East Cornwall Premier League

Wednesday 9th September 2020

Kick Off 18.30 Actual 18.32

Roche 0 St. Stephen 1, attendance 59

80’ 0-1

@ Roche Sports & Social Complex

Trezaise Road

Roche

PL26 8HD

£2 Admission

No Programme.

After last night, it was good to see that the Referee here had the sense to play 2 x 40 minute halves to avoid problems with the light, especially after we started a couple of minutes late. in fact, it even meant there was time for both teams to go back to the changing rooms at halftime. Even though there is only one entrance into the ground there was no track & trace in operation tonight, despite the fact that cash was the only way to pay your admission.

St. Stephen had lost their opening game 7-0 away at Mount Gould on Saturday, whilst this was the season opener for Roche. The game could have gone either way, with both sides going close a number of times in a very even contest. I had resigned myself to seeing a second successive goalless match, which would have been a third in four games, when St. Stephen snatched a last minute winner. The ‘keeper dribbled the ball out about 30 yards and hoofed a long ball towards the box. Striker Courtney Rowe controlled the ball and turned to shoot low into the far corner of the net from 20 yards.

The game was over at 20.01, still light enough to be able to see without any problems, but we wouldn’t have got away with a great deal longer. This brought down the curtain on the midweek early kick offs for non floodlit clubs for me. Roll on the end of March! Not a bad place to sign off at. Although the ground itself is nothing special, a large granite outcrop in the north east corner of the ground that hosts a ruined chapel means the backdrop certainly is.