Match Report
Grampound 5-3 Lostwithiel Res.
08 March 2025
After their disappointing cup exit in the last game, Grampound stsrted in the same mode - poor. Passes were rushed and inaccurate to often.The vibes from the pitch were not good and although Grampound began with better possession, few chances were created. It was the visitors who opened the scoring early on when a square ball across the penalty area was simply missed and the free ball was put away from 10 yards. Grampound were fortunate soon after when a foul gave Grampound a penalty although the visitors had a reasonable case for their player being fouled first. However, Dean Dunn slotted home the penalty kick to equalise. Minutes later there were some eminently saveable shots that managed to get past stand-in keeper Jordan Still to put the visitors 3-1 ahead after having limited possession and manager Martin Lloyd made the difficult but sensible decision to substitute the stand-in keeper and put Dean Dunn betweeen the sticks. Dunn's midfield and defensive presence would be missed but leaking goals against such a modest side was making life difficult for agrampound. Grampound continued with plenty of possession but little in the way of real chances leading up to the break.
Stern words were shared by manager Lloyd at the break (he was ansolutely furious!) but the attitude of the team needed changing and this seemed to do the trick. The whole of the second half was spent with Grampound pummelling the Lostwithiel defence. For a while it looked as if Lostwithiel would somehow hold on to their lead but the breakthrough eventually came when a long ball was driven into the away penalty area. A perfect chest trap and volley saw the ball in the back of the net for a remarkable goal from manager Lloyd who had subbed himself on. He continued to play up front, making himelf an irritating target and this worked brilliatly. A sweet move gave Brendan Hitchens a chance and he expertly finished the move to level the scores. Top scorer Gavin Boon had not found space easy to find but eventually he found some and his low drive from 18 yards into the far corner put Grampound ahead for the first time in the match. Boon got on the end of a brilliant pass from Hayden Boxall and finished well to give Grampound a lead of 5-3 which was held for the remaining minutes.
From a Grampound viewpoint, the first half was disappointing but the second half was a revelation. Simple but cleverr passes and thoughtful movement combined with an excellent spirit allowed the team to carry the day. Well played everyone, but especially to young Reegan Mellors who gave an outstanding performance and Hayden Boxall, an experienced player who gave an excellent performace down his wing.