Penzance moved into the top half of the table, and recorded a first clean sheet of the season, with an impressive victory over Sticker on a rainy afternoon at Penlee Park.
With the holiday and cricket seasons over, and only Kevin Lawrence injured, Ashley Waters had at his disposal a full strength side. Striker Oscar Massey was moved out to the left flank with Michael Fitchett deployed down the middle, and the switch yielded immediate rewards with the centre forward in the thick of the action from off. Fitchett pick-pocketed a defender to set up Charlie Wills for an early shot that Ethan Elwell saved before being denied by the keeper with an effort of his own. Massey was then just off target from two half chances before blasting home the inevitable opener on 16 minutes, a stinging shot which Elwell reached but could not quite divert.
Played in by Kam Collins, Fitchett deservedly notched his first goal of the season just before the half hour mark with a powerful low shot. The striker was then denied a second a few minutes later by a good save. At the other end, Sticker’s best chance of the half came from a free-kick right on the edge of the area, but the defensive wall did its job in blocking Sonny Dover’s effort.
With the visitors reduced to ten men by a sin-binning, Penzance made the game safe shortly after the interval. The defence failed to deal with a centre from the right by Archie Reynolds, and Fitchett controlled the ball neatly before swivelling to drill home his second goal of the afternoon.
Sticker threatened only with a rasping shot from twenty yards out by Dover that Mikey Flores did brilliantly to tip over the bar. Penzance should really have extended the winning margin further, with Fitchett being denied a hat-trick by Elwell when in one-on-one against the keeper, but will be very happy to have ended a run of three games without a win.
Penzance: Mikey Flores, Archie Reynolds, Alfie Turner, Mark Vercesi (Silas Sullivan 53), Tyler Tonkin, Charlie Wills, Jacob Trudgeon, Kameron Collins (Frazer Cadman 73), Rolandos Samnauskas (Ollie Butler 68), Oscar Massey, Michael Fitchett (Alfie Hicks 79). Unused sub: Matt James
Sticker: Ethan Elwell, Connor Cooke, Alex Hamley, Jake Nancarrow, Mickey Rowles-Jane (captain), Keelan England, Sonny Dover, Owen Rosevear, Isaac Varga, Ovo Ememerurai, Josh Margetts. Subs: Lewis Clapham, Dan O’Hara, Jowan Hooper, Rich Edworthy, Alex Johnson
Referee: Nigel Darcy
Assistants: Neil Stephens, Guy Pallet
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