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Foxhole played their get out of jail card by somehow escaping Bodieve with a point thanks to Adam Trudgian's penalty after he'd been knocked over by a needless push in the back. The foul had been committed by the otherwise commanding Cook, who had spent the previous eighty-eight minutes calmly heading away long balls aimed in the general direction of Griffin as the toothless Foxes tried in vain to pierce the massed ranks of deep-lying red shirts whenever possession had been relinquished, save for a moment of brilliance from Gotthardt.
Wadebridge settled the quicker and created the first opportunity inside eight minutes but Nathan Cudmore was unable to beat Ryan Holland from ten yards. The home team, with May looking sharp on the wing, continued to play the more assured football but it was the visitors' more direct approach which provided the goalmouth incident. Griffin on four separate occasions threatened to open the scoring, twice with headers, one of which Vercoe did well to tip over, and twice with thunderous shots which flew past the upright. Adam Holland, too, went close with a flashing header from Rundle's inswinging corner, but the nearest to a goal came from Gotthardt's cross cum shot, which the back-tracking Vercoe scrambled away before hitting his head on the post.
The half hour mark signalled the end to Foxhole's best spell of the match, and they were soon to fall behind. The referee failed to spot a blatant shove by Cook on Griffin, allowing the Bridgers to attack down their right, James Cudmore's centre being eventually turned home from close range by Jennings. Kempthorne then almost returned to haunt his former team but his finish was weak to a cross from May, whose later caution for dissent was the final act of a half in which the visitors had not done themselves justice.
Gotthardt was thrown forward at the break but the switch to 4-4-2 merely granted the home team's midfield even greater space and time. However, the strangely subdued Foxes hung on grimly, to their credit allowing their more composed opponents just the one clear chance when Jennings raced on to Vercoe's drop kick only to shoot tamely wide. The Cook-Gerken axis appeared rock solid, while the diet of forty-yard balls landing unerringly on the head of grateful defenders alternated unconvincingly with square passes culminating in depressing denouement, so Gotthardt's fine volley to equalise from Cunningham's sixty-fifth minute centre was a real bolt from the blue. Within seconds, though, Jennings had restored the lead, his run beating the offside trap and his fierce drive fooling Holland, who had vacated his near post anticipating a cross for the supporting Stagg, the goal scorer then being booked for injudicious celebrating.
With a quarter of the game remaining, Tony Mackellar gambled by making an immediate triple substitution, but to no great effect. Their mystifying reluctance to feed May notwithstanding, Wadebridge really ought to have clinched victory such was their dominance at this stage, Gerken nodding wide and Oakley clipping the top of the bar with a dipping effort from the edge of the box, while Adam Holland soon saw yellow for a foul on Beesley. However the current Foxes outfit is at least resilient and the fact they were able to steal a point a second time from the same opposition this season reflects well on the team, although they were nevertheless indebted to replacement Poole straying offside at the death. The linesman's decision did not meet with the wholehearted agreement of Avery, whose late caution for voicing his displeasure provided amusing entertainment to the relieved travelling faithful.
Foxhole (4-5-1): Ryan Holland; Richard Faircloth, Ben Thomas, Ryan Stephen, Adam Holland; Jaydon Gotthardt, Shaun Cunningham (sub. Jamie Coates), Aydan Rundle (sub. Ryan Wilkins), Ben Spaul (sub. Adam Fieldhouse), Adam Trudgian; Richard Griffin.
Wadebridge (4-4-2): Tom Vercoe; James Cudmore, James Avery, Sam Gerken, Martin Cook; Michael Kempthorne, Jon May, Dayll Beesley, Nathan Cudmore; Severiano Catindig-Stagg (sub. James Oakley), Daniel Jennings (sub. Simon Poole). |
