ST IVES TOWN 2-1 PENRYN ATHLETIC: THE MATCH REPORT...

Day Masters Wind & Frustrates Penryn

St Ives Town 2-1 Penryn Athletic

Clearly the strong wind from the car-park end at The Saltings would affect this game, football-wise and so it proved to be. Penryn failed to test home goalie Martin Harding with any of their shots in truth, managing one effort by Jack Rapsey which clipped the crossbar but their remaining attempts at goal were simply inaccurate. The hosts’ two goals were interesting events, as described below, one each for Sam Spurrier and Max Clymo. Spurrier was cautioned for a very early foul, just prior to scoring and proceeded to make three similar fouls subsequently but no further action was taken by the referee. Penryn often failed to deal comfortably with the wind in their faces before the interval, whereby ‘keeper Dan Lord saw kicks travel upwards or not very far. Spurrier capitalised upon one of those clearances to net his goal. The Athletic coach was incensed that his defenders continued to pass the ball back to Lord, despite the earlier calamity.

RUSS MAY SUFFERS FROM WIND.
HIS 'KEEPER GETS THE BENEFIT...

SPURRIER: "WHAT? YOU'RE BOOKIN' ME NOW, NOT DRECKLY?"

After the break and 2-1 ahead, although Ryan Reeve had scored for Penryn in a first period break, the Saints dealt with the wind much better than their guests, with skipper Joe Day striking the goal-kicks quite a distance with some excellent timing and maybe also by waiting for the gusts to slow slightly before smashing the ball away. In fact, St Ives maybe should have scored more goals, as the most inventive forward on the pitch, Josh Magin, caused mayhem regularly. No more goals were scored of course but the victory for Town opens up the title race a little more. Penryn would have been hugely disappointed with their contribution to the game, especially after half-time, when the weather conditions ought to have favoured them and thus ignited more pressure on the home defence and actually, taken some decent shots from distance. It didn’t really happen…

RAPSEY: A QUIET GAME...
IS HE WAITING FOR A TRAIN?

The Spurrier goal came from a back-pass by Penryn skipper Russell May, which Lord kicked straight to the St Ives number 14, who was around 24 yards out. His instant low left-booter beat the rather surprised goalie and entered the net just inside the right stick. Magin had actually hurried Lord into the clearance but perhaps the gloveman was unsighted by the figure of the offside Magin as the ball went by him. Good and instant finishing by Spurrier though…

SPURRIER HAS SCORED...

THE SAINTS ARE SPURRED ON... 

Rapsey shot weakly at Harding for the visitors, then clipped the top of the crossbar from an acute angle, after Harding had struggled with a cross and Penryn’s tall left-back Brad Leivers had seen an effort blocked in a crowded goalmouth. Harry Roberts, whose name was once chanted at Villa Park (don’t ask…) shoved a dangerous centre across the goalmouth, and Reggie May did much the same but the equaliser arrived when a smartly released pass by Roberts sent Reeve rushing forth at inside-right, who shrugged off the attentions of Day and moved on to beat the advancing Harding with a low strike.

YOU SCORE, YOU PUNCH A COLLEAGUE...

SOMEONE WANTS TO BE A WICKETKEEPER...

St Ives struggled to trouble Lord with their goal attempts and the ‘keeper was only called upon to push a lobbed cross over his crossbar. Otherwise, Matt Spencer-Smith’s centre from the right dropped over the goal-frame, left-flanker David Booles shot wide twice, Clymo miscued a left-footer past the right post, whilst central defender Andy Barry dive-headed wide from a long free-kick. Magin lobbed wide from the right-wing, then after Lord had fumbled his own punt which looped back towards him as Booles challenged, Magin looked sure to score from 15 yards but his effort flew just past the left upright. What proved to be the winning goal came from a pass by Spencer-Smith which saw Clymo get clear at inside-right, as Penryn arms waved for a possible offside decision which never came. The forward seemed to nudge the ball too far ahead of him inside the 18 yard box but Lord maybe hesitated just slightly and that allowed Clymo to run the ball into the empty net. A fall near the left post by Magin late in the half, as Jake Shaw marked him closely brought no penalty and really that completed the first period action.   

