LISKEARD Athletic made it back-to-back wins to start the campaign as they saw off Wendron United 2-1 at Lux Park on Saturday.

For the second successive match the Blues had to cope with the handicap of being reduced to 10 men after stand-in skipper Max Gilbert was sent off in the 35th minute for a second yellow card offence.

It followed the previous week’s win at Penzance where captain Josh McCabe got his marching orders before Liskeard turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory in the last 20 minutes.

Gilbert, who will miss the Wadebridge game through suspension, had a big influence despite being on the field for just 35 minutes.

Only a minute after picking up his first yellow card, the midfield maestro fired the home side in front after 24 minutes with a free-kick from wide on the left which deceived everybody in the penalty area and crept in at the far post.

He was running the show for the home side but earned his second yellow card in the 35th minute when a linesman spotted an offence, alerted the referee, and a yellow and subsequent red followed.

The sending off led to Liskeard making a tactical switch at the expense of striker Dan Jennings, who wasn’t best pleased, with Fletcher Williams coming on to fill Gilbert’s midfield role.

Ironically, Williams was the next into the referee’s book, seeing yellow in the second minute of time added on at the end of the first half, putting him in jeopardy of a red card himself.

But Liskeard markedly stepped up the pressure early in the second half with Owen Pritchard hitting the bar and George Newton denied by a brilliant save from Zach Telling on the hour.

Wendron’s resistance, however, was finally broken three minutes later. Harry Jeffery played a pinpoint pass to send Pritchard through on the right and his inch-perfect cross was powerfully headed in at the back post by Newton.

Pritchard then burst clear through the middle but Telling, racing to the edge of his area, made himself big and superbly blocked the Liskeard winger’s shot.

There had been little hint of a comeback from Wendron before they pulled a goal back 15 minutes from time with Cam Quirke’s free-kick from wide on the right drifting over Liskeard keeper Cory Harvey and into the far corner.

But the goal failed to lift the visitors, who went back into their shells after a very bright start, and the nearest they came to an equaliser was five minutes into time added on when Charlie Edney saw his shot deflected for a corner.

In truth Liskeard never looked like losing and they are building themselves a platform for making this season the one where they finally achieve promotion.

LISKEARD ATHLETIC: Cory Harvey, Harvey Mullis, Jordan Powell, Scott Sanders (Tom Savigar, 86), Ben Collins; Matt Andrew, Max Gilbert, Harry Jeffery, George Newton, Dan Jennings (Fletcher Williams, 39), Owen Pritchard (James Lorenz, 71). Subs not used: CJ Pritchard, LukeGwillam (gk).

WENDRON UNITED: Zach Telling, Christopher Shadforth, Rio Pledger (Sam Jewell, 88), Liam Andrew, Callum Bertrand, Louis Taylor, RyanReeve, Dan Greet, Charlie Edney, Cam Quirke, Ollie Tomlinson (Scott McElwee, 57).

Men-of-the-match: Liskeard Athletic – George Newton; Wendron United – Liam Andrew.