Saturday 8 December 2007

Pelynt 5-1 Grampound

(Duchy League Division 2)
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Pelynt did well to get this game on after torrential rain for days, and the surface was wet but perfectly playable. The wind, though, was a different matter, blowing down the pitch at gale force and having a bigger influence on the course of the game than any single player.

Playing against the hurricane, Grampound started poorly, breaking the cardinal rule that you must not give the ball away cheaply. Pelynt's first corner was not dealt with and after a couple of chances to clear, the ball was presented to a Pelynt player two yards out and Grampound found themselves a goal down after 5 minutes. The next quarter of an hour saw Grampound have their best spell of the game as players realised that the best way to play under the conditions was to keep the ball by passing short and close. It looked as if the visitors would create a good chance sooner or later and on 20 minutes some neat passing saw Ford release fellow striker Turton and his run and shot low into the far corner was perfectly executed and gave Grampound a good platform to take advantage of their superior passing and technique. It was Pelynt, though, who went on to better things as they gave the Grampound defence a difficult time. Indecision presented them with their second and minutes later a Grampound throw-in was given to a Pelynt player who blasted a wind-assisted ball into the top corner from 30 yards to give the home team a 3-1 lead with only half an hour gone. Grampound still looked dangerous on the break, but confidence now flowed through the home team and the lead could have been increased as a good shot hit a post and rebounded to safety.

Some strong words were said at half time in the away team dressing room, but it made little difference as Grampound turned in a very ineffectual second half performance. James Webb limped off with a recurrence of his long-standing groin injury and this seemed to signal a bit of a capitulation in the Grampound ranks as the shape of the team andthe quality of its passing deteriorated. Greg Dunn was unlucky to hit the outside of a post from 20 yards, but that was about it in a positive sense, apart from it being good to see Jamie Trudgeon make just his second first team appearance a couple of years after his first following his signing for the club in the week after spells at Probus and Gerrans. Glyn Leaney missed a ball just inside Grampound'e penalty area and fouled his man in the process. The spot kick was duly dispatched and 10 minutes from time Pelynt rubbed it in as Grampound were caught on the break.

This was a disappointing Grampound performance against a very moderate side who, to their credit, completely outfought and frequently outplayed the man-for-man better players in the Grampound team.

Squad

1. Cooke
2. Leaney (sub Trudgeon, 70)
3. Webb (sub Woodman A, 60)
4. Fletcher
5. Dunn D
6. Bartlett
7. James A
8. Maker
9. Dunn G
10. Ford G
11. Turton (sub Orchard,80)

Goals

Turton (20)

Man of the Match

Tom Bartlett

Yellow Cards

None

Red Cards

None of the Match Yellow Cards Red Cards