An absolute “worldie”, and two goals in just over a minute during a blistering start to the second half, saw Penzance to a noteworthy victory over high-flying Dobwalls at Penlee Park.
The Magpies were missing four players – Mark Vercesi, Darry Richards, Kizzy Snowden and Max Everard – and for the first ten minutes looked to be in for a torrid afternoon as the visitors penned them into their own half. But the storm was weathered and, as they started to find their feet, Penzance created chances of their own.
Liam Andrew was just unable to connect cleanly with a corner from Kevin Lawrence, one of the players drafted back into the starting line-up to cover for the absences. Rolandos Samnauskas flashed a shot just wide and Jacob Trudgeon stretched Paul Thompson to a brilliant save whilst, at the other end, Will Trenoweth pulled off great saves to deny first Joe Cook then Jake Anderson.
Penzance broke the deadlock six minutes before the interval with a strong contender for goal of the season. A Lawrence corner was cleared only as far as left-back Cam McCabe who muscled off his marker CJ Pritchard before dipping a brilliant shot into Thompson’s top left hand corner from over twenty yards out.
The lead did not survive until the break – Will Trenoweth unluckily diverted a Kirk Smith corner into his own net – but Penzance came out after the restart to stamp their authority on proceedings. An aggressive burst down the left by McCabe set up Nathaniel West who was denied by a superb save with Trudgeon just unable to convert the rebound. The Magpies were not to be denied though and, after 54 minutes, Silas Sullivan ghosted unmarked on to a Lawrence free-kick, whipped to the near post, to bundle the ball home.
Just over a minute later the irrepressible Lawrence lofted a long clearance over the Dobwalls back-line allowing West, whose powerful presence troubled the opposition all afternoon, to beat the onrushing Thompson to the ball and lob home his first goal for Penzance.
The Magpies had still well over half an hour to hold out but, despite Dobwalls making five changes and giving it all they could, this they did with relative serenity. Young Reserve players Haidar Fadli and Kai Baxter were given brief runs at the close, the latter thus making his debut, as Penzance eased to a welcome first win since early November.
Penzance: Will Trenoweth, Archie Reynolds, Cam McCabe, Kevin Lawrence, Liam Andrew, Tyler Tonkin (captain), Silas Sullivan, Jacob Trudgeon (Haidar Fadli 89), Kam Collins (Jordan Daniell 86), Rolandos Samnauskas (Kai Baxter 82), Nathaniel West (Alfie Hicks 68). Unused sub: Ryan Andrew
Dobwalls: Paul Thompson, Hayden Baugh (Oscar Larrieu Price 63), Kirk Smith, Joe Eke (Brannon Roberts 63), Matt Thackeray, Joe Cook, CJ Pritchard (Kelvin Fyneboy 55), Jordan Hogan, Ian Thomas (Jordan Inwood 55), Charlie Castlehouse, Jake Anderson (TJ Marshall 75)
Referee: Josh Eyre
Watch: The stream from this match (kindly sponsored by Antony Handyman and Ashley Waters - Painter & Decorator) is available to watch via our Facebook Page.