By Kevin Marriott

WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

St Blazey 1 Clevedon Town 0

A WEEK after conceding seven goals at rock bottom Welton Rovers, St Blazey kept a clean sheet and beat leaders Clevedon with a last minute penalty at Blaise Park on Saturday.

If you can make any sense of that, you’re a better man than me!

Callum McGhee, who returned to the club in midweek from Bodmin Town, kept his cool to slot the spot-kick home after substitute Ross Willcock had been tripped after keeper James Dunn kept out substitute Tom Hensman’s shot.

It was a fantastic result for Blazey, who are battling to stay in the Western League, now only three points behind Ilfracombe and safety. This result ended a run of six straight league defeats in which they conceded 26 goals.

For Clevedon, it’s their turn to bounce back after only their third league defeat of the season, coming after eight successive wins.

The last time they failed to score in a league game was on July 30 last year in a 3-0 defeat at Shepton Mallet.

The Green and Blacks were, by their own admission, shambolic in the 7-4 defeat at Welton but they used their training session in midweek to sort things out and come up with a plan to stop free-scoring Clevedon.

Coach Mark Carter said: “What a difference a week can make in football. After last week we went away and regrouped on and off the field. We needed to address the reasons for why we kept on conceding cheap goals.

“After a positive training session in the week, we changed the tactics and came up with a game plan for a tough opponent.

“The boys executed the plan superbly. Including the substitutes that came on.

“We will now keep the momentum moving forward into the next game, and keep believing that we will get out of the poor situation we have put ourselves in.”

In an even first half, Clevedon’s strong start tested the Blazey defence but Tom Cavanagh, returning after suspension, was a rock in central defence in front of 17-year-old keeper Jack Hicks, who was outstanding.

The best Blazey chances in the opening half fell to Alfie Fothergill and George Newton but their shots were wide of the target.

Clevedon came close to breaking the deadlock after 62 minutes when Freddie King headed against the post after connecting with Oscar Bridgman’s cross.

The visitors threatened again in the 85th minute when Harrison Kyte fired a shot past keeper Hicks but watched in anguish as his effort flew wide of the post.

But then came McGhee’s spot kick which gave the home side something to hold on for in the 10 minutes of time added on.

Blazey have another two home games in their next two fixtures to try to build on this excellent result. Brislington (15th) are the visitors on Saturday, February 15 with fifth-placed Barnstaple due at Blaise Park on Wednesday, February 19.

ST BLAZEY: Jack Hicks, Will Tinsley (capt, Tom Crowe, 58), Tom Strike, Charlie Hambly, Tom Cavanagh, CallumMcGhee (Ben Rowe, 90+2), Alfie Fothergill (Tom Hensman, 70), Sam Clifton, Jacob Rowe (Ross Willcock, 80), George Newton (Charlie Menearm 80), Mark Wilson.

St Blazey man of the match: Tom Cavanagh.