ST BLAZEY 3-2 CAMELFORD: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Defeat Sticks In Camels’ Throats

St Blazey AFC 3 Camelford 2

St Blaise was a martyr, whose ability to clear blocked throats was legendary in his lifetime in Armenia but on this occasion from his church overlooking Blaise Park, the fellow made sure that the visiting Camels left the venue with defeat well and truly stuck in their throats. Patient, tolerant and enduring though the Camels were, as all camels surely are known to be, their brave effort came to nought at the death, succumbing to a deserved goal for the creative Green and Blacks’ midfielder Aaron Spear, who had just bemoaned his team-mates’ wayward headers from his own accurate deliveries from a succession of corners. Fighting back from a two goal deficit, given to the hosts by Seb Broomfield’s individualistic brace, the Camels, using the height and strength of skipper Dan Balsdon, plus Ben Ringrose and Josh Insley, a mate of ex-Truro player Andy Watkins, I was told, the even-toed ungulates, beneath their two rows of bushy eyelashes, looked to have secured a point, until the St Blazey winner in added time. A home substitute produced some fine gymnastics during the goal-celebration, probably for the camera and it only remained for the Dromedaries and Bactrians to close their lips and noses to the sand and dust and with heads down, wend their weary ways back through Bodmin Moor. 

A Camel leaves the ground @ St Blazey...

It was interesting for me to see Warren Daw, Dan Evans and Seb Broomfield NOT wearing Truro shirts, although I don’t think I saw Lewis Coombes play for the White Tigers in my days of attending away games from Solihull. Camelford began well and took the game to their opponents; first a long free-kick was won by the tall Insley but home skipper and ‘keeper Dave Painter caught the ball, then after the dependable St Blazey central defender Ryan Swain had defended Balsdon’s threat, a low centre from Kyle Flew on the Camels’ right found left-sided attacker Harry Ahearn but although his low drive took a deflection, Painter dived low to brush the effort aside for a corner, which was taken after the ball was replaced with one which didn’t sound like an inflated camel’s bladder. Home striker Lewis Coombes headed the flag-kick away for his team. A lazy back-heel by home right-winger Ray Spear, who suffered an indifferent and inaccurate first-half, led to visiting forward Jack Farbrother’s low cross rolling past the stretching Balsdon inside the 6 yard box. Finally, the hosts settled more and neat play allowed Broomfield a shot from inside-left, which Camel ‘keeper Adam Fuller fell to save at the second attempt.

More aerial stuff...

Daw’s clipped shot, following Coombes’ neat set-up then appeared to beat Fuller but was headed from the Camelford goal-line by the alert Danny Frohlick, before the player who influenced this game most of all, Aaron Spear of St Blazey, crossed from the left flank, only for Coombes to mess up his far post header and fumble the ball wide. The breaking Camel Kyle Flew flew along the right-wing on occasions for the guests, but when Balsdon was freed by Farbrother, a lack of speed, despite the endurance, led to a hurried and sliced effort well wide of the right upright. Ringrose drove well off target for Camelford and then Broomfield got clear at inside-right onto Aaron Spear’s pass for the home outfit, only for Fuller to dive a fuller length to his right and he pushed the ball past the far post for a corner, which the goalie missed but to no advantage for the hosts. Aaron Spear’s left-wing corner was headed goalwards by Coombes but then blocked by Flew near the goal-line at the far post, allowing a header by Swain to be nodded on backwards by Daw, but the visiting defence hacked the ball from the goal-line again via Young’s head, as Insley also slashed out a boot. 

Balsdon headed on a deep Camelford free-kick but Farbrother, in space, just 10 yards out, sliced the ball upwards and across the penalty-box, possibly due to a slight deflection off Evans, allowing the home defence to clear gratefully. Painter stretched upwards to catch Balsdon's lobbed shot, like he was clutching a tin of emulsion, then St Blazey broke through the middle, with Aaron Spear spearheading the sortie, following initial play by Evans and Coombes but when the midfielder released Broomfield at inside-left, the striker ballooned his shot way too high. Soon afterwards though, the referee appeared to allow the Camels to get away with a back-pass to the ‘keeper, who picked up the ball but soon enough, Broomfield chose to turn onto the ball quickly at inside-right, too quickly for me and he beat the camera to tuck a low cross-shot beyond the diving Fuller and into the bottom left corner of the net to give his team the lead. 

1-0 to the Green and Blacks...

A strong run by Camels’ left-back Dan Metherall ended with a foul at the bye-line but Farbrother’s free-kick was struck too hard, after Evans and Painter had been forced to defend the speedy Farbrother again, following an awkward bounce past the home defence. Another high free-kick by the resolute Camels led to heads on by both Insley and Balsdon but Painter reached to the horizontal rafter to catch the ball safely. As the half came to a close, Ahearn and Metherall combined again but Flew rose to head the far post delivery into the side-netting. The interval arrived and St Blazey had failed to ignite, never mind blaze, allowing their guests to use their effort and aerial prowess, patience, tolerance and endurance, to keep the game alive but in truth, the Green and Blacks had suffered from weak finishing and frustration throughout the opening 45 minutes, yet really ought to have been ahead.

At the start of the second period, just to irritate me further, Broomfield picked up a short pass from the irrepressible Aaron Spear, sharp as ever, and turned quickly to curl a right-footer unerringly into the far top corner of the net from the left side of the penalty-area, at a distance of 16 yards from the byeline. He really must tell me when he intends to shoot in future, so that I have a second or two to press the ‘record’ button on my camera. Thanks for that, Seb… 

2-0 and Broomfield has a brace...

