ST DAY 3, PENZANCE 1

Penzance’s league campaign stuttered to a disappointing end with a poor display in front of a massive 416 Good Friday crowd at St Day – a figure boosted by many neutrals attending the Peninsula League’s Easter groundhop. Having lost only four games prior to April, the Magpies have now almost doubled that tally in thirteen days with three straight defeats.

With hindsight, a brave decision to bring Tyler Tonkin back into the side for the first time since his operation backfired. Sadly, the captain’s repaired shoulder stood up for just six minutes. The reshuffle at the back enforced by his early withdrawal was ruthlessly punished by St Day. On the quarter-hour Kyle Marks skilfully lobbed Mikey Flores to give the Saints the lead. And he bagged his second, and third of the season against the Magpies, seven minutes later with a low shot which Silas Sullivan appeared to have brilliantly cleared off the line via a post. The officials, however, deemed the ball to have crossed the line.

In between the two goals, Brook Williams had a crisp shot saved by Harry Salmon. He then set up Charlie Willis, but the midfielder fired over, and the home side effectively killed off the game when Jacob Cleverly ran through unchallenged from just inside his own half to score against his former club.

Penzance rallied after the break. Set up by Willis, Williams pulled a shot just wide. Then, running on to a well-weighted Charlie Young pass, Curtis Smith lashed a shot home from a very acute angle to get the Magpies off the mark.

Like Tonkin, James Butler made his own come-back from a shoulder injury. He came on for Sullivan with fifteen minutes to go and created his side’s clearest chance with a fine centre from the left. But somehow his younger brother Ollie – another second half substitute – put the ball over from point blank range, and with it went Penzance’s last flickering hope.

Photos courtesy of Jessie Neilson.

“We saved the worst for last,” rued manager Mark Vercesi at the final whistle. “I was really disappointed that the players didn’t look they had an eye on this game at all. Playing in front of a big crowd is nice – its what we play football for. But it didn’t work for us today.”

Watch the full interview with Jessie Neilson...

St Day: Harry Salmon, Liam Chin, Luke Hart (captain), Joe Cooper, Ben Williams, Tyler Oliver, Jacob Cleverly, Francis Pengelly, Kyle Marks, Sam Buckley, Kyle Cooke.

Subs: Dan Parker, Jack Gray, Gareth Ireson, Josh Margetts, Ollie Tomlinson

Penzance: Mikey Flores, Archie Reynolds (Ewan Trevains 74), Tyler Tonkin (captain) (Curtis Smith 6), Josh Storey, Chris Wormington, Sam Young (Ollie Butler 67), Charlie Willis, Lewis Caspall (Jacob Trudgeon 67), Charlie Young, Brook Williams, Silas Sullivan (James Butler 74)

Referee: Andrew Barnett

Assistants: Neil Rudkin, Keith Butler

Attendance: 416

Match Report: James Wright

Match Photos and Interview: Jessie Neilson