Parkway suffer defeat against league leaders
It was all back to Bolitho for a Bank Holiday Monday fixture against league leaders Weston-super-mare as Parkway searched for their first league win writes Graham Lloyd…
 Plymouth ParkwayWeston-super-Mare 
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Full Match Report
Parkway faced unbeaten league leaders Weston Super Mare in front of another decent sized attendance at Bolitho Park looking to halt a run of 4 consecutive defeats. 4 changes were made from Saturday’s defeat at Gosport Borough. Tyler Ashmead, Jamie Lowry, Callum Hall and Mikey Williams, making his first start of the season, replaced Reece Shanley, Brandon Pursall and Jared Lewington who were on the bench and Jack Crago who had unfortunately picked up an injury at Gosport. Michael Landricombe and Austen Booth were unavailable for selection.
The visitors made a sharp start winning a couple of early free kicks in dangerous areas with Parkway immediately forced on to the defensive. On 6 minutes Dayle Grubb curled an effort just wide after Parkway had been pressed into conceding possession in midfield. Parkway responded well with Ashmead making good progress along the right with his cross finding Ben Seymour stretching to get a looping effort on target but gathered by Max Harris in the Weston goal. Weston continued to threaten and took the lead on 12 minutes. A move along their left switched to the right where former professional Reuben Reid, who can count Plymouth Argyle amongst one of his 14 former professional clubs, found time and space to turn and drive a low, crisp shot across Kyle Moore into the bottom corner from around 12 yards.
Parkway responded well in getting to the pace of the game and on 14 minutes Hall went clear along the left with his cross finding Seymour who headed narrowly wide. Play became fairly even and compressed into midfield with Parkway seeing their fair share of possession and dealing comfortably with the visitor’s attacks. However Weston almost increased their lead on 19 minutes. Reid again creating space broke clear with his run being tracked by central defender Williams who put in a timely block tackle on the strikers shot which went for a corner. Parkway began to exert some pressure with Billy Palfrey and Dan Rooney working hard in midfield and Hall and Rio Garside making inroads along the flanks. On 21 minutes a swift interchange of passes between and Palfrey and Seymour released the latter whose angled drive low to the near post was shovelled behind by Harris. From the resultant corner from the left Parkway deservedly equalised. Callum Rose rose highest at the back post to power home a header giving Harris no chance.
Buoyed by their equaliser Parkway began to look the more threatening playing with energy and intensity forcing the visitors to defend in numbers. A potentially pivotal moment in the game came on 26 minutes. A searching through ball to the pacey Seymour saw him push the ball past and then round Sam Avery just outside the penalty area with the defender tripping Seymour with no apparent attempt to play the ball. After a short delay and much remonstrating and gesticulating, Avery was shown a yellow card which many in the ground thought should have been a different colour. From the resultant free kick, Garside’s effort was comfortably saved low down by Harris.
Parkway continued to apply pressure and on 30 minutes the industrious Seymour worked hard to close down a Weston defender close to the by-line with his cross creating a melee in the 6-yard box with the ball eventually being cleared for a corner. On 34 minutes good link up play between Ashmead and Seymour along the right created an opening for Palfrey whose shot from 30 yards flew well wide. On 36 minutes a Parkway move through central midfield created a shooting opportunity which was blocked causing a scramble in the 6 yard box with a Parkway penalty claim being waved away after Seymour appeared to have been clattered to the ground.
Having weathered the period of Parkway pressure Weston began to regain control in midfield and on 38 minutes Reid broke clear along the right with his shot from around 20 yards being blocked and cleared. Parkway continued to match the visitors and on 43 minutes good play between Garside and Tyler saw the latter’s cross just lack the necessary direction or quality, allowing the visitors to clear. On 43 minutes Hall became the second player to be cautioned for a foul with the visitors regaining the lead shortly after. Parkway conceded possession in midfield allowing Weston to break and outnumber the Parkway retreating backline with the experienced Reid going clear and calmly setting up the unmarked William Tunnicliff on the left who slotted his angled shot into the top corner from around 12 yards. Almost straight from the kick off Weston broke again after Parkway lost the ball in midfield with Palfrey seeing yellow for a foul after halting the attack.
