Kimberley Stadium. If anyone doubted the Saltash spirit after their midweek reverse at Bodmin, this match, well run by referee Kevin Knowles and his assistants, provided the answer. With some of his side showing the scars of recent battles, Ashes boss Tim Halford opted for changes in his line-up and chose to leave some of his regulars on the bench. 'We've had a couple of hard games of late, but I have faith in the squad and looked to some of the fringe players to freshen things up,' commented Halford. The match began with the Ashes well in charge, although some good goalkeeping from Dave Jones helped keep the game scoreless until the 29th minute. That was when the Ashes finally broke through; a Ryan McClements free-kick was met perfectly by Gavin Coulton, who planted his header firmly into the Wadebridge net from eight yards. Saltash failed to press home their advantage and were punished when Wadebridge levelled three minutes before the break; poor defending allowed Martin Cook to prod the ball past a previously under-employed Mike Roberts. The second half looked as if it was going to be a cure for insomnia until Halford brought three of his normal first-choice players off the substitutes' bench in a 10-minute spell. Almost immediately, the home tempo quickened as the Ashes looked for a winner and the deciding goal duly came in the 79th minute when Mike Norman headed home a perfectly aimed Steve Sargison cross from six yards. 'I told the players I was disappointed with their first-half performance at half-time and told them they had to find their own answers in the second half. 'That said, we'll take the win and the points, and of course, it was important to bounce back after the Bodmin defeat,' concluded Halford. Penryn Ath 2 Millbrook 4 MILLBROOK clinched only their third win on the road this season at Kernick over a Penryn team for whom the season cannot end soon enough. The victory ended a run of seven straight defeats and will doubtless put a smile back on the faces of all at Mill Park. 'I was really pleased for the team today as we travelled with several players missing through injuries and suspension, but the squad pulled together and got the win their performance deserved,' said Millbrook boss Mark Jones. It looked as if Millbrook were about to suffer an all- too familiar fate as Penryn took the lead, through a Steve Rowson shot after only six minutes, but Millbrook fought back to level from the penalty spot two minutes later, with Robbie Stephens the victim and scorer. The rest of the half was an even affair, but it was Millbrook that took the lead just after the break when Stephens broke through the home defence to shoot home. This time it was Penryn who fought back to level on the hour when Steve Brewer headed home and, once again, perhaps the neutral would have expected Millbrook to crumble. But they rose to the challenge and went on to take the points, thanks to a Gary Bridgeman shot in the 75th minute and a fine individual effort from Joe Truelove five minutes from time. Torpoint 3 Launceston 2 TORPOINT continued their climb towards the middle of the table, thanks to a fine and entertaining victory over Launceston at The Mill. Torpoint do not have the reputation of being good starters, so it must have come as a big surprise to the Mill faithful when Stuart Berry gave the home side the lead in the first minute, heading the ball home from a Gary Williams' cross. Adam Carter then gave the home crowd more reason to celebrate when, in the 36th minute, he prodded home Luke Avis-Riordhan's cross at the second attempt. For once the half-time cup of tea must have tasted sweet in the home dressing room. A third Torpoint goal followed in the 51st minute, with Tony Biddle finishing with a header after another Williams cross. But then came the overdue Launceston comeback. One minute later the Clarets had reduced their arrears from the penalty spot, Charlie Blair netting after a harsh handball decision against Gary Ashton. The bit now between their teeth, Launceston pressed forward and Torpoint were indebted to their goalkeeper Joey Syndecombe, who came to his side's rescue with a fine save from Lee Doncaster. Matt Hutchings then struck the Torpoint woodwork with a shot and Dan Tilley missed golden opportunities as Torpoint defended for all they were worth. Although Tilley did score, three minutes from the end, with a 10-yard shot, it was too little, too late and Torpoint were able to celebrate. St Blazey 4 Goonhavern 1 ST BLAZEY'S final home match of the campaign marked the end of an era with manager Trevor Mewton, one of the most successful managers in the history of West Country non-league football, announcing he would be standing down at the end of the season. Mewton has been synonymous with success at Blaise Park, leading St Blazey to seven League championships and a myriad of cup successes and FA Vase runs. And it could well be that the Mewton honours list is not yet finished as his current side are still in the thick of the current title fight. This victory kept them in third place, just two points behind leaders Saltash, who they still have to visit this season, and there is also a South Western League Cup Final to come. Although Mewton may be about to leave the South Western League stage, while he is still in charge he will demand the best from his side, so will doubtless be disappointed that St Blazey did not improve their goal difference by more against struggling Goonhavern. The visitors certainly did not read any scripts and stunned all and sundry when they took a 38th- minute lead. Andy Miles sent in a 35-yard free-kick which sailed over embarrassed home goalkeeper Gary Penhaligon. The visitors' lead stayed intact until the 62nd minute, when Steve Ovens finally profited from a Goonhavern defensive mistake to score the equaliser. Two minutes later, Ovens gave his side the lead with a left-foot shot, and the striker duly reached his trio of goals in the 70th minute, this time with a right-foot drive. When substitute Mike Body sent a 75th-minute shot into the visiting net, victory was finally concluded. q q q FRIDAY Plymouth Parkway 1 Plymouth Argyle 4 TWO goals in the last eight minutes of this derby at Bolitho Park ensured that Argyle's youngsters picked up three deserved points. It was the introduction of substitute Greg Moseley that made the difference as the youngster's very first touch set up Shane Duggan to make it 3-1. Minutes later he combined with Dan Smith and the winger fired the ball across for substitute Josh Grant to lash into the roof of the net from eight yards. Yet it was Parkway who started strongly, with Ryan Fice, twice, and Mike Southgate spurning early chances before Argyle broke the deadlock five minutes before the break. Sam Malsom's brilliant solo run ended with him pulling the ball back for wing-back Tom King to fire home from eight yards. Argyle's second came on 54 minutes as Martin Watts' corner found Malsom heading home from 12 yards for his 26th goal of the season. Parkway hit back in the 73rd minute with Southgate scoring, but that just set the scene for Moseley's telling introduction.
