Penzance 3, Cullompton Rangers 0

PENZANCE continued their impressive run of home form and moved into sixth place in the SWPL premier division table after a comfortable victory over their Devonian visitors at Penlee Park on Saturday.

The Magpies have been beaten only once on home soil in the league this season, a 3-1 defeat to Ivybridge in August – and from the moment Jamie Devine headed the home side into an eighth minute lead from James Miller's right wing cross, that five month unbeaten run rarely looked in jeopardy.

Indeed the visitors' only real threat during a fairly innocuous first half came via some Rory Delap style throw-ins from their right back Andy Rollason, which caused home keeper Andy Butcher a few nervous moments at his near post.

Architect

But the Magpies soon extended their lead after 21 minutes, with Miller again the architect as he provided a pinpoint cross from the right for skipper Mark Vercesi to make it 2-0, the ball appearing to have crossed the line before Gerens James applied the final touch.

James and full back Mark Hollands went close to adding a third before the break, and Vercesi forced a good save from Rangers' keeper Chris Garnsworthy with another good strike.

The Magpies brought on Bradley Wills in place of the injured Ross Pope during the interval, and should have gone further ahead after seven minutes when James lifted his shot over the bar from Devine's long diagonal ball.

It wasn't until 10 minutes into the second half that the visitors registered a shot of note, with Matt Anderson's 20-yard strike deflecting just wide of Butcher's right post, while veteran striker Roger Bonaparte came close to scoring with his first touch, but headed just wide from Rollason's teasing right-wing cross.

But Penzance continued to create the better chances, with Vercesi and James going close with headed efforts, before Magpies' substitute Richie Rundle finally put the outcome beyond doubt nine minutes from time with his seventh goal in three games. The county youth hotshot scored from close range after the visitors failed to deal with another cross from the excellent Miller, who should have added a fourth soon after, but fired his shot into the side-netting.

Cullompton boss Lee Annunziata bemoaned his side's lack of cutting edge. He said: "The first half was way below par. I saw it in the warm up, I thought the lads looked lethargic.

"It was a pudding of a pitch and, yes we had two and a half hours in a minibus, but that's football at this level. At this time of year nine out of ten surfaces are going to be the awkward sort, and that's when sleeves need to be rolled up and big hearts get pumping, but we got nothing out of the lads in a poor first half performance.

"To be fair to the boys, things improved after the break, but the damage had already been done. The frustrating thing is that we had a couple of good chances in the second period and I felt that if we could get one we would get something out of the game, but it wasn't to be."

PENZANCE: A Butcher, M Hollands, J Devine, R Pope, D Ball, R Bushby, J Miller, J Kemp, G James, M Vercesi (c), R Holland. Subs: R Rundle (for James 65), M Sabo (for Bushby 82), B Wills (for Pope h-t); S Taylor (not used).

Booked: None.

CULLOMPTON RANGERS: C Garnsworthy, A Rollason, S Lyne-Ley, G Hunt (c), D Grabham, D Burwood, P Stokes, M Anderson, H Taylor, G Robinson, J Cottrell. Subs: A Greening (for Stokes 65), R Bonaparte (for Taylor 60), P Eveleigh (for Anderson 80).

Booked: Taylor, Grabham.

Referee: Marc Oldaker (Launceston).

Cornishman man of the match: James Miller – set up all three goals and should have had at least one himself.