ST DAY 2, PENZANCE 1

On Boxing Day 2024, Penzance levelled deep into added time to deny St Day a victory. Fast forward twelve months and it was the turn of the Saints to plunder a game-changing goal in the penultimate minute of the additional period writes James Wright. Under pressure from Jago Taylor, Josh Turner diverted a Brodie Kemp centre into his own net. They say things even themselves out in football but try convincing Harry Salmon, the young keeper being unfortunate enough to concede both those goals having swapped clubs in the summer.

Taylor was the first to threaten, seeing a shot from twenty yards out safely pouched. Penzance’s first opening came when striker Charlie Young beat Michael Palmer to a long hoof, nodding the ball over the onrushing keeper but seeing home captain Luke Hart get back to clear the ball off the line. Jacob Trudgeon (twice) and Lewis Caspall both went close for Penzance whilst, at the other end, Ewan Trevains bravely blocked a Josh Margetts shot. The best opportunity of the half fell to the visitors when Silas Sullivan ghosted in unmarked at the far post to meet a Charlie Willis corner, but saw his header well saved by Palmer.

The Magpies also made a bright start to the second period, Turner seeing a shot smothered behind for a corner. Tyler Tonkin blocked a Kemp effort at the other end, but chances were at a premium until St Day substitute Charlie Rogers broke the deadlock ten minutes from time, hooking a shot inside Salmon’s far post after Penzance had failed to adequately clear a corner.

The goal triggered a frenzied finale. With a glancing header, Wade Brown, was inches away from levelling within a minute. The equaliser arrived when Willis and Sullivan repeated their first half corner duet, with Palmer this time getting nowhere near the latter’s header.

So it was down to Kemp, on his season’s debut for St Day, to set up the winner with an exhilarating burst down the left and a centre to match – no blame could be attached to unfortunate defender Turner. There was still time for one last chance to fall to Brown but Ben West, another substitute, saved the day with a perfectly timed last ditch tackle.

“We’ve played them three times with me as manager, and we’ve got one point,” rued Penzance boss Mark Vercesi. “There are no excuses for us to hold on to, we just were not good enough. St Day were the better team throughout. We didn’t have many chances, they didn’t have many chances so it just came down to who wanted it more, and personally I think they wanted it more than we did.”.

St Day: Michael Palmer, Ben Williams, Alfie Young, Luke Hart (captain), Gareth Ireson, Jago Taylor, Jacob Cleverly, Archie Carter, Josh Margett, Matthew Stephens, Brodie Kemp.

Subs: Charlie Rogers, Ben West, Tyler Oliver, Rhys Mitchell

Penzance: Harry Salmon, Archie Reynolds, Josh Turner, Silas Sullivan,  Tyler Tonkin (captain), Ewan Trevains, George Molcher (Sam Young 65), Jacob Trudgeon (Wade Brown 65), Charlie Willis, Charlie Young, Lewis Caspall (Ollie Butler 84).

Unused subs: Rohan Bennetts, Mikey Flores

Referee: Lewis Cook

Assistants: Julian Cook, Stuart Bowden

Cover photo courtesy of James Wright