Torpoint Athletic 1 Bridgwater United 5

Torpoint Athletic: Jason Peters, Kieron Dyer, Elliot Crawford, Jake Smith, Darren Hicks, John Heveran, Callum Thompson, Lewis Pacey, Thomas Bath, Ryan Richards, Francis Jones.

Bridgwater Utd: Jake Viney, Jordan Greenwood, Jacob Spence, Sam Hedges, Mark Armstrong, Tom Llewellyn (Flynn Smith 74), George King, Sam Towler, Jack Thorne, Ross Edwards, Conor Hartley (Ollie Hebbard 74)

Should there have been a book on the outcome of Tuesday’s remarkable Western League Premier Division game at Torpoint Athletic, they would have sat back and relaxed in the almost certain knowledge that a final score of 1-5 was safe at around 50-1. That relaxed state would have been long gone by the half hour as Dave Pearse’s patched up squad of 13, plus himself, had scored twice, had one disallowed and had three good penalty shouts turned down by referee Ryan Cornelius.

It was stunning stuff by the Robins where left winger Conor Hartley and striker Jack Thorne tore the home defence apart and could easily have had a hat-trick each to go with an own goal and a Mark Armstrong tap in. On a cold Cornish night a ten minute ferry ride from Plymouth, Bridgwater rewarded the dozen or so who made the trip with a gold star performance which banished the negativity of the last few league games and put the title chase back on rails which looked to be fast running out. Travelling without more than half a dozen due to paternal leave, suspensions and injuries and with several playing out of their natural positions, they tore into the home defence with Tom Llewellyn, George King, Sam Towler and Mark Armstrong giving plenty of possession to Hartley and Thorne. After home striker Thom Bath had tested Jake Viney early, Hartley went into overdrive and twice he was brought down in the area in the first five minutes as his raw pace was far too much for a struggling back four but both were waved away. Moments later he broke the offside line but shot at Jason Peters then Thorne got In on the act but scuffed his shot wide. It mattered not as on nine minutes Thorne found himself wide on the left from a Llewellyn pass and his cross was headed over Peters and in by a defender. Three minutes later Thorne was in again and lobbed Peters who clattered him but again referee Cornelius was not interested to the apoplexy of Pearse and crew who were also relieved when the home side had a couple of good shouts themselves in what was a chaotic opening. Viney then came into his own with an acrobatic flick over from skipper Darren Hicks’ close range volley before at the other end Sam Towler won a challenge with Peters and netted but again the Robins’ luck was out as it was ruled out for a foul.

Just around the half hour Thorne, King and Hartley all had chances but Hartley finally got his rich reward on 28 minutes when Thorne and King linked up to feed him and he turned and tucked the second away with the minimum of fuss.

Briefly, the old problems surfaced as King was sin-binned and the excellent Sam Hedges was cautioned but once Jake Smith’s cross shot had evaded all and sundry Bridgwater regrouped and yet another superb Hartley cross was flicked on by Thorne and skipper Armstrong rolled in the third to all but kill off the game with a half to go.

Torpoint have the prolific former Saltash United striker Ryan Richards in the attack and he was busy as usual but the back four, with Hedges enjoying a rare start after a long injury battle alongside Ross Edwards, Jordan Greenwood and Jacob Spence coped with all thrown at them until Bath was left alone and after his header had hit a post the rebound was recycled and he almost apologetically scored at the second attempt to make it 3-1. Spence then nodded wide and Thorne had another effort cleared off the line before at the other end Richards had a shot disallowed for offside with the away contingent twitching just slightly, possibly remembering the 3-3 draw with Millbrook just up the road last season when Bridgy were 3-0 down at the break but somehow took a point back to Fairfax Park.

The fears were soon banished as Thorne brilliantly countered and scored with a clinical finish then five minutes later he again got clear off a dispirited defence and left Peters with no chance to round off a superb performance. Pearse then gave a debut to young student Flynn Smith and the patient Ollie Hebbard also got in on the act as what remains of the squad gear themselves up for Ascot United in the Vase on Saturday who arrive as favourites for the competition. Another performance to match this one may see the bookies clean up at Wembley.

Competition: Western League Premier Division

Date: Feb 7 2023

Venue: Mill Road

Attendance: 152

Man of the match: Conor Hartley

Referee: Ryan Cornelius

Assistants: Nathan Vine and Sean Rothwell