
As evenings go, Penzance’s Charlie Young has surely experienced less eventful ones. The marquee Magpies summer signing rescued the night for both teams and the large crowd by deploying his day-job skills to fix the Penlee Park lights which failed at half-time, then fired his new side into the lead. But, by the end of the game, the electrician may have wished he had kept the tools firmly locked in his van. Young was dismissed following an altercation with Joe Chapman, the straight red card meaning he will miss three crucial upcoming matches.
A cagey opening half offered few clues as to how the match would fire up after the break. Cam Quirke flashed a free-kick just wide of the Penzance goal, and Mikey Flores tipped a viciously swinging Reece Carroll corner on to the cross bar as the visitors marginally shaded it. The floodlights on the main stand side of the pitch first failed as the teams returned to the field after the interval. Illumination was quickly restored and play resumed, but five minutes in they went out again. The players returned to the dressing rooms, and Young worked his magic. After a fifteen minute delay, the match restarted at 9pm.
Attacking the clubhouse end, Penzance enjoyed their best spell. Lewis Caspall sprayed a pass wide to Charlie Willis but, from the midfielder’s centre, Sam Young saw his shot charged down. The midfielder though started the move that led to the opening goal, finding Caspall wide on the left. The latter’s tantalising cross was emphatically forced home by Charlie Young, his sixth goal putting him level with Silas Sullivan at the top of the Penzance seasonal scoring chart.
Had the Magpies stayed in front they would have flown above their opponents and Newquay to the top of the table. However, ambitions of such loftiness were dramatically reassessed after Young’s dismissal. Wendron swarmed all over their hosts in the closing stages. Brodie Kemp headed a deep cross against the woodwork, whilst Ryan Reeve flashed a shot just over following a corner.
Despite all the territorial pressure, it was a counter-attack that resulted in the equaliser. A lightning fast break from a Willis corner concluded with substitute Rio Watson cutting in from the left before tucking a low shot just inside the righthand post – the first goal Penzance have conceded in seven games. Liam Andrew’s late sin-binning further reduced their numbers to nine, but by then they were close enough to the final whistle.
The draw extends Penzance’s unbeaten run to eleven games, and sends Wendron top on goal difference. The 204 crowd left fully entertained despite the unscheduled interludes.
CHEESY CHATS: The thoughts of manager, Mark Vercesi after last night's 1-1 draw with Wendron United in the Walter C Parson Peninsula League.
Penzance: Penzance: Mikey Flores, Archie Reynolds, Chris Wormington (Kam Collins 70), Liam Andrew, Tyler Tonkin (captain), Sam Young (Jude Tripconey 82), Silas Sullivan (James Butler 75), Charlie Willis, Charlie Young, Curtis Smith (Jacob Trudgeon 62), Lewis Caspall. Unused sub: Ryan Townson
Wendron: Zach Telling, Logan Taylor, Reece Carroll, Sam Fisher, Russell May (captain), Joe Chapman, Ryan Reeve, Seb Hobbs, Brodie Kemp, Cam Quirke, Josh Wood. Subs: Kristof Muller, Bryan Scoffin, Rio Watson, Tiernan Bertrand, Dom Scoffin
Referee: Timothy Burley
Assistants: Neil Rudkin, Ian Pattison
Attendance: 204
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