CLYMO (9) HAS SCORED FOR ST IVES...

The players left the field to re-gel their hair, nibble their Hole Foods Deli pasties and down a Doom Bar pint or two, then returned for what was expected to be a more dominant half by the guests. It would prove otherwise…

THE WAITING ROOM AT LELANT STATION IS, ER,...

...FACING THE WRONG WAY...

No further goals were scored but Athletic’s spasmodic efforts included a Shaw shot from 25 yards which was too high, a delivery from the right by Reeve which flew behind the goal-frame, although Lewis Pellow had waited hopefully in the middle for a pass and there was also a header wide by Reggie May, plus a wasteful 25 yarder by replacement Andrew Davey which rose way off target. The best chances fell to Russ May and Reeve, for the skipper bent to head a good opportunity past the left upright, following Leivers’ nod-on, then Reeve missed twice. First he was freed at inside-left by the quiet Rapsey, but just as it seemed he would turn onto his right foot and curl the ball, wind-aided beyond Harding, he shot disappointingly wide of the left post with his left shoe. Late on, he cleverly flicked the ball over the astounded Booles but drove his decent 19 yard effort just past the left stick.

RUSS MAY: "HE'S GOT WIND, REF..."

SPENCER-SMITH IN BLUE APPEARS TO BE GROWLING...

The hosts countered well and it was the foraging, intuitive Magin at the heart of much of the offense. A Clymo shot was deflected wide by Leivers, Barry’s header was also deflected off target, Booles nodded wide from a fine position and two late efforts by the industrious Louis Graham went over the target then across the penalty-box. One Nick Boase clearance struck Magin for Lord to grab and another fine block by Leivers prevented Magin from scoring a deserved goal. There was much verbal encouragement and general comment made by Day, who kept his team on the course to victory which they deserved on the afternoon. Noah Tanner was busy, Spencer-Smith anchored much of the midfield work and Graham to his credit was generally looking to pass the ball. Clymo worked the right flank with some pace but Magin was certainly the fulcrum for Saints.  

RAPSEY AVOIDS A SECOND HANDSHAKE WITH DAY...

SPURRIER: "CAN YOU GUESS WHICH FILM THIS IS, REF? THREE WORDS..."

MAGIN IS 7 BUT WAS LISTED AS 9.
I RECOGNISED HIS HAIR, THOUGH...

Penryn could point to strong efforts by their defenders, Russ May, Shaw, Leivers and Boase but although Reeve threatened a few times, the attack was blunted on the day, often BY Day, alongside Alfie Turner and the splendid Barry…

YOU THOUGHT I WAS JOKING ABOUT THE UNDULATIONS...

A SCUFFLE ON THE PLATFORM...

MAGIN & REGGIE MAY ARE ADMONISHED BY THE HEADTEACHER...

So, well done to St Ives for actually getting a game on grass played but despite the wind-spoilt encounter being fraught, frenetic and far from a classic, those three points would be most welcome for the Saints…

SQUADS:

ST IVES TOWN:

MARTYN HARDING, ALFIE TURNER, IAN HODGES, NOAH TANNER, DAVID BOOLES, JAMES DE SETA, JOSH MAGIN, MATT SPENCER-SMITH, MAX CLYMO, LOUIS GRAHAM, JOE DAY (CAPT), SAM SPURRIER, ANT CORNISH, SIMON STEVENS, ANDY BARRY.

PENRYN ATHLETIC:

DAN LORD, JAKE SHAW, BRAD LEIVERS, ANDREW DAVEY, ED ROWE, RUSS MAY (CAPT), RYAN REEVE, HARRY POPE, JACK RAPSEY, REGGIE MAY, LEWIS PELLOW, LUKE OSBORNE, NICK BOASE, KEGAN MCPHILBIN, HARRY ROBERTS, GLEN PATTERSON.