An entertaining half with Weston starting and finishing the stronger and withstanding the period of Parkway pressure during the middle period of the half. The only two clear cut chances they created they finished clinically with Parkway unable to convert theirs during their dominant period mainly due to solid Weston defending. Despite at times looking vulnerable on the flanks, Parkway generally defended well with Rose a tower of strength in the centre of defence alongside the returning Williams with the pair coping well with the visitors attacking threat and Kyle Moore relatively untroubled.
Weston created the first chance of the second half on 50 minutes with Jordan Bastin seeing his effort saved well by Moore low down at the near post. On 54 minutes Weston made their first substitution with Elis Watts replacing Ben Griffith as the visitors began to dominate possession and force Parkway on to the defensive. On 58 minutes Tunnicliff shot well wide after a flowing move along the left. Parkway continued to compete well despite not having much possession and in a rare attack around the hour mark won a free kick around 30 yards out which Palfrey hit just over. Weston continued to control the pace of the game with Parkway unable to gain too much possession being restricted to long balls to Seymour who, despite occasionally becoming isolated, continued to work hard against a solid Weston defence. On 63 minutes Scott Laird replaced Tunnicliff who appeared to have picked up an injury with Jacob Cane picking up a yellow card shortly after.
On 68 minutes Weston increased their lead after Watts cut in from the right unchallenged with some poor Parkway defending allowing him time and space to rifle in a low angled shot which beat Moore at the near post. Weston continued to dominate possession with Grubb impressive in midfield forcing Parkway to chase the game but unable to build any forward momentum. Rose was booked for a foul on 70 minutes as the visitors pressure increased. On 72 minutes Grubb strode forward from midfield with his shot being pushed away by Moore with Watts heading the rebound against the bar and being cleared to safety by an under pressure Parkway defence.
The visitors increased their lead further on 75 minutes from the penalty spot. A concerted period of pressure saw Bastin fouled with Grubb stepping up to confidently to convert the spot kick sending Moore the wrong way. Rooney was booked for protesting with Hall being replaced by Lewington before the resumption of play. Weston now looked to slow the pace of the game which allowed Parkway to see more of the ball as they became more of a threat with Lowry and Rose combining well on 77 minutes to set up Lewington whose header from around 10 yards was comfortably saved by Harris. Parkway continued to push forward but too often their final ball in the final third lacked quality or direction. On 81 minutes Jay Murray replaced Bastin for the visitors. On 85 minutes Parkway won another free kick some 30 yards out but once again Palfrey’s effort failed to hit the target. The visitors responded by breaking forward quickly with the impressive Grubb seeing his shot well saved by Moore with the rebound being fired well over. With 5 minutes stoppage time indicated, Weston remained in control to manage the game out with the final action seeing a header from Seymour in the 92nd minute being well saved by Harris.
Parkway competed well throughout especially in the first half and did not give up against last season’s beaten play off semi-finalists and surely one of the front runners again this season who showed their experience and quality in key areas at vital times to run out deserved winners.
Attention now turns away from league action as Parkway enter the FA Cup where they will travel to Southern League Division One Central (step 4) side Didcot Town on Saturday in the 1st round qualifying. Didcot currently lie 2nd in the league after 4 games having beaten Highworth Town 6 -0 away today.
Match Info
PLYMOUTH PARKWAY 1(Rose 22)
WESTON SUPER MARE 4 (Reid 12, Tunnicliff 44, Watts 68, Grubb pen 75)
Line-ups:
Parkway
1 Moore, 2 Ashmead, 3 Lane ©, 4 Lowry, 5 Rose, 6 Williams, 7 Garside, 8 Palfrey, 9 Seymour, 10 Rooney, 11 Hall (Lewington 75)
Substitutes: 12 Shanley (unused), 15 Pursall (unused), 15 Lewington, 16 Goulty (unused), 17 Mead-Crebbin (gk) (unused)
Weston-Super-Mare
1 Harris, 2 Thomas, 3 Tunnicliff (Laird 64), 4 Cane, 5 Humphries, 6 Avery, 8 Dodd, 9 Griffith (Watts 54), 19 Reid, 10 Grubb ©, 11 Bastin (Murray 81)
Substitutes: 12 Laird, 14 Watts, 15 Holmes (unused), 7 Murray, Purnell (gk)(unused)
Attendance: 599
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