Quick-fire Rocks Hold Off Resurgent Padstow
Padstow United 2-4 Roche AFC
Three goals in the opening moments of this game, before one Roche supporter even arrived at Jury Park, basically saw off a United outfit which looked sluggish from the start. Despite a recovery of sorts, the hosts then conceded another goal on the break and left themselves with what should have been an insurmountable deficit. However, a second period resurgence saw Dan Colwill score and then the lively and effective Jake Chafer nab a goal too. Then Chafer also struck each upright, as his team fought themselves back into contention. Roche looked strangely hesitant after the interval spent, no doubt, consuming scrumpy and hot pasties inside the green huts (not really…) and this served only to enthuse Padstow who really made a game of it. The anomaly in all of this is that both sides scored their goals against the breeze and up the hill…
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| ROCHE READY TO START... |
Thanks to Glyn at Roche for providing the forenames of his players and I managed to find Padstow’s identities on their Facebook page. There were three Osbournes on show, two Murts and a Chafer, which was a sore point as chafer beetle grubs have wrecked my front lawn in Solihull… Thanks Jake, please admonish your distant relatives… For Padstow there was also the splendidly named Marco Ciarleglio on view (a name made for chanting) and also Przemyslaw Zdziech, who scared the shit out of me with his hairstyle…Certainly this encounter began like a dream for the Rocks but like a nightmare for the Greens. Immediately, a low centre from the left byeline by Harry Trethewey was deflected clear by home goalie Rob ‘Billy’ Elliott’s boot but the ball careered out towards the 20 yard mark from whence it was despatched with clinical accuracy, first-time into the left corner of the net, chest high by Ross Welch’s left boot…
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| 0-1: WELCH FOR THE ROCKS... |
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| IF YOU WISH TO KICK SOMEONE, PLEASE STAND A LITTLE CLOSER... |
A fine start for the Rocks then but it became even better when Adam Floyd’s low 20 yard shot somehow squirmed past the embarrassed Elliott. As the hosts attempted to right their early wrongs, a four on two break happened and United were caught again. This time, Floyd pitched out a fine pass to beat home defender Darren Roose and Connor Dean was left with only Elliott to nudge the ball past and make the score 0-3. Unbelievable…
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| NOBODY APPEARS TO KNOW WHERE THE BALL IS... |
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| SAD FOR BILLY ELLIOTT... |
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| ...BUT A GOAL FOR FLOYD: 0-2 NOW... |
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| 0-3: DEAN (14) HAS SCORED... |
Central striker Sam Leaney was then offered a chance to add a fourth goal, when he fired a 10 yard shot at Elliott who in fairness made a good save, knocking the ball past his own right upright to concede a corner, from which tall Roche defender Jason Retallick was unable to direct his far post header.
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| 0-4 & FLOYD (10) HAS A BRACE FOR THE ROCKS... |
Padstow simply had to improve and indeed caused some mayhem following a free-kick, then Martin Murt glanced a header from Chafer’s left-side cross across the face of goal, before Floyd got a headed defensive touch to another left-side set-piece by the hosts. However, the Rocks broke clear again at inside-right, from where Floyd’s 15 yard rising shot was gloved upwards by the stretching and advancing Elliott, so that Floyd rescued the loose ball and slotted it into goal as Elliott and a couple of defenders attempted to cover. It remained only for Roche’s Dan Smith to fire off target twice and for the Greens’ Scott Taylor to be cautioned and then to shoot too high but the interval arrived with despondent Padstow players leaving the Jury Park pitch. The Rocks must have been pleasantly surprised but subsequently, their confidence would be knocked by Padstow’s sterling comeback.
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| LONG WAY BACK, MR MURT... |
Floyd had been physical in the Roche attack and Leaney had been useful running the channels but the three Osbournes had certainly been effective, as had Trethewey and Retallick. Goalie Chris Julian had rarely been troubled though, in truth. Kev Murt had been busy in the home midfield and had attempted to pass the ball accurately, whilst Chafer had worked the left flank quite smartly, as Martin Mart used his experience in attack. Roose had been forced to cover several times though, as the home defence was caught napping when Roche had countered quickly and lethally.
After the break, little would be seen of the Rocks as an attacking force, only a nudge by Martin Baker which forced Elliott to touch the ball over his crossbar and then a fine cross-shot right to left by Leaney, which flashed over the far angle of post and crossbeam caused Elliott any real consternation. Much endeavour was used by both sides but Chafer and the Murts were very influential for the hosts and had it not been for the goal-frame, Padstow might have earned themselves a point. Chafer was really dangerous during the second period, lashing a low 16 yard drive against the foot of the left upright, before running onto a smart pass from the right byeline by Kev Murt and sending a neat right-booter, first-time, into the bottom left corner of the net. This made the score 2-4, but soon afterwards, Shane Wade’s low byeline cross from the right was bundled onto the near post by the alert and lurking Chafer…
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| 2-4 & CHAFER DANCES 'THE BEETLE' TO CELEBRATE HIS GOAL... |
Dan Colwill had scored Padstow’s opener and Chafer had assisted with a left-side centre to the far stick, from whence Colwill reacted quickly to smash a close range effort high into the Rocks’ net. However, another goal wasn’t to be for the Greens, as Kev Murt highlighted their ill luck on the day by steering an effort well wide from 10 yards, following Martin Murt’s clever set-up pass. Martin Murt also rounded Julian to the left byeline but lifted his angled shot onto the roof of the net after turning to his right side.
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| COLWILL, RIGHT, HAS MADE IT 1-4... |
So, the game became more enjoyable to witness as Padstow effected quite a comeback, with the skills of Chafer and Kev Murt at the heart of most of the good work, supported well by Martin Murt. Retallick defended stoutly for the guests, Trethewey was creative at times alongside Dean, Leaney never gave up running on offense but the Osbournes, Shaun, Neil and Paul remained resolute to ease their colleagues over the line for the victory.
Thanks to Padstow United for the welcome and to Roche for their help in player-identity.
I enjoyed the game.
It’s what I do…
SQUADS:
PADSTOW UNITED:
ROB ELLIOTT, JOHN MIDDLEDITCH, SHANE WADE, KEV MURT, ROB ROWE, FRAN RIDDLE, JAKE CHAFER, MARTIN MURT, DAN COLWILL, MARCO CIARLEGLIO, SCOTT TAYLOR, PRZEMYSLAW ZDZIECH, TOMO BALL, DARREN ROOSE.
ROCHE AFC:
CHRIS JULIAN, JASON RETALLICK, SHAUN OSBOURNE, NEIL OSBOURNE, HARRISON BURDON, PAUL OSBOURNE, HARRY TRETHEWEY, SAM LEANEY, ADAM FLOYD, MARTIN BAKER, CONNOR DEAN, DAN SMITH, ROSS WELCH, TOM MOLYNEUX.
