ST BLAZEY recovered from an early setback to take a deserved three points in a hard-fought Cornish derby at a freezing Blaise Park on Saturday.

Reece Thomson’s fourth minute half volley gave play-off hopefuls Saltash a great start in front of a healthy crowd of 161 and they threatened to add to their lead in a very positive opening 20 minutes.

But Sam Clifton’s 23rd minute equaliser put the brakes on the visitors’ dominance and the longer the game went on the stronger the Green and Blacks became.

And it was no surprise when they clinched victory 14 minutes from time with an excellent finish by Tyler Elliott.

Ashes manager Lee Britchford said: “The better team won, we have no complaints about the result.

“Blazey were better than us all over the pitch, they defended well and scored at good times to take the wind out of our sails.

“We started pretty brightly and scored early – but in a strange way I think that actually killed us.“

He went on: “From our point of view there were too many abject performances all over the pitch. With the group we’ve got and the side we’ve got, deep down we knew there were going to be days like this throughout the season.

“It’s just disappointing that after a tough run of fixtures in November and December, where we turned in some good performances, we played like we did yesterday.

“We tried making changes, tried changing shape, but whatever we seemed to do didn’t work. We did have some chances to get an equaliser but I think that would have been unfair on Blazey.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down now because we have an extremely difficult game against Sticker on Tuesday in the Senior Cup.

“We’re fully aware of their strengths and if we turn in another performance like yesterday we can kiss goodbye to any ambitions of progressing to the semi-finals.”

Saltash, who were unlucky to lose 1-0 at Torpoint on Boxing Day, came out of the traps impressively and took the lead from their first meaningful attack.

A ball from wide on the left was only half cleared to the edge of the penalty area where Reece Thomson hit the ball first time to give Blazey keeper Mac Dewsnap no chance.

It was close to being 2-0 in the 16th minute when a sweeping move from the centre circle ended with Jack Jefford being put through into the penalty area but his powerful low shot was brilliantly kept out by Dewsnap’s legs.

Three minutes later Reece Thomson found himself in space on the edge of the penalty area and produced a fierce shot which Dewsnap did well to hold on his line.

But that was about as good as it got for the Ashes and it was 1-1 in the 23rd minute when a grasshopper of a corner from the left by Elliott evaded several players before eventually landing at the feet of Clifton, who finished from six yards.

Three minutes later Tom Hensman had a chance to fire Blazey ahead but his left foot shot flew just wide.

There was a better opportunity in the 34th minute when striker Harry Probyn was played into the penalty area and sidestepped the oncoming Ashes keeper Tyler Coombes, but fired his shot wide of a gaping goal.

Saltash had lost their way alarmingly and needed the half-time break to sort themselves out, but it was the home side who started the second half strongly.

And it took a brilliant goal-line clearance from skipper Alfie Wotton to prevent Callum McGhee scoring a second for Blazey after he had curled a shot around Coombes towards an empty net.

The game became scrappy but there was a good chance for Saltash in the 71st minute when an excellent Fin Wilkes pass picked out Reece Thomson but he shot just wide.

It proved to be a costly miss because five minutes later Blazey went ahead for the first time when Elliott beat a couple of defenders in the penalty area before hammering his shot into the net.

Charlie Elkington spurned a half chance to equalise in the 79th minute but that was as close as the visitors came as Blazey held on for a deserved victory.

ST BLAZEY: Dewsnap; Tinsley (capt), Hensman (Bishop