Redd hot St Blazey make it three in a row

OLLY Redd’s quality finish two minutes into the second half was enough to give St Blazey their third successive victory in a hard-fought Cornish derby on a bone-dry pitch at The Mill on Tuesday night.

A Jack Calver corner from the right was only half cleared back into the path of the Blazey skipper, who lifted a cross towards the six-yard box where Redd arrived to flick a volley past Torpoint keeper Ty Rowe.

It was Redd’s third goal in two games and a just reward for a fine individual performance wide on the left.

While the Green & Blacks have made a 100% winning start to the season, it has been a worrying start for a Torpoint side who finished runners-up last season.

This was their third successive defeat and their opening day win over Street on July 25 is already starting to feel like a distant memory. They need a positive result soon, although there was one huge positive with the performance of debutant right-back Jack Tupper, a 17-year-old who has been playing for the reserves.

Manager Dean Cardew said: “Last night was another disappointing night where we didn’t do enough to win the game.

“I don’t think either side really created a lot, but we’ve conceded yet another set-piece which has cost us points, and it’s something that we have to improve on quickly.”

Blazey boss Dan Hart was delighted with the result, saying: “​Last night for our group, was about clarity in our roles, ruthlessness in our defensive work and having the ability to play in a different way, adapting to our surroundings.

“Torpoint is always a very difficult away fixture, we felt that with the pitches being so hard and dry at present, we needed to box clever and not be drawn into errors against a team who are very good in transition.

“We lost Charlie Hambly to an injury at Street, and that meant that our midfield needed to look slightly different in its set-up at Torpoint; in addition Will Tinsley has been struggling with a dental issue, and wasn’t fit enough to start – so we moved Sam Clifton, a natural midfield player, to full-back.

“The game itself, was frantic and dictated really by the surface and the dry weather we’ve been having. In the first half we saw more of the ball, but struggled to connect or find an end product and Joe Rapson was a threat in transition that we had to be wary of.

“I felt we lost too many second contacts in that period too, which we addressed at the break.

“We started the second half looking far more aggressive and scored from a second phase of a set play, and that settled us down for sure.

“We defended really well after that, Torpoint have two or three really good aerial threats and we gave them so many opportunities to cross from wide set-plays, so to see us deal with each of them so convincingly was impressive.

“Overall, a good away display in tricky circumstances – ahead of a two-week break from league action.”

Torpoint started the game brightly with Sam Pearson finding space on the edge of the Blazey area but firing his shot wide in the third minute.

They threatened again in the 27th minute when Curtis Damerell swung in a superb cross from the right, but there was nobody in the middle to finish off.

Two minutes later Blazey had their first clear chance when Redd fed Tallan Mitchell on the right side of the penalty area, but his goal-bound shot took a deflection off a defender and flew inches wide.

Blazey had dominated possession, but Torpoint remained a threat on the break and six minutes before half-time Callum O’Brien surged forward from a Blazey corner, fed Pearson with a pinpoint pass and played the ball forward to Damerell, whose shot was parried for a corner by Kyle Moore.

But the second half had barely started when Redd scored the vital goal, and although Torpoint pushed hard for an equaliser, their attacks were one dimensional – accurate long balls in from Elliott Crawford and O’Brien, but Blazey winning most of the headers.

The home side’s best chance came five minutes from time when Rapson went on a mazy run through the middle before producing a 20-yard shot which just cleared the bar.

A minute later Blazey came close to doubling their lead when Kai Burrell controlled a pass on the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a superb shot which Rowe did well to turn around for a corner.

TORPOINT ATHLETIC: Ty Rowe; Jack Tupper (Sam Morgan, 71), Sam Hepworth, Owen Haslam, Callum O’Brien, Elliott Crawford (capt), James Rowe (Ryan Downing, 57), Sam Pearson, Curtis Damerell (Harry Probyn, 63), Joe Rapson, Rory Simmons. Subs not used: Shaun Cleary, Darren Hicks.

ST BLAZEY: Kyle Moore; Sam Clifton, Jack Calver, Harry Blows, Jordan Bentley, Aaron Bentley, Olly Redd, Ben Fowles, Kai Burrell, Tallan Mitchell, Cam Hutchison (Will Tinsley, 57). Subs not used: Hayden Black, Tom Cavanagh, Joe Cook, Todd Hanrahan.

Referee: Andrew Hobbs.

Attendance: 211.

Men-of-the-match: Torpoint Athletic – Joe Rapson; St Blazey – Ben Fowles.