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Promoted second teamer Scott Daley celebrated his Peninsula debut with a last gasp equaliser to earn the hard-working Foxes a deserved point after Griffin's challenge on Peters from Ryan Holland's huge drop-kick had fallen kindly. The visiting keeper had been the busier in the second half, fielding Griffin's shot on the turn and a goal-bound lob from the Foxes' lone striker before brilliantly pushing aside Stephen's flick header and fingertipping Stone's thunderous drive around the post. Stone may also have done better when slow to react to a goalmouth scramble, allowing Howlett to block, while Stephen was unfortunate with a header which flew narrowly over.
To be fair, Penryn too had created a number of opportunities in each half, Richardson squandering the first inside three minutes from Sims' inviting centre. However, shortly after Trudgeon's curling free-kick had floated just wide, the returning midfielder's eighth-minute volley had been parried by Peters for Griffin to tap home the opener, the marine almost doubling his tally immediately with an effort which flashed wide. Taking advantage of slack defending by Stephen and Stone, both Wearne and Sims ought to have levelled within seconds of each other midway through the half, while an attempt from Streat was deflected over by Faircloth as the Kernick Road outfit's greater fluency in the key midfield area looked to be paying dividends, although both Spaul and Griffin were to try their luck fruitlessly in increasingly rare counter-attacks.
Penryn's equaliser from Streat once he'd been sent clear by Richardson's telling ball inside sixty seconds of the restart had therefore definitely been coming. Davis soon released Sims but the winger's inability to test Holland was typical of the misfiring visitors, illustrated again on seventy-one minutes when McLean's cross was tamely side-footed wide by Richardson. But with Peters performing wonders at the other end, it was somewhat against the run of play when Penryn went ahead thirteen minutes from time, Davis' mishit cross hoodwinking the wrongfooted Holland to sneak in at the near post. Davis should have sealed the victory on two occasions, but was unable to fully capitalise on the greater space afforded him as the Foxes strove valiantly for a point, a feat ultimately achieved deep into injury-time courtesy of Daley's late goal.
Foxhole (4-5-1): Ryan Holland; Joe Stone, Richard Faircloth, Adam Holland, Ryan Stephen; Scott Daley, Ben Spaul, Adam Trudgian, Jaydon Gotthardt, Adam Gamble (sub. Pete May); Richard Griffin.
Penryn (4-3-3): Jason Peters; Dave Blizzard, Pete McLean, Ben Oliver, Hugh Howlett; Tom Whipp, Dan Richardson, Liam Streat; Kirk Davis, Rob Wearne (sub. Greg Hobbs), Josh Sims (Tom Annear).
Referee: Mr Kevin Knowles (Penryn). |
