Parkway Hold Their Nerve to End Losing Run at Uxbridge
Uxbridge v Parkway | Match ReportPlymouth Parkway finally brought an unwelcome four-game league losing streak to an end on Saturday afternoon, producing a gritty and resilient display to claim a vital three points away at Honeycroft.
In a fixture heavy with consequence at both ends of the table, it was not always pretty, but it was effective, and for a Parkway side desperate to stop the slide, that was all that mattered.
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There was a fresh face in the starting XI as on-loan Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Zak Baker went straight in for his second debut, while Chris McPhee also recalled Callum Hall, Shane White, Carlo Garside and Rocky Neal following midweek County Cup success at Exmouth Town. Taylor Scarff was unavailable, with Gunner Franke, Will Sullivan and Farren Simons among those named on the bench.
Uxbridge arrived buoyed by a rare league win at Dorchester, and on the club’s immaculate 3G surface, a hidden gem tucked away within a West London business estate, both sides approached the afternoon with caution.
The opening exchanges were cagey, with neither team keen to blink first as glances toward live scores elsewhere underlined just how tight the situation remains. Uxbridge began to grow into the contest around the ten-minute mark, but Parkway kept themselves competitive, James Watts-Barciela testing the keeper from range after good work from Rocky in the build-up.
Parkway were then handed a reprieve. A lapse in concentration allowed George Moore to nick possession and release Frank Keita, whose toe-poked effort struck the foot of the post with Baker beaten. Minutes later the ball was in the net again for the hosts, only for an offside flag to spare Parkway’s blushes.
There was edge to the contest, with Rio Garside and CJ Fearn both booked in a well-fought first half that Parkway negotiated to reach the break level at 0–0.
The hosts started the second period brightly, looking to stretch play and get Moore higher up the pitch. A mistake from Brett allowed the Uxbridge playmaker a clear sight of goal, but his dinked effort drifted agonisingly wide of the post.
Keita then squandered two gilt-edged chances as Uxbridge briefly took control, but Parkway refused to fold. The Garside brothers and Brett embraced the ugly side of the game, pressing, tackling and disrupting, and crucially, refusing to allow momentum to run away from them.
That resolve was rewarded on 64 minutes. Pressing high, Watts-Barciela robbed the Uxbridge defence and embarked on a mazy run that looked to have taken him too wide. It hadn’t. His left-footed effort took an age to reach the net, but when it did, the travelling Parkway support erupted.
What followed was tense and familiar territory. Uxbridge went more direct, piling balls into the box and forcing a succession of corners and free-kicks that tested Parkway’s nerve. Memories of recent away collapses lingered, but this time there was resistance, and a defining moment from the new man between the posts.
Baker produced an outstanding one-handed save from Keita to preserve the lead, an instinctive intervention that proved every bit as important as the goals at the other end.
McPhee then made a bold call, replacing Hall with Franke, and the change paid off. Parkway pressed higher, Rocky became more involved in linking play, and with three minutes remaining, the decisive moment arrived. Neal slid a perfectly weighted pass into Franke’s path, and the youngster showed composure beyond his years, dropping his shoulder and finishing confidently from eight yards.
Even then, there was drama. Seven minutes of stoppage time saw Moore finally get his goal for Uxbridge in the 95th minute, and a last-gasp corner cannoned back off the crossbar before Parkway could finally breathe.
When the final whistle arrived, it brought relief as much as celebration.
This doesn’t solve every problem Parkway have faced this season, but it does provide a platform. A first league win in five, belief restored, and now attention turns to a big night under the lights at Bolitho Park on Tuesday, as Wimborne Town arrive in Devon.
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