Match report: Bashley FC added a second goal after a red card, but Helston Athletic FC fought back to seal a 2-2 Southern League Div One South draw
Bashley came into Saturday’s match with high hopes, but in the end, they had to settle for a home point against Helston Athletic.
Helston Athletic lost 8-2 to the league’s lowest-placed side last time out, but a red card to Bashley’s Luke Holmes and two late goals saw the visitors snatch a point.
Lewis Ross scored the opener before Connor Dunesby-Bent gave the hosts a two-goal lead despite playing with 10 men, but with 80 minutes played, the match flipped with Craig Duff-Dick and Oliver Redd making it 2-2.
The hosts went down to ten men after a harsh red card after only 46 minutes but still managed to go into the final ten minutes of normal time with a two-goal lead.
Helston made a decent start, with chunky winger Will Tucker proving a menace. His quick feet took him past two challenges before a comfortable save for Charlie Philpott kept it goalless.
Most of the action was at the other end, though. After winning a corner, Ross sent one swirling into the goalmouth. The ball caught the wind and sailed straight into the far top corner of the net.
Bashley’s best move of the half saw Josh Bertie, Conor Whiteley and Holmes combine, with the move only ending with a flying-headed clearance by Callum O’Brien.
The half ended with Philpott, who had been mainly a spectator, in unexpected action. First, he had to go full stretch to keep out a swerving effort from Tucker; then, in a three-man move, Ryan Smith was crowded out before he could get a shot in from close range.
Minutes after the restart, the ever-industrious Holmes went in for a 50-50 ball with burly centre-half O’Brien, who went down and stayed down. However, he recovered quickly moments after referee Adrian Harris flashed a red card at Holmes.
There was a flurry of action around the Bashley goalmouth. AFC Bournemouth goalkeeping coach Philpott had to look sharp to dive out and prevent a James Simmonds cross from causing a problem, then the keeper was on the ground again, diving left to make a smart save from David Barker’s goalbound effort.
Mitch Speechley-Price came off the bench, and almost immediately, he was involved in the second goal. He sent Connor Dunesby-Bentaway on a mazy run, which took him into the clear for a perfect strike, and Sowden-Bird came out to meet him. It was the best move of the match and a very tidy finish.
Into the last ten minutes of normal time, still 2-0, and a sigh of relief from the Bash faithful when Simmonds got the ball in the net but was given offside. However, it was only a brief let-off. On 81 minutes, Tucker’s long throw into the goalmouth was headed straight in by Craig Duff.
Helston were peppering the Bashley goalmouth, but the warning went unheeded, and the visitors levelled the match in the fourth of five added minutes. A free-kick into a packed goalmouth was not cleared, and Ollie Redd forced it over the line.
There’s now a week to re-group for a much stiffer task – at least on paper – away to promotion contenders Malvern Town on Saturday. Teams with an artificial pitch always start with an advantage, as Bashley found out last season on the wrong end of a 6-0 scoreline when these two sides met at the HDAnywhere Stadium.
Bashley: C. Philpott, H. Bertrand, J. Bertie, T. Edmondson, D. Walster, L. Laird, C. Whiteley, L. Waterfield, L. Ross, L. Holmes, C. Dunesby-Bent. Subs: D. Thelen, M. Speechley-Price, S. Lewis, S. Bungay, B. Williams.
