Parkway show fight but fall short as Gosport take the points
Parkway v Gosport Borough | Match ReportPlymouth Parkway returned to Bolitho Park on Saturday afternoon knowing a response was required after a bruising run of results, and while the Yellows delivered a spirited second-half display, a costly first 45 minutes would ultimately prove decisive as Gosport Borough left Devon with all three points.
 Plymouth ParkwayGosport Borough 
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There were four changes to Chris McPhee’s side, with Luke McCormick returning in goal after a late injury ruled out the returning Mack Allan. Mikey Williams, Rio Garside and Will Sullivan also came back into the starting XI, with James Watts-Barciela named among the substitutes. After the recent storm, Bolitho’s surface looked immaculate in the winter sunshine, and with both sides carrying their own ambitions for the season, the stage was firmly set for a big afternoon.
Yet the opening exchanges were scruffy, disrupted by head tennis, needless fouls and a lack of rhythm from both sides. Parkway looked to settle into their shape, with Callum Hall continuing on the left of midfield, while Ryan Brett appeared to push furthest forward to support Rocky in his lone striker’s role. Gosport’s Adam Tomasso looked good on the eye early on as the visitors attempted to dictate the tempo and find their stride.
After a nothing opening, Parkway were undone on nine minutes. A lapse at the back allowed Michael Fernandes to nick possession, and from the edge of the area the Gosport forward finished well to hand the visitors the lead and leave Parkway facing a nightmare start.
Two minutes later, Fernandes almost doubled his tally when he found himself in again, but his effort from eight yards sailed over the bar as Parkway looked rattled and Gosport sensed further opportunity.
The visitors were forced into an early change on 16 minutes as captain Bradley Tarbuck was withdrawn following a collision with Callum Hall, with Charlie Gunson entering the fray as Gosport reshuffled. Yet Parkway continued to struggle for fluency and were fortunate not to concede again when Rio Garside was dispossessed in midfield, leaving Kasimu clean through, only for fine defending by Taylor Scarff to stem the danger.
Kasimu threatened again moments later, his powerful effort deflected behind by a diving Carlo Garside, while Parkway’s attacking threat remained limited. Rocky battled for scraps up front as the home side searched for a spark to lift a quiet Bolitho Park and give supporters something to cling to.
Parkway did threaten from a set-piece as Rocky’s running earned a free kick. Carlo Garside delivered dangerously, and captain Shane White met it with a header, only for excellent goal-line defending to clear the danger.
The contest then paused on the half hour as Gosport’s Ben Greenwood was stretchered from the pitch, a sad sight for all inside the ground, but the away end would soon be celebrating again. Scarff was adjudged to have brought a Gosport player down inside the area, and Fernandes stepped up to convert from 12 yards, scoring his second of the afternoon and doubling the visitors’ lead.
To Parkway’s credit there were small signs of response before the interval. White saw a curling effort drift wide of the post, while Rocky glanced a header wide at the back post as the Yellows showed intent for the first time. But at the break Parkway trailed 2-0, with a huge 45 minutes still to play.
Chris McPhee made a like-for-like change at half-time as Watts-Barciela entered the field in place of the hard-working Sullivan, and Parkway emerged with far greater purpose. A bright start saw Rocky find space inside the box, only for his left-footed effort to rise over the bar, but the early moments carried a very different feel around Bolitho Park.
It had the sense that if Parkway could find an early goal, then it would certainly be game on. The Yellows played with improved intensity, the crowd lifted, and Bolitho began to feel a very different place to the quiet frustration of the first half.
Parkway came closest to pulling one back just before the hour mark as Ryan Brett rose highest, but his looping header agonisingly bounced back off the crossbar before Gosport cleared. Parkway continued to ask questions, with White and Williams both venturing forward from the back as the home side pushed and probed, and the visitors were forced to do enough to stem the tide.
Gosport, to their credit, played the dark arts well. A succession of Borough players would stay down following the slightest of touches, disrupting Parkway’s momentum and slowing the contest, something this league is all about, and this time it was Parkway who were left feeling the frustration
Rocky then fired a header wide from eight yards as the clock ticked past 70 minutes, leaving supporters wondering what might have been had that second-half intensity been evident from the opening whistle. Hall continued to be Parkway’s best outlet, and another teasing ball into the box later saw Rocky fire straight at the keeper as the Yellows kept knocking on the door.
Gosport still looked dangerous on the break, and Gunson almost made it three when he sneaked in, only for White to produce an important block to keep Parkway alive at 2-0.
Parkway finally found their way back into the contest late on as a good stop from Gosport keeper Henry Blackledge fell kindly to Rio Garside, who tapped home from three yards to set up a grandstand finish and give the home faithful something to roar about.
Parkway continued to probe in the closing stages, but it would prove that the first half had done the damage. Gosport saw out the remaining minutes and walked away with the points, as Parkway’s cagey start allowed the visitors to take full advantage with two cheap goals. Despite a spirited and much improved second-half performance, it wasn’t enough, and the Yellows fell to a third defeat on the bounce.
Parkway are now obliged to compete in the County Cup in midweek, a game they could probably do without, before turning their attention to another difficult test with a trip to Uxbridge next weekend.
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