CORNWALL SENIOR CUP THIRD ROUND Saltash 3 Lanreath 2 IF Ashes boss Kevin Hendy decides to play Monopoly this week, then it is certain that, when he lands on 'Chance' or 'Community Chest' he will draw a 'Get out of Jail Free' card, after this performance that would have drawn praise from Steve McQueen and the rest of the cast of the Great Escape. Hendy decided he would make six changes from the side that recorded a comfortable Throgmorton Cup victory at Parkway the previous Wednesday. Stuart Clark, Carl Pender, Gavin Coulton and Toby Clark were all left on the substitutes' bench, while Danny Lewis and Daley Simpson, possibly carrying knocks, were omitted from the squad. The problem was that Lanreath might be in a league that the Ashes' second team play in, but they have made several changes since the beginning of the season and their results of late have been showing the improvements. Millbrook were banished in the previous round and the East Cornwall Premier League outfit came within nine minutes of repeating the dose at Kimberley Stadium. Perhaps if Saltash had taken a first-minute lead, instead of defender Nicky Collins lofting his goal- line clearance onto the underside of the bar and out, then the pattern of the game might have been different. Instead, the visitors were content to sit back and concede possession to their hosts, but even then they should have taken a 12th-minute lead. Young defender Josh Fenwick misjudged his headed back pass, leaving Ray Clarke with a clear run into the area, but the experienced striker prodded his shot wide of Chris Wearing, but thankfully for Ashes, also the far post. The home side now had almost total possession, but they rarely forced visiting goalkeeper James Castle into serious action. Fenwick fired wide from 25 yards, Mike Norman saw his close-range effort blocked and Dave Smith steered his shot wide from 20 yards. Lanreath continued to look dangerous on the break, but the chances were still coming at the other end, where Chris Maskell headed over from 15 yards before the midfielder fluffed his shot with the goal in front of him. Lanreath's cause was made even more difficult a minute from the break when player-manager Andy Collins (see page 78) stupidly kicked the ball away to earn the customary yellow card that just happened to be his second of the game. Saltash finally made the breakthrough eight minutes after the break when Glen Palmer's half- volley brought a great save out of Castle. The visiting 'keeper recovered to block Mark Chapman's follow-up, but he could only watch as the tireless Ashes midfielder finally forced the ball home from close range. Unfortunately for the home side, the goal appeared to fire up Lanreath, but they had a huge slice of good fortune – courtesy of a referee's assistant – for their equaliser. The man with 20/20 vision claimed to have spotted Dave Smith pushing Bradley Powell in the area, when the referee was no more than 10 yards from the incident. The insistence of the assistant led to the referee awarding the visitors a penalty, from which Lee Maddock sent Wearing the wrong way to level matters in the 69th minute. Substitute Gavin Coulton's great run almost restored Ashes' lead, but his final shot flew over the bar, before Lanreath were awarded another penalty in the 81st minute. This time there could be no argument as Smith sent Powell tumbling as he burst into the box, for Maddock to duly oblige for the second time. Saltash, at last, showed some urgency in their play and were level three minutes later when substitute Carlton Farnham, making his debut after signing from Ivybridge, fired them level after the visitors had failed to clear their lines. Victory was attained with the game well into stoppage time, as Palmer did well to open the way for Chapman to crash home the winner from 10 yards and earn his side a rather fortunate home tie against Hayle in the quarter-finals.