Saturday 15 September 2007

Grampound 1-1 St Stephen

(Duchy League Division 2)
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Grampound opened their match against St Stephen in confident style but it was soon apparent that the flowing football and sharpness shown in pre-season were just not there and it was St Stephen who seemed to have time and space. Defensively, Grampound failed to press their opponents and allowed them far too many opportunities to pick their passes and crosses. Grampound should have shaken off their sluggishness when they managed to take the lead after fifteen minutes. Tom Bartlett chased a long clearance down the right before outpacing a couple of defenders and getting to the byeline. He pulled back a neat ball to Glyn Ford who sidefooted past the visiting keeper for his first competitive goal of the season. Bartlett's pace and aggression down the right should have been exploited more but Grampound seemed to go into their shell, allowing the visitors a comfortable period. Shane Weeks had a couple of good efforts for the home side, one stinging shot coming back off the post, but it was St Stephen who scored the next goal, although it was a rather fortunate one. A driven cross came in from their right and defender Glyn Leaney stretched to get his head on the ball. The ball looped up and over the wrong-footed Cooke to nestle in the net.

The second half continued in much the same scrappy way with the visitors rarely threatening and the home side struggling to find some rythmn. As on the previous Saturday the front two were becoming isolated and seemingly having to battle on their own. The introduction of Max Varnell gave a little more impetus and twice he extracted excellent saves from the St Stephen goalkeeper after beating his defender and shooting. Stuart Harris missed a couple of good chances in the last ten minutes but St Stephen held on for a well deserved point.

Squad

1. Cooke
2. Leaney
3. Webb
4. Fletcher
5. Bartlett (sub Dunn D, 80)
6. James A (sub Moseley, 60)
7. Maker
8. Harris
9. Dunn G
10. Ford G
11. Weeks (sub Varnell M, 60)

Goals

Ford (15)

Man of the Match

Tom Bartlett

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