Maestro Mewton returns to teach Hooper a lesson

ST BLAZEY'S premier division title hopes were dealt a bitter blow as they suffered a third successive defeat at the hands of Penzance at Blaise Park.

And it was a particularly sweet victory for Penzance boss Trevor Mewton, whose fall out with his former assistant, Green & Blacks boss Glynn Hooper over the signing of young striker Sam Cooper had hyped up a potentially explosive encounter on Mewton's old stamping ground.

As it was, however, Cooper was kept in check by his old team, while Hooper was left to reflect on a lacklustre display from his side, and a comprehensive defeat by a Magpies outfit who were not only without county youth trio Richie Rundle, Mamsy Sabo and Bradley Wills and the suspended Gregg Butcher, but also lost James Miller, who was injured in the warm up, and played the final 57 minutes with 10 men after Jonny Ludlam was sent off. Home skipper and former Penzance winger Chris Reski should have given his side the lead on seven minutes, but somehow put his shot wide from three yards after a neat one-two with Cooper.

But it was Penzance who took a 12th minute lead when Ludlam appeared to be upended inside the box, only for a free-kick to be awarded on the angle of the area, from which Ludlam's cross was turned in by former Blazey favourite Mark Vercesi.

The home side thought they had equalised 10 minutes later when Danny Zalick's header was ruled out after the referee's assistant adjudged Reski's cross had gone out of play.

Ludlam was soon in the thick of the action again, having another free-kick parried away by Blackler, before receiving his marching orders 12 minutes before the break when he was shown a second yellow card for another clumsy challenge.

But it was the Magpies who again silenced the home faithful in first half stoppage time when Lee Bradd brought down Mark Hollands and the full back picked himself up to curl a delightful 25-yard free-kick over the wall and into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0 at the interval.

Hooper sacrificed left back Fergus Nevin at half-time and switched to a 3-5-2 formation, and the home side should've pulled a goal back on the hour when Neil Slateford volleyed over Reski's pinpoint cross.

The visitors defended stoically, with centre backs Ryan Bushby and Ball outstanding, and it was Penzance who extended their lead on 64 minutes when lone striker Gerens James latched on to Ball's long through pass and lobbed advancing keeper Tom Blackler from an acute angle.

The Magpies needed a superb stop by keeper Andy Butcher, to hold substitute Danny Brooks's wickedly deflected strike, while Hollands and Ryan Holland forced somewhat unorthodox saves from an increasingly nervous Blackler as Mewton's men comfortably preserved their three-goal lead, and with it climbed above St Blazey into fourth place in the table, six points behind leaders Buckland Athletic.