The mild weather offered a welcome contrast to Tuesday night’s deluge as Bridgwater United arrived for their second Cornish journey in a week. With Owen Howe suspended and Josh Ford returning to the defensive line, The Robins sought to build on their excellent midweek point at Paulton.
FIRST HALF
Bridgwater were very quick out of the blocks, immediately seizing control of proceedings. Kyle Tooze was presented with a good early opportunity after a world-class ball from Billy Tucker over the top of the St Blazey defence, but the shot was scuffed wide.
Minutes later, Steve Walker found himself unmarked from a corner but couldn’t direct his header on target from close range. Two golden chances gone begging, and on another day, The Robins might have been two goals to the good inside the opening exchanges.
The bright start received its deserved reward in the 20th minute. Tooze, who had been lively from the outset, produced a moment of individual brilliance on the left side of the penalty area. Cutting inside onto his right foot, he unleashed a curling effort that kissed the inside of the far post before nestling in the net. It was a finish of real quality that gave Bridgwater the lead.
St Blazey responded well to falling behind. The hosts began to exploit space on the counter-attack, breaking with purpose and stretching the Bridgwater defence multiple times.
In the 25th minute, they came within a whisker of equalising. A pinpoint cross found a St Blazey attacker whose powerful header appeared destined for the net until Louis Smith produced an outstanding reflex save, similar to his heroic stop against Oldland earlier in the season.
St Blazey continued to grow into the contest, and their pressure eventually told. A long ball wasn’t dealt with by the Bridgwater backline, allowing Harry Probyn to race through on goal and calmly slot past Smith for the equaliser.
The momentum had shifted entirely by now, and St Blazey added another deserved goal just before half-time. A long throw-in was flicked to the back post, where Callum McGhee had the simple task of tapping home from close range.
HALF TIME: ST BLAZEY 2-1 BRIDGWATER UNITED
The first period had been a contrasting tale. Bridgwater’s bright opening should have yielded more than Tooze’s excellent strike, but those early missed opportunities were missed, and St Blazey, after weathering the early storm, had grown in confidence and looked dangerous every time they broke forward.
SECOND HALF
The opening twenty minutes of the second half offered little in the way of excitement. St Blazey dropped deeper to protect their advantage, while Bridgwater enjoyed plenty of possession without creating clear openings.
Just as The Robins were looking to build some sustained pressure, they conceded a third. A swift passing move carved open the Bridgwater defence, allowing Harry Probyn to round Louis Smith before rolling the ball in for his second of the game. At 3-1, the hosts had the cushion they deserved.
Bridgwater’s task became one of increasing desperation as they sought a route back into the contest. They committed men forward and frequently went direct, but the St Blazey defence stood firm.
Even when the hosts were reduced to ten men following a late challenge on Walker, Bridgwater couldn’t capitalise on their numerical advantage. Walker had the best chance, another headed opportunity from close range that he couldn’t convert.
St Blazey might have added further gloss to the scoreline when they broke clear once more in the last seconds, but the Probyn, seeking his hat-trick, blazed over with just Smith to beat.
FULL TIME: ST BLAZEY 3-1 BRIDGWATER UNITED
As the referee’s whistle signalled the end, there could be few complaints about the outcome. Despite their excellent start and Tooze’s wonderful strike, Bridgwater had been punished for not converting early dominance into a more substantial lead.
St Blazey’s victory was built on clinical finishing and effective counter-attacking, as they made the most of their opportunities while The Robins were left to rue what might have been had those early chances been converted. In truth, the Reds will be unhappy with their defending and not creating enough, especially with the man advantage.
Attention now turns quickly to next Saturday’s home fixture against in-form Torpoint Athletic on November 15th.
Thank you to all who made the long journey to Cornwall to support us.
#WeAreUnited
