Penzance were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Wadebridge Town after a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer denied them all three points writes James Hall.
A second-half Charlie Young penalty looked to have secured victory for the Magpies, but relentless late pressure from the hosts saw Kyle Flew bundle home in the 20th minute of added time.
The first half was a cagey affair, with neither side able to gain real control. Curtis Smith had a half-chance for Penzance, while Jude Tripconey went closest for Wadebridge in a scrappy opening 45 minutes. The most promising moment came when Charlie Willis showed a flash of quality, skipping past a defender before threading Jacob Trudgeon through on goal, only for the Wadebridge defence to scramble it behind for a corner.
Penzance made their first change on 70 minutes, with Ewan Trevains replacing Smith as they searched for a breakthrough. That moment arrived eight minutes later in controversial fashion. A Wadebridge handball in the box saw the referee point to the spot, and Young made no mistake, confidently dispatching his penalty to put the home side ahead.
The closing stages saw a lengthy delay after Penzance goalkeeper Mikey Flores suffered a shoulder injury in the 88th minute, with play paused for nearly ten minutes. Soon after, Wadebridge’s Brad Rowe went down with a nasty injury, leading to another lengthy stoppage as he was eventually carried from the pitch.
Despite only four minutes being initially added, the extended delays pushed the clock well beyond the 110-minute mark. Penzance introduced Ollie Butler for Trudgeon in the 15th minute of stoppage time to help see out the game, but Wadebridge kept pushing forward. Their persistence paid off when Flew forced the ball over the line in the 120th minute, deep into the additional time, leaving the Magpies frustrated at the final whistle.
Penzance Manager, Mark Vercesi speaks to James Wright following the draw at Penlee Park.
Penzance: Mikey FLORES, Archie REYNOLDS, Kameron COLLINS, Sam YOUNG, Chris WORMINGTON, Ben PALMER, Jacob TRUDGEON (Ollie BUTLER 90+15’), Charlie WILLIS, Charlie YOUNG, Curtis SMITH (Ewan TREVAINS 70’), Silas SULLIVAN (c).
Unused subs: Bernardo BRAGA, Mark VERCESI, Alfie TURNER.
Wadebridge Town: Rob ROSEVEAR, Tom HARRIS, Sam GERKEN (c), Brad ROWE, Harry HOPCROFT, Tom McLACHLAN, James HAMSON, Greg EASTMAN, Kyle FLEW, Jude TRIPCONEY, Jacob SMALE.
Subs: Matt LLOYD, Connor MEWTON.
Referee: Andrew Barnett
Assistants: Neil Rudkin, Jack Jeffrey
Attendance: 178
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