Late Penalty Denies Parkway as Bulpit Lane Ghosts Linger
Hungerford Town vs Parkway | Match ReportPlymouth Parkway came within seconds of ending their away-day hoodoo as a stoppage-time penalty denied them all three points in a 1–1 draw at Hungerford Town.
On an overcast Berkshire afternoon, Parkway produced one of their most disciplined away performances of the campaign, only to be pegged back deep into injury time after leading for over an hour.
 Hungerford TownPlymouth Parkway 
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Chris McPhee named an unchanged side from Tuesday night’s 2-1 win against Taunton Town. The travelling party arrived at Bulpit Lane determined to banish memories of past humiliation. A 9-3 defeat last season and a 7-0 reverse on opening day the year before. Winning the toss, Parkway opted to shoot up the hill for the first 45 minutes, setting the tone for a gritty and purposeful display.
The early exchanges were scrappy, with Hungerford’s long-ball approach and high press forcing Parkway onto the back foot. A succession of Crusaders corners gave the hosts momentum, but solid defending from centre-backs Jake Veale and Taylor Scarff, both immense in the air, kept the contest level.
Parkway’s midfield trio of Jake Smith, Rio Garside, and Ryan Brett gradually began to find rhythm, releasing wide men Callum Hall and James Watts Barciela to stretch the play. When given time on the ball, Parkway’s composure surfaced, and their patience paid off on 28 minutes.
Barciela pounced on a loose ball and slipped a deft pass for Rocky Neal, who nipped in ahead of the keeper to notch his fourth league goal of the season and give Parkway a deserved lead.
From there, the visitors showed the resilience that has sometimes eluded them this season. Hungerford’s best moment came before the interval when Medford-Smith whipped in a superb inswinging cross met by Brad Hooper, but his header was superbly saved at point-blank range by Mack Allen to preserve Parkway’s advantage at the break.
Hungerford, low on confidence after a difficult run, pressed forward after the restart, but it was Parkway who carved out the clearer chances.
A nervy moment saw Medford-Smith head against his own post under pressure from Neal, and moments later Brett’s header from a Garside corner rattled the crossbar.
Parkway’s control grew, but indecision in the final third meant they could not find the decisive second goal. As the clock ticked past 80 minutes, familiar anxieties resurfaced, memories of late concessions at Berkhamsted, Basingstoke, and Wimborne hovering over the travelling fans.
When the board showed six minutes of added time, Hungerford threw everything forward. Parkway defended valiantly: Mikey Williams blocked a goal-bound effort with his body, before Barciela made a desperate last-ditch tackle. Yet, as the game ticked beyond the allotted time, another long ball into the area saw Scarff penalised for a tangle in the box. Captain Louis McGrory stepped up and fired down the middle to snatch a point for the hosts.
For Parkway, the sting was undeniable, but so was the progress.
They had entered the Bulpit and finally exorcised the ghosts of past heavy defeats, leaving with a share of the spoils after a tireless, disciplined display.
It marked four games unbeaten and another step forward for McPhee’s emerging side, who continue to blend youthful promise with growing resilience.
With sharper decision-making in the final third, this could easily have been the away win they craved.
Still, with momentum building and confidence restored, Parkway move up to 14th after 13 games and return to Bolitho Park next week for County Cup action as a team beginning to take shape and sprout promise at just the right time.
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