By Kevin Marriott at Underlane

FA VASE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND (SATURDAY)

Wendron United 4 St Blazey 4 (Wendron won 4-2 on pens)

IN A CRACKING tie at Underlane, St Blazey were 4-3 up with 15 minutes to go and all seemed well.

Then goalkeeper Sam Borthwick was forced off with a bad leg injury and, with no keeper on the bench, midfield man Ryan Downing went between the sticks.

Wendron saw their chance, piled on the pressure, and made life difficult for the Blazey defence, especially from set pieces.

And from an 88th minute corner, referee Will Annear spotted a foul nobody else saw, and pointed to the penalty spot to set off justifiable protests from the Green and Blacks.

Defender Alfie Wotton, already booked, was shown a second yellow card for dissent, and skipper Will Tinsley was sent to the sin bin for a similar reaction.

Brodie Kemp eventually slid home the spot kick to level the game at 4-4 and suddenly the prospect of a penalty shootout – there is no extra time at this stage of the Vase – loomed large, with Blazey having an outfield player in goal.

Downing saved at Kemp’s feet, but the lottery it was.

Downing took the first penalty, but saw his shot saved by opposite number Zach Telling to give Wendron the perfect start.

Brodie Kemp and Josh Wood scored their spot kicks for the home side either side of Jacob Smith’s successful conversion for Blazey, but then crucially at 2-1 down Sam Clifton’s penalty was saved by Telling.

Callum Bertrand made it 3-1 and although Alfie Fothergill pulled one back for the visitors, Joe Souch only needed to score to secure victory for Wendron, which he duly did.

Wendron had started the game well and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Billy Stone made a deep run to break Blazey’s offside trap and fire low and hard past Borthwick.

But the visitors were level after 25 minutes when Downing’s through ball sent Smith clear and he finished confidently.

After Smith’s shot rolled inches wide of an unguarded net, Blazey did go ahead in the 34th minute when great work and an inch-perfect cross from Downing left Jacob Rowe to finish from six yards.

But Wendron equalised six minutes later with a flowing move which ended with Kemp scoring at the far post from Wood’s cross from the right.

Borthwick denied Seb Hobbs before Kemp headed wide from six yards.

Yet it was Blazey who went in ahead at the break after the ball broke for Rowe on the edge of the penalty area and he made no mistake.

Blazey extended their lead in the 57th minute when Alfie Fothergill found the top corner via a deflection.

But Wendron refused to give up and their skipper, Russell May, was on hand to reduce the arrears with a header on 65 minutes.

It was almost 4-4 after 73 minutes when Kemp was denied by a brilliant save from Borthwick, who aggravated a leg injury, before substitute Kris Muller saw his follow-up shot cleared off the line.

WENDRON UNITED: Zach Telling, Joe Souch, Reece Carroll, Max Roberts, Russell May (Callum Bertrand 75), Joe Chapman, Ryan Reeve, Seb Hobbs, Brodie Kemp, Billy Stone (Kris Muller 66), Josh Wood. Subs not used: Evan Tresidder, Sam Fisher, Josiah Plummer, Rio Watson.

ST BLAZEY: Sam Borthwick (George Newton 75), Will Tinsley, Alfie Wotton, Charlie Hambly, Freddie Walter, Scott Sanders, Jacob Smith, Sam Clifton, Jacob Rowe (Jayden Gilbert 75), Ryan Downing, Alfie Fothergill. Subs not used: Ovo Ememerurai, Eli Evans.

Men of the Match. Wendron – Josh Wood; St Blazey – Jacob Rowe.