Saturday 12 April 2008

St Cleer 3-1 Grampound

(Duchy League Div 2)
Back to Fixtures

Grampound played against a strong wind in the first half and it was the hosts who made most of the running, without making a real chance or threatening a goal. They were playing some neat football, though, and Grampound needed to work very hard to keep them at arm's length. Grampound made a few good breaks and were unlucky on a couple of occasions when the final ball was just not quite right. On 35 minutes St Cleer took the lead when a cross from the right was caught on the wind and sailed into the far top corner. Grampound felt further aggrieved when a second goal was scored minutes later when the ball evaded Ford to give the St Cleer forward an easy chance.

Grampound came out in the second half and played their best football for months, showing a real determination as well as a tidy short-passing game, giving the championship favourites a real fright. Grampound's passing and movement was so much better of late, and they tackled solidly all over the pitch. Scott Rosevear was giving a real performance in midfield but with half an hour was very unlucky to concede a very dubious penalty when a St Cleer player went down after touching the Grampound player as he was running. If Rosevear had gone down, I suspect the referee would have given it the other way. Minutes later Scott Rosevear and a St Cleer player were both dismissed after a scuffle, and from then on St Cleer players seemed to be hitting the ground in agony at every challenge. With Grampound in the ascendancy but 3 goals down, the team rolled up its sleeves and never gave up. Ryan Maker hit the underside of the bar (and what seemed to be the net hanging below it) from 25 yards and Matt Fletcher, now starting to make a real nuisance of himself, repeated this a few minutes later with a rising shot from an acute angle. St Cleer should have been down to 9 when a player lashed out at Glyn Leaney right in front of the referee after a very legitimate tackle but for some reason the referee showed him only yellow. James Webb earned a similar punishment for questionning the referee rather too vigorously over this decision. Five minutes from time a neat through ball from Ryan Maker put Shane Weeks clear and he outran the home defence and neatly slipped the ball home, but it was too late for any more goals. St Cleer can feel a little fortunate to have scored 3 goals, each having a huge slice of luck, because Grampound defended well and gave the home side hardly a glimpse of goal. They were also fortunate to finish with as many as 10 on the pitch, and Grampound will be pleased with their overall performance and will take heart for the remaining games.

Squad

1 .Ford T
2. Webb
3. Leaney G
4. Harris
5. Dunn G
6. Rosevear
7. Maker
8. Cooper
9. Clements (sub Weeks, 65)
10.Fletcher
11.Orchard (sub Dunn D, 80)

Goals

Weeks (85)

Man of the Match

Scott Rosevear (even though he got a red card)

Yellow Cards

James Webb

Red Cards

Scott Rosevearen of the Match Yellow Cards Red Cards