Game over? Not at all. The indomitable Camels stuck to their tasks and Balsdon was only a foot wide of the right angle of bar and post with a curling 20 yard free-kick from the inside-right channel. Ringrose was cautioned but St Blazey failed to capitalise from the free-kick, with Coombes unable to get in a telling shot from the ensuing scramble. Aaron Spear found namesake Ray from a left-flank centre and this time the winger’s touch was good and his rising drive was really well tipped over the crossbar by the arching Fuller. Aaron Spear’s right-side flag-kick virtually struck Evans and bounced to the ‘keeper, who immediately set his own team in motion, resulting in a pass to Metherall at inside-left, who fed Balsdon centrally and he kept a cool, aloof- as -a -camel head to side-foot with his right boot from 18 yards past the diving Painter and into the right side of the net. 2-1 and hope for the Camels…

No, I don't wish to phone a friend; my NAME'S Ringrose...

A goal back for the Camels...

Broomfield challenged Fuller for a loose ball and came off worse, before good play from Aaron Spear and the busy Dave Barker, who sniffed a chance in the penalty-box, led to another chance from inside-right for Ray Spear, closer in this time but his rising effort was again nudged over the bar by the leaping Fuller. This proved costly, for an error in the home midfield ended with a back-pass to Painter but as Ahearn chased, the ‘keeper inexplicably kicked the ball at the opponent then tumbled like an easel in a St Ives breeze and Ahearn accepted the charity to poke the ball into the empty St Blazey net. 2-2 and the Green and Blacks were more like the Red-faced and Embarrassed, as their hardy opponents began to force themselves upon their hosts.

Parity restored: 2-2...

Coombes challenged for an Aaron Spear corner but Evans’ drive was blocked by a lurking Camel, Coombes then passed the ball across the 6 yard box but Ray Spear was unable to reach it and then Camelford withdrew their smaller, quicker attackers, Ahearn and Farbrother, replacing them with Josh Howell and James McNary. Daw, unusually having a fairly quiet game in midfield for the Green and Blacks headed a corner from Aaron Spear well over the goal-frame, the more influential Coombes fed Ray Spear who fell under a challenge but any appeals were waved away by the officials, before the visitors rallied again. McNary won a corner off the solid Swain, Painter weakly tipped on the ball from the flag-kick, it was retrieved and when Ringrose set up McNary for a shot from an angle on the right, the substitute drove his effort over the goal-frame from 10 yards. Evans’ bad pass allowed Camelford to send McNary running clear from the half-way line but superb pace by Swain saved his team from further blushes.

Cornish sun setting...

Following a short corner by the hosts, Daw headed yet another centre over the crossbar but he was soon hurt and replaced by Nelson Eseleghe, moments before the visitors replaced right-back Alex Young (not the famous Everton striker) with Darren Fryer, whose first action was to deny Coombes at his own left upright with a brilliant tackle. The subsequent corner by the increasingly frustrated Aaron Spear was headed over the crossbar yet again, this time by the jumping Coombes. Aaron Spear then yelled something which might have actually been: “Gosh, m’handsomes, you’m wasted another chance but worry not, I’ll score, dreckly…” And he did too, after Balsdon had rifled a near post effort too high from Howell’s right-side free-kick at the opposite end. The floodlights went on you see and that seemed to make all the difference to the hosts, as they won a throw on the right flank. The ball was crossed, Coombes chested the ball down superbly into the path of Aaron Spear at inside-right and he speared the ball like a Finnish javelin past Fuller and it ripped into the Camelford net; a cue for smiles and a gymnastic interlude from the springing Eseleghe (check the video @ https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMowdog34/videos).

3-2 to St Blazey...

Incredibly, the Camels didn’t lie down, as camels often do, but spat back at their foes, forcing Painter to hold onto a deep left-wing cross then, with the end seconds away, a right-wing centre from Fryer flew towards the middle of goal, Insley beat Painter in the air but his powerful header soared past the right angle of bar and upright. What a finish! The referee called an end to the proceedings and The Green and Blacks held onto three important points. They could point to the positives of the excellent Aaron Spear, the hard-working, if not always fortunate Coombes, two progressive full-backs in Adrian Rundle and Marcus Iles, plus two-goal forward Broomfield, whereas Camelford were well served by ‘keeper Fuller, left-back Metherall, plus skipper Balsdon, midfielder Insley and striker Farbrother. Central defenders Danny Frohlick and Adam Sleep were totally awake throughout…

I drove back to The Merrymoor in Mawgan Porth, speculating about the number of professions on show at Blaise Park: there was a Fuller, a Painter, a Barker and a Fryer, along with a Sleep, a Flew and two Spears… I wiped down my surfboard and ate at the New Inn, Goonhavern: it’s what I do… 

The Humping enjoys reading about himself in the programme...

Teams:  

St Blazey:  Dave Painter (Capt), Adrian Rundle, Marcus Iles; Warren Daw, Ryan Swain, Dan Evans; Ray Spear, Dave Barker, Lewis Coombes, Seb Broomfield, Aaron Spear.

Subs: Nelson Eseleghe, Aaron Beresford, Aiden Killen, Marcisse Campbell.

Camelford:  Adam Fuller, Alex Young, Dan Metherall; Adam Sleep, Dan Balsdon (Capt), Danny Frohlick; Kyle Flew, Josh Insley, Jack Farbrother, Ben Ringrose, Harry Ahearn.

Subs: James McNary, Josh Howell, Darren Fryer.