Saturday 29 December

Grampound Res. 3-4 Mount Charles

(Duchy League Division 5)

Back to Fixtures 2007-8

The heavy rain of the previous 36 hours had called this fixture into doubt but the pitch, only marginally OK at 10am, was passed fit by referee Buscombe and played well throughout with only a couple of areas being a lttle sticky. Grampound Reserves had not played since November but it did not show as they tore into the favourites for this match from the start. Good chances were made as the pedestrian Mount Charles defence looked static on several occasions. This pattern of play lasted until Mount Charles took the lead, very fortuitously, when a speculative shot rolled past the Grampound keeper on 15 minutes. The next ten minutes saw Mount Charles dominate completely, extending their lead when a deflection carried the ball into the corner, and also claim a third goal when a shot came down off the underside of the crossbar, disallowed by the referee. Grampound battled back and Ryan Orchard pulled one back when he beat his defender and hammered the ball past the visiting goalkeeper. Minutes later a Grampound corner was missed by the visiting defence and Tim Topham bundled the ball over the line. Grampound had at least 3 good oportunities to take an uncatchable lead in the minutes before half-time but both Orchard and Toms missed what looked to be unmissable chances.

Mount Charles started the second half the better and took the lead again soon after the re-start. This looked as if it might be the winning goal but Ryan Orchard had other ideas and he started to run at the Mount Charles defence. He went close on several occasions as substitute Ian Jenkin, newly signed for the club, began to find him with regularity, and with 15 minutes remaining cut inside defenders, only to be pulled down before he could get his shot off properly. Tim Topham stepped up to dispatch the penalty and Grampound looked as if they may go on to capture all 3 points. However, the visitors went down the other end straight from the kick-off and a simple cross was missed by the Grampound keeper. The resulting confusion allowed the ball to be hit into the Grampound net from close range. Grampound pressed on and in spite of some excellent passes from Jenkin the goal would not come, although Mike Berry hit the bar from close range when it looked easier to score, and Grampound were disappointed at the final whistle that they had not made the best of their opportunities to take all the points from one of the best teams in the division.

Squad

1. Bennett-Glew

2. Dunn J

3. Woodman

4. Topham

5. Yeo

6. Berry M

7. James R (sub Varnell I, 75)

8. Toms

9. Lannon (sub Thompson, 80)

10. Orchard

11. Bawden (sub Jenkin, 60)

Goals

Orchard (25), Topham (35, 75(pen))

Man of the Match

Ryan Orchard

Yellow Cards

None

Red Cards

Nonen of the Match Yellow Cards Red Cards