Jones Leads Parkway to 4-3 Victory
Parkway vs Westbury Utd | Match ReportImages Lucy Arscott
Parkway entertained Southern League Division One South side Westbury United who play one level below Parkway at step 4 in the 2nd Round Qualifying of the FA Cup. 4 changes were made from the midweek 2-2 draw with Taunton Town with Exeter City loanees Tom Dean and Mitch Beardmore along with Callum Hall and Corey Koerner returning in place of Rio Garside and Will Armstrong and enforced absentees the injured Carlo Garside and the suspended Mikey Williams.
 Plymouth ParkwayWestbury United 
4 - 3Full Time |
Full Match Report
Parkway started at a lively pace with the visitors also making a sharp start with Marcel Lewis breaking clear along the right with his dangerous cross cleared away. Parkway were quickly into their stride and took the lead in the 7th minute. A neat passage of play along the left saw Shane White release Dylan Jones who drove to the bye line and crossed to the incoming Joe Wragg who powered home an effort at the far post for his first goal for the club.
The visitors looking strong, physical and well organised responded well with Joe Beardwell and Lewis looking dangerous with Parkway doing well to clear a well directed cross from the right. Play began to be evenly contested with Westbury looking to counter Parkway’s patient build up play and they drew level on 15inutes after Charlie Walton broke clear and crossed towards Beardwell who glanced home a well directed header from around 12 yards to the far post. The visitors continued to threaten and another break on 19 minutes saw a cross rebound off the bar and get scrambled away.
Parkway continued to patiently play from the back looking to probe openings, but it was the visitors who went ahead on 23 minutes. Parkway conceded possession deep in the opposition half with Bevan Cross breaking clear and racing forward unchallenged past some half-hearted tackling and threading a well-timed ball to the unmarked Beardwell who drilled a low drive into the bottom corner from around 15 yards.
Westbury continued to compete well with Parkway unable to turn their possession into any clear chances lacking composure at times when well set. However, they managed to force 2 successive corners the second of which created a mass melee in the 6-yard box with the visitors goalkeeper Jonathan Hill ending up prone on the deck with Matt Wright and Westbury’s Aaron Cockerill receiving yellow cards for their parts in the fracas once calm had been restored.
Play continued at a pace gradually developing into a physical battle with Parkway beginning to dominate possession and Westbury competing well and playing on the counter with Beardwell a constant threat.
On 38 minutes a neat exchange along the right saw Dean cross to Jones whose lofted drive cleared the bar. Westbury continued to threaten on the counter and on 40 minutes another break from deep by Cross was illegally halted with Ryan Brett and Hall both cautioned.
Parkway finished the half strongly by continuing to dominate possession with Westbury fighting hard to retain their lead with the game taking a decisive twist on the cusp of half time. Parkway won a free kick wide on the left with Cockerill foolishly belting the ball away well after the referee’s whistle had gone and was promptly shown his 2nd yellow card. Westbury immediately made a change with midfielder Ed Butcher being replaced by defender Dan Restorick. Parkway continued to press in the 4 added minutes with Westbury comfortably seeing out the half.
A hard fought, well contested half of few chances with Parkway taking an early lead only to be pegged back by Westbury with the impressive Beardwell clinically finishing the 2 chances that came his way. Their being reduced to 10 men will not have helped their cause of retaining their lead for the 2nd half.
Parkway couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the 2nd half. Their first attack along the left saw a cross blocked and cleared only as far as Jones who caressed his first time angled drive into the top corner from around 25 yards.
Parkway now playing with intensity and at a higher tempo began to stretch the visitors with Wragg being cynically tugged back on the edge of the 18-yard area by Ryan Bole who saw yellow with Jones driving the free kick narrowly wide. Despite being a man short Westbury continued to fight hard earning a free kick on the left with Restorick hooking just over from around 18 yards.
