O'Brien and Rowe give Torpoint crucial home victory over Bovey Tracey

TORPOINT Athletic returned to action at The Mill after a two-week break to make it back-to-back wins with second half goals from Callum O’Brien and James Rowe sealing the three points.

The result ended three successive league defeats following their opening day victory over Street on July 25.

Bovey Tracey had the first real chance in the 20th minute when good build-up play found Josh Webber, but his shot was collected by home keeper Ty Rowe.

Six minutes later Torpoint’s Dave Barker laid the ball onto Joe Rapson, and his shot from an acute angle flashed across goal.

Eight minutes before half-time, a free-kick on the edge of the Bovey Tracey area by Tom Payne went just wide.

A minute before the break, Barker played the ball through to Rapson who then found Curtis Damerell on the edge of the area, but his effort went over the bar.

Seven minutes into the second half the hosts had a great chance to take the lead.

Rapson got the ball and ran through the Bovey defence; his shot was blocked by visiting keeper Andy Collings, the loose ball fell to Damerell, but his shot was also kept out by the former Buckland Athletic and St Austell stopper.

But Torpoint did take a well-deserved lead just after the hour. A free-kick from the left into the area by skipper Elliott Crawford found Sam Hepworth, who nodded the ball into the path of O’Brien to blast home from close-range.

Nine minutes later Torpoint doubled their lead with a good finish from substitute James Rowe after being played in by Damerell from Ty Rowe’s long clearance.

With a quarter of an hour remaining, Bovey’s Cieran Bridger crossed to Zico Kendall, but his effort was saved by Rowe.

In the final four minutes, Payne had an acute angle shot saved by Collings, and in the second minute of stoppage time, Torpoint could have grabbed a third goal through Owen Haslam, but his shot was cleared off the line.

Torpoint are back in action tomorrow night (7.30pm) when they head to a Sidmouth Town side who were beaten 7-3 at Liskeard Athletic on Saturday.

Assistant boss Ryan Fice admitted it was an excellent result.

He said: “It was a well-deserved win in tricky conditions.The first half we defended well against the strong wind and created a couple good chances ourselves, but in the second half I thought we were excellent.

To see Callum O'Brien get on the scoresheet was great. To get defenders scoring goals at crucial times is a huge bonus for any team but he deserved that and was outstanding.

“Rowey came on and made an instant impact with a calm finish after great play by Dammers, so credit to the gaffer on that substitution.

“All in all it was a good three points against a good team.”

TORPOINT ATHLETIC: Ty Rowe; Dave Barker, Sam Hepworth, Owen Haslam, Callum O’Brien, Elliott Crawford (capt), Tom Payne, Sam Pearson, Curtis Damerell, Joe Rapson (James Rowe, 66), Gary Hird (Sam Morgan, 42).Subs not used: Josh Jansen, Tom Hensman.

BOVEY TRACEY: Andy Collings, Josh Searle, Lewis Perring, Alex Cherry, Ben Gerring (Dom Aplin, 70), Cieran Bridger, J’adore Lawson, Charlie Castlehouse, Ollie Aplin (Billy Robins, 56), Zico Kendall, Josh Webber. Sub not used: Cal Leech.

Torpoint Athletic man-of-the-match: Callum O’Brien.