Penzance were unable to capitalise on a blistering start as they fell at the first stage of the Walter C Parson Cup to newly promoted Truro City Reserves.
With barely thirty second on the clock, Oscar Massey wriggled clear down the left before cutting the ball back to Charlie Willis. The young midfielder, on his home debut after joining from Mousehole, in turn cushioned a pass into the path of Kam Collins who ripped a thunderous shot into the top right-hand corner of Truro’s net.
Three minutes later, Willis chalked up a second assist. He set up Jacob Trudgeon to beat visiting keeper Morgan Jones low to his right with a hit as sweet as that of Collins, and Penzance looked to be cruising into the Second Round.
Former Magpie Josh Turner saw a shot deflected over the bar, but Penzance seemed in little peril until Taylor McNally stabbed the ball home from close range four minutes before the break after the home defence had failed to clear their lines. Within two minutes, the tie was all square. Ben Shaw beat Will Trenoweth, deputising for the rested Mikey Flores, to a lofted through pass. The striker nodded the ball over the keeper and was able to hold off the covering Mark Vercesi and follow it into the net.
With the momentum, Truro dominated the second half against a Penzance side missing captain Tyler Tonkin, regular right-right Archie Reynolds and influential midfielder Frazer Cadman. They deservedly took the lead fifteen minutes from time when Shaw fed a pass on to the run of Josh Marcelis, and the substitute beat Trenoweth with a fine left-foot strike.
Penzance’s best move saw Massey set up Rolandos Samnauskas, but the latter’s shot on the turn was well blocked by Jones. The visiting custodian denied Trudgeon with a sprawling save to his left and, after they had successfully defended the resultant corner, City made the game safe in injury-time. Marcelis made another forceful burst that was curtailed by a foul by Ollie Butler, on for Willis. Marcelis took the penalty himself, emphatically securing for his team a Second Round trip to Callington Town.
Penzance: Will Trenoweth, Gary Matthews (Dyan Walter 86), Alfie Turner (Freddie Neaum 90), Mark Vercesi, Lewis Hitchens (Silas Sullivan 74), Charlie Willis (Ollie Butler 76), Jacob Trudgeon, Kameron Collins, Rolandos Samnauskas, Oscar Massey, Michael Fitchett (Kevin Lawrence 69)
Truro: Morgan Jones, James Edlin, Josh Turner, Eagan Fabby, Ollie Patterson, Lawson Turpin, Teddy Horton, Taylor McNally, Ben Shaw, Regan Hull, Gabriel Turpin. Subs: Fin Harrison, Josh Marcelis, Jack Carron, Matthew Walker, Freddie Veal
Referee: Mike Halford
Assistants: Max Davies, Tom Milburn
Attendance: 135