Tavistock AFC 2 – 6 Plymouth Parkway
The Lambs were without Andy Sargent and Michael Landricombe and Dave Hallett, not fully recovered from injury, was only able to take a position on the bench.
It was ex-Tavistock player Glyn Hobbs who was the star of the show with an irrepressible performance, notching up four goals.
The game got off to a furious start, with both sides playing some good football, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the ninth minute when Hobbs shrugged off a challenge from John James to fire home from ten yards. The visitors took control and dominated the next passage of play. Lee Doel, Hobbs and Sam Chitty all went close as the home goal fell under siege.
The home side were only having rare excursions into the Parkway defence and when they managed to create a chance they failed to test the ‘keeper. To make things worse for the home team they lost the services of the impressive Jarryd Kelly, with an ankle injury in the 20th minute, which saw the return of Dan Pethick from suspension.
Pethick was soon into the thick of things and in the 37th minute, after a great challenge from Jamie Ahearn, the ball fell to Pethick and he produced a fine run and clinical finish, low into the corner of the net from the angle of the penalty area.
This stirred Parkway and they restored their lead before the interval following some really poor marking by the home team from a corner kick, with the ball falling to the unmarked John Heveran who turned in the box and slot home from six yards.
The visitors increased their lead in the second minute of the second half when Hobbs notched his second after a penetrating run where he was once again given too much space by the Lambs’ defence. Both John Wyatt and Dan Pethick had good efforts well saved by the visitors’ ‘keeper, but any thoughts of a comeback by the Lambs were dashed when Paul Heveran fired home his second from the angle of the penalty area to put Parkway 4-1 up.
Hobbs then went on to complete his hat-trick with a fine run and finish giving Dean Smith no chance, before the home team managed to reduce the arrears, when a good move between John Wyatt and Dan Pethick resulted in Wyatt firing home a tremendous shot which whistled into the Parkway goal.
But it was Hobbs with a solo effort who had the final say when he scored his fourth in the third minute of time added on, to complete a brilliant individual performance.
Although they were not at full strength it was still a very disappointing performance by the Lambs.
Parkway looked sharper all over the pitch, as they pressed the player in possession, causing the home team to make several mistakes. On the other hand, when Parkway had the ball, the home team did not exert the same pressure, which allowed the opposition to play a free-flowing, passing game.
This game is now history and Tavistock will have to better prepared for Saturday’s game against Plymstock United in the Throgmorton League Cup.
Match Report: Derek Pethick.