On 53 minutes Dean’s cross was cleared with his feet by Hill for a corner as Parkway continued to press hard both in and out of possession. They made their first change on 61 minutes with Rio Garside replacing Hall and they regained the lead on 63 minutes. Garside and Wragg combined well on the right and released Dean whose cross-saw Jones rise highest just ahead of his marker to plant a header beyond a despairing Hill.
Garside’s input was short lived as he picked up a knock and had to be replaced with Gene Price entering the fray on 68 minutes.
Parkway continued to dominate possession and creating chances with Wragg doing well on the right forcing a corner which was well defended. Westbury then replaced Cross with Leon Greenland with Parkway continuing to threaten and they increased their lead on 74 minutes with Price gambling and reacting well to a through ball and prodding past the onrushing Hill from around 12 yards for his first goal for the club. In doing so he scored in an FA Cup game, something his father Liam, a Parkway legend and record appearance holder apparently failed to do!
With the visitors 10 men struggling to stem the Parkway’s attacks and with space opening up, Parkway continued to dominate, creating further chances forcing some desperate defending from Westbury. Bole was replaced by Harvey Flippance on 75 minutes for the visitors with James Watts-Barciela coming on for Wragg for Parkway shortly after.
On 76 minutes Dean went clear along the right and jinked inside pushing his shot narrowly wide of the far post from around 15 yards with Hill beaten. Callum Rose then replaced Brett on 79 minutes with Parkway continuing to control the pace of the game and stretching the Westbury backline and creating further half chances.
On 82 minutes a penetrating run by Watts-Barciela run was crudely halted by Restorick who was cautioned with the free kick into the 6 yard area hastily cleared. Koerner then saw another cross cleared with Dean and Watts-Barciela then linking well to set up Price who fired over from around 15 yards. With Westbury being pushed deeper and space opening up, a Wright shot on the turn was comfortably saved by Hill after more good play by Watts-Barciela.
A Parkway corner routine clearly practiced on the training ground on 88 minutes saw Watts-Barciela shoot narrowly over after a White dummy run caught out the visitor’s defence. To Westbury’s credit they never gave up and continued to compete well to the end and pulled a goal back in the 4th of 5 added minutes with Restorick ghosting in and bundling home an effort at the near post.
Parkway created one final opportunity in the final minute with Watts-Barciela cutting in behind a tiring defence forcing Hill into a save with his feet with the referee calling time shortly after.
A keenly contested cup tie by two committed sides which ebbed and flowed with Parkway taking advantage of their numerical superiority in the 2nd half to generally control the game and run out winners with a gutsy, gritty rather than quality performance. It was not easy against a physical and well organised Westbury who played their part in a tough encounter with Parkway doing just enough at key moments to secure the victory which has equalled the furthest they have ever reached in the competition and seen them into Monday’s draw.
After having just 4 successive home games, Parkway now face 2 difficult away league games at Hungerford Town next Saturday with a visit to Poole Town on Tuesday week. Depending on their draws in the next round of the FA Cup on the 28th of September followed by their entry into the FA Trophy at the 3rd round qualifying on the 5th October, it is possible it could be 4 successive away games.
Match Info
Lineups:
Plymouth Parkway
1 Griffiths, 2 Dean, 4 Brett (Rose 79), 5 Scarff 6 White ©, 8 Hall (R Garside 64)(Price 68), 11 Jones, 12 Koerner, 14 Beardmore, 17 Wright, 18 Wragg (Watts- Barciela 76)
Substitutes:
3 Armstrong (unused) 9 McPhee (unused), 10 R Garside, 16 Rose, 19 Watts-Barciela, 20 Price
Westbury United
1 Hill, 2 Witchell, 3 Bole © (Flippance 75), Cockerill, 6 Keet, 7 Beardwell, 8 Taylor (Ashfield 82), 10 Walton, 11 Cross (Greenland 73), 12 Butcher (Restorick 45), 19 Lewis
Substitutes
4 Shanley (unused), 9 Flippance, 14 Greenland, 15 Ashfield, 16 Smedley (unused), 17 Hulbert (unused), 18 Restorick
Attendance: 273 (estimate 50 away)
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