Keswick Falcons 2 Penrith AFC 1 By Josh Briggs Hesket 0 Castletown Blues 5

Last updated at 14:41, Wednesday, 09 December 2009

A late equaliser and a last-gasp winner were just enough for Keswick Falcons to edge past a depleted but spirited Penrith side.

Penrith deservedly took the lead early in the first half when Daniel Lowes latched onto a loose ball in the Keswick area to slot home.

Penrith pressed on for a second goal with Randal Jackson and Harry Ewbank going close with several good efforts going just wide in some calamitous goalmouth scrambles.

Not to be outdone Keswick Falcons fought back in the second half only to be denied by some stout defending.

Oliver May, Penrith midfielder, set up several good chances but they seemed destined not to increase their slim lead.

By the time the game entered its closing stages tiredness and injuries to two of the Penrith players were beginning to tell as a quick through ball for Keswick left keeper Ridley for once exposed for the equaliser.

Some inspired substitutions and fresh legs sealed the win as Penrith failed to clear their lines.

Despite this narrow defeat the prospects are encouraging for the team who Penrith Manager Paul Emmerson dubbed his ‘magnificent seven’.

The only two unbeaten teams in the league met on one of just a few pitches deemed playable at Frenchfield.

Both teams have shown this season that they like to pass the ball and they didn’t disappoint.

As Brian Clough so famously said: “If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there.”

The pitch was in surprisingly good condition and the sun shone as the game got underway.

Castletown, marshalled in midfield through Danny Rinder and took control of the game in the early stages using the flanks to full effect.

Pressure gradually built on the dogged Hesket defence.

In the third minute Robbie Hebson got the ball on the right wing and, after riding a couple of strong Hesket challenges, fired a shot over the Hesket keeper into the top right hand corner of the net.

Hesket, determined to bounce back, tried to maintain their passing game, ably led by Sam Mitchell and Olly Allen, but could not find the cutting edge up front.

Just five minutes after the first, Castletown doubled their lead.

A quick counter attack down the left-hand side and Danny Rinder received the ball on the edge of the box, cut in on to his right foot and curled a lovely shot past Jack Trotter in the Hesket net.

Castletowns tails were up and they pushed all out for a third which duly came four minutes later.

Another break down the left brought a throw in. Quickly taken, Devon Cromar cut in from the left and fired a low shot in to the bottom left corner of the net.

Now many teams would have crumbled at this point.

Three goals down after 12 minutes against arguably the best team in the league, but not Hesket.

The centre half pairing for Hesket led by example getting some fine tackles in to repel more Castletown attacks and as the half went on Hesket grew in to the game, realising that they were not out of it.

Some fine counter attack play down both flanks brought the Castletown goal under some sustained pressure with a series of corners ensuing.

Unfortunately Hesket couldn’t quite force the ball home and the half ended with Castletown 3-0 up, but knowing that they were still very much in a game.

The second-half shone for Castletown’s attacker Hebson, as he completed his hat-trick in terrific style.

Tenminutes after the whistle, the Hebson finished off a superb Blues passing move which included no less than seven players.

Five minutes later, and Hebson wheeled away in jubilation. Skinning his marker, Hebson took one more touch before unleashing a powerful strike into the roof of the net, leaving keeper Trotter with no chance.

Credit to Hesket, they never gave up and continued to play some lovely football.

However, the difference between the two sides was not only the quality, but the fitness levels.

Castletown defended in numbers, yet still had men over in attack, which in the end, over-powered a quality Hesket team.

First published at 11:25, Wednesday, 09 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk