Final Score Stoke Gabriel 1 Truro Reserves 0
Driving out through the lanes I half expected to find the game called off when I got to the ground. Deep puddles and mud all over the road and the rain falling very heavily from the sky. So I was very surprised to see a very perfect pitch that did not have one single puddle on it, but then I think as the pitch has been on the hard side, any rain has just run off it.
It was good to see a few of my Buckland mates over from Homers Heath to watch the game and as always thanks to Tom for writing down all the players’ names and number for me. There was no programme produced for this match which was a bit of a shame, but I believe the man who does the programme was away on holiday and there is no requirement for a match day programme in this competition.
All the fans stood up on the deck to watch the first half, but all got wet due to the heavy rain being driven in by a very strong wind. It was not until the beginning of the second half that the rain eased up and stopped for a while and this made the conditions watching the match somewhat better.
I decided due to the very wet conditions not to use my best camera and so the few pictures I have put up at the end of this report are not of the quality I normally take.
Stoke started very well and were clearly the better team in the first half, despite the conditions they kept the ball on the ground and passed it around well. But the first shot on goal was from Andrew Bowker some thirty yards out. The shot was never going to beat Dom Aplin in goal for Stoke, but in the wet conditions it was worth having a go. Just after this following a free kick that was fired into the Stoke box, Andrew Bowker had another effort on goal. This time a side scissors kick from the edge of the area that was saved with relative ease by Dom Aplin.
Stoke then took a very early lead and it was a quality shot by Dave Worthington, he must have been all of thirty yards out from the Truro goal, looked up and saw Scott Palmer of his line and chipped the ball over him and into the back of the net. It was a lead fully deserved and a goal worthy of winning any match.
Stoke continued to look dangerous every time they got anywhere near the Truro area and Ben Towler had the ball played to him just out side the box on the left hand side and he had time to pick his spot, but sadly screwed his shot wide of the left hand post.
Next to have a shot from 25 yards out at the Truro goal was Stokes Dean Stevens, his dipping volley only just cleared the crossbar. Truro then had a good chance to get an equaliser when Tom Langford played in Matthew Roberts in the right hand side of the box. Roberts hit a clean hard and low shot at goal that Dom Aplin managed to save with his legs. Tom Langford then had a shot himself from the edge of the Stoke box, but his shot went high over the crossbar and cleared the hedge as well.
Stokes Dave Worthington picked the ball up on the halfway line and got his head down and made a good run towards the Truro box. He looked up and played a great cross field pass to Ben Towler who was in plenty of space just out side the left hand side of the box. Ben jinked this way and then that way to beat his man and fired in a great low shot across the keeper that was going into the far corner for sure, but a defender got a nick on the ball and it just went past the post and behind for a corner.
The referee blew up for halftime and a chance for all the players to get out of the rain for fifteen minutes and a chance for the fans to get inside the clubhouse for a hot drink and maybe something to eat.
Winning by the single goal meant the second half was always going to be a nervy affair and so it proved to be. The first good chance fell to Stokes Ben Towler who hit his shot from the edge of the box but it sailed high over the crossbar.
Stoke were still playing well, but Truro started to come more into the game and came close to scoring after some good work by Tom Langford who made some space to get a shot in from a tight angle close in. Dom Aplin did ever so well to get a block on the shot and just for a second it looked as if a Truro player was going to get to the lose ball and fire it home, Thankfully that did not happen.
Stoke were still creating plenty of good chance of their own and from a corner Craig Fenner headed just over the bar, but their best chance fell to Olly Crithlow. He was played in and entered the box completely on his own with no other player near him and just the keeper to beat. He had time to take the ball much closer to goal but tried to bend the ball around the advancing keeper who in the end made a rather easy save.
Out the other end and Stoke were defending well and forcing Truro into taking pot shots from distance. One thirty yard effort by Tom Langford was bending and swerving in the air and Dom Aplin had to readjust his position to beat the ball down with his hands.
Dom Aplin then made a very poor clearance while trying to throw the ball out, the lose ball was picked up by Tom Langford who had so much room and space to move into, but he decided to take his shot early and sent the ball well over the crossbar and it was a wasted opportunity to get his side back into the match.
Stoke then came so close to making it two nil after a very good strike from Ben Towler. He was twenty yards out and slightly to the left and fired the ball low and hard across the keeper. The ball looked like it was going in but hit the right hand post and stayed out.
The Truro keeper had to come to the edge of his box to try and punch the ball away from danger, but the ball fell to the feet of Kris Davis. The ball seemed to take ages to come down and this gave the keeper time to try and get back on his line. The ball did finally come down and Kris hit his shot well enough from the edge of the area but it just went narrowly over the bar.
Three quarters through the match Truro had their best chance of the whole match, a very neat one two between Tom Langford and Matthew Roberts that had Roberts in on goal with just Dom Aplin to beat. But Roberts shot was so weak and lacked any power at all.
Stoke were lucky to survive a big shout for handball in their box. The ball was fired into the box from the right hand side and while I did not see who’s hand the ball hit, from where I was standing it did look like handball, but the ref waved away all the protests from the Truro players.
That was it and the referee blew up for the end of the game and Stoke are in the next round of the cup and fully deserve to do so. Truro were a good side with many good players in it, but not good enough on the day to beat a well disciplined Stoke side that has many good players of its own.
A few match pictures
