A feisty Boxing Day derby at Penlee Park saw Penzance enter ten minutes of stoppage time with a numerical disadvantage, but emerge from it a man to the good and, more significantly, with a share of the spoils courtesy of a late leveller from Charlie Willis.
In the 85th minute Lewis Caspall was sin-binned for contesting one of several decisions to which Penzance took exception, diminishing the likelihood of his remaining team-mates recovering their deficit. However, during Caspall’s exile Wade Brown copped his second yellow card. Penzance were therefore a man up on the reinstatement, and capitalised, Caspall himself setting up Willis to poke the ball home and lift the roof off a packed Jimmy Dann stand.
That the Magpies were to be in for a tough test was clear from the second minute when, on their first Peninsula League visit to Penlee Park, St Day hit the woodwork. Willis immediately stretched Harry Salmon to a fine tip over at the other end, but visitors were generally on top. Mikey Flores saved well from Brown before tipping an angled effort by Josh Margetts on to the bar. The Saints took a deserved 23rd minute lead when Flores fouled Brown. He blocked the resultant penalty but, after consulting his assistant Ian Pattison, referee Scott Coutts declared the ball to have crossed the line before the keeper’s intervention.
That was a first decision with which Penzance disagreed, and a second soon followed when Willis was booked for simulation when he thought he had earned a penalty of his own after a purposeful surge into the St Day box. It concluded a disappointing half for Mark Vercesi’s side, and more frustration was to follow after the turnaround. Though they saw a lot more of the ball, Penzance were limited to just a handful of chances by some resolute and disciplined defending.
Substitutes Curtis Smith and Ryan Townson both saw shots deflected wide. Sliding in at the far post, Charlie Young was just unable to divert home a low Caspall shot and, as things became increasingly more frantic as full-time approached, defenders Archie Reynolds and Tyler Tonkin also before went close. With Caspall’s sin-binning and the clock ticking well past the ninety minute mark, all seemed lost for the Magpies. Until that late, late intervention by Willis. “Charlie covered every blade of grass, like he always does,” recognised Vercesi. “If more players had played the way Charlie played, I think we may have got the win.”
Penzance Manager, Mark Vercesi spoke to James Wright after the game...
Penzance: Mikey Flores, Archie Reynolds, Silas Sullivan, Sam Young (Curtis Smith 57), Chris Wormington, Tyler Tonkin (captain), Jacob Trudgeon (Ryan Townson 68), Charlie Willis, Jacob Trudgeon, Charlie Young (Ewan Trevains 83), Kameron Collins (Josh Storey 57). Unused sub: Bernado Braga
St Day: Harry Salmon, Ollie Tomlinson, Ben Williams, Luke Hart (captain), Joe Cooper, Martin Sleeman, Ollie Band, Tyler Oliver, Josh Margetts, Wade Brown, Kyle Marks. Subs: Casper England, Cayden Tiddy, Harvey Troon, Steve Parker-Billing
Referee: Scott Coutts
Assistants: Stuart Bowden, Ian Pattison
Attendance: 354
*Cover photo courtesy of Steve Winters. You can see more of Steve's photos from yesterday's game on the Sport in Cornwall by Steve Winters Photography Facebook page...
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