By Kevin Marriott
WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (SATURDAY)
St Blazey 4 Ilfracombe Town 1
AFTER three successive defeats, Lee Denton tasted victory for the first time as St Blazey manager with an impressive performance to beat Ilfracombe Town.
Top scorer Jacob Rowe helped himself to a hat-trick, which included two penalties, and Tom Hensman also got himself a goal.
Aidan Barrow had given the visitors a 14th minute lead but Hensman equalised seven minutes later and Rowe put Blazey ahead for the first time four minutes before half-time.
Five minutes into the second half Rowe despatched his first spot kick after the pacy George Newton had been fouled, to make it 3-1 and completed the scoring 10 minutes from time.
Denton said: “We had a couple of new signings making their debuts on Saturday with Tom Crowe and Camron McCabe in defence, and we changed the formation to a 4-4-2.
“We were a bit slow starting with the team finding the new formation and the new signings looked a little nervous, and we fell asleep and allowed Ilfracombe to score.
“But we settled and started to play some good football, getting the ball to our forwards, where George Newton put a lovely cross in for Tom to slot away nicely.
“We seemed to grow into the game and not long before half-time we took the lead from a shot which Jacob diverted into the bottom corner.”
Blazey face a long trip to Clevedon Town on Saturday.
ST BLAZEY: Ben Whiting, Will Tinsley (capt), Tom Crowe, Tom Cavanagh, Camron McCabe, Dan Carne (Darryl Richards 61), Tom Strike, Sam Clifton, Jacob Rowe (Mark Wilson 83), Tom Hensman (Jayden Gilbert 72), George Newton.
Wellington 0 St Austell 1
IT WAS a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man as striker Adam Carter headed St Austell’s winner at mid-table Wellington on Saturday.
Carter’s close range bullet header from a corner was enough to give the Lillywhites all three points against the odds.
They had to play with 10 men after a red card harshly handed out to Olly Brokenshire for a foul on Jordan Hayman eight minutes before half-time left them up against it.
But they responded brilliantly and manager Chris Knight was delighted with his team.
He said: “It was a fantastic win at a very hard place to get anything and to make it even harder we had 10 men for an hour!
“I’m not one to ever moan about decisions as they usually even themselves out but it was an absolute shocker – when you’ve got their whole management team shaking their heads at it you know it’s a bad one.
“Ironically it galvanised us though and to say I was proud to be the manager of that team on Saturday would be an understatement.
“What a shift they put in to a man, subs, coaching staff, supporters , it was brilliant.”
He went on: “We had the strongest squad we’ve had for months with three fantastic players on the bench but as is always the way with these things no defenders so Henry Wilson went back in there and what a performance he gave.
“It’s impossible to single lads out as genuinely they were all 10 out of 10 but a special mention to our goalkeeper Andy Collings, who made three unbelievable saves.”
This Saturday the Lillywhites welcome leaders Brixham to Poltair Park (3pm) and travel to neighbours St Blazey on Boxing Day (11am).
ST AUSTELL: Andy Collings, Jake Shaw, Martyn Duff, Tom Whipp, Olly Brokenshire, Henry Wilson, Neil Slateford (capt), Matt Searle (Liam Eddy), Adam Carter, George Marris (Callum Watson), Kieron Bishop (Ryan Downing).