Senior Cup cracker at Mount Wise

Newquay 3 Bodmin Town 4 (after extra time)

Bodmin are through to the Cornwall Senior Cup semi-finals – but they were forced to dig incredibly deep to see off an excellent young Newquay side in a titanic quarter-final at Mount Wise.

The tie had everything – goals, glaring misses, fine saves, shots crashing against the woodwork, yellow cards and a red card for Newquay’s Liam Ames which left the home side to play 42 minutes with ten men.

Quite how Bodmin finished the game with ten men was something perhaps only referee Stuart Kane can explain. For most people in the ground, Sam Hillson’s trip which ended Jordan Annear’s run towards goal, only a minute before Ames’s dismissal, was a red card offence.

Mr Kane argued that Hillson was not the last man, with Steve Simmonds providing cover, but young Annear’s pace was taking him past Simmonds as Hillson struck.

At the time of these incidents, Newquay were 3-2 ahead and with all 11 on the field they just might have fancied their chances of holding on for a famous victory.

As it was, substitute Lewis Tasker equalised seven minutes from time and Adam Carter fired what turned out to be the winner ten minutes into the first period of extra time.

Newquay’s young team were dead on their feet – but they were deservedly applauded off the field at the end for a fantastic effort, having given one of the best teams in the county an almighty scare.

Bodmin were made to pay for a lacklustre start to the tie when Luke Weldhen fired the home side ahead in the 24th minute, collecting a pass with his back to goal and then whipping a fierce volley past Kevin Miller into the far corner of the net.

Andrew Neal, who saw a chipped effort cleared off the line in the 31st minute, equalised two minutes before half-time but Newquay almost regained the lead a minute later with Jordan Annear crashing a volley against the bar.

Bodmin had to improve in the second half and they did for a while, as a period of pressure culminated in Carter firing them into a 2-1 lead in the 61st minute after a through ball from Neal.

But if they thought it was going to be plain sailing from that point, they were wrong as two Newquay goals in two minutes sparked wild celebrations around Mount Wise.

Weldhen equalised in the 66th minute with a classy close range finish after young winger Louis Price had done brilliantly to force in a cross from the byline on the left.

And a minute later Jordan Annear, given too much space 25 yards out, decided to try his luck and the bobble as he hit his shot sent the ball spinning over Miller into the net to put the Peppermints 3-2 up.

The drama continued with Bodmin substitute Shane Krac smashing a brilliant shot against the post before the yellow-red card incidents which defined the outcome.

And as if we hadn’t seen enough incredible action, Neal, who has been scoring for fun for Bodmin this season, produced surely the miss of the season in the 82nd minute.

Collecting a pass inside the penalty area, he sidestepped goalkeeper Tom Vercoe on his left before steadying himself in front of an empty net. Only one outcome, surely . . .

But the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League’s leading goal scorer contrived to lift the ball high over the bar. Yes he did – I saw it with my own eyes.

Fortunately for Bodmin, it took only a minute longer for recent signing Tasker to equalise with a shot which squirmed under the body of Vercoe, so into an extra 30 minutes we went.

Clearly, ten-man Newquay were knackered. Somehow they picked themselves up to start extra time in some sort of order, but Bodmin moved in for the kill.

That it took ten minutes for Carter to force home the winner – albeit after an excellent initial save from Vercoe – said it all about Newquay’s fantastic spirit.

And when you see a team as good as Bodmin desperately trying to keep the ball in the corners in the dying minutes, you know you’ve done a good night’s work.

No reward for Newquay in terms of the result but a fantastic effort and an experience they should use to see them through the remainder of their league season.

For Bodmin, they will have to play better than this to beat Helston Athletic in the semi-final, back at Newquay next Tuesday, March 1st (7.30). But maybe they have just survived this season’s banana skin – by the skin of their teeth.

The other Senior Cup semi-final between holders AFC St Austell and runners-up Godolphin Atlantic takes place at Blaise Park, St Blazey, next Wednesday, March 2nd.

Bodmin: K Miller, S Hillson, L Bevan, T Chambers (L Tasker 52), S Simmonds, E Palmer, J Dingle (S Krac 62), R Allen, A Carter, A Neal, S Matthews. Sub not used: D Gilbert.

Goals: Neal (43), Carter (61 & 100), Tasker (83).

Yellow cards: Allen (36), Hillson (77).

Newquay: T Vercoe, A Ahearn (H Morgan 91), C Jamieson, J Mcardie, T Annear, H Pluses, J Bray-Evans, L Ames, L Weldhen, J Annear (S Middleton 106), L Price.

Goals: Weldhen (24 & 66), J Annear (67).

Yellow cards: Ames (36 & 78), Weldhen (45), T Annear (110).

Referee: Stuart Kane.

Marriott Man of the Match: River Allen – took the game by the scruff of the neck in the late stages and proved the difference.

Footnote: The programme for the game listed linesman Steve Nute as Darren Gilbert’s assistant manager. Now that I would like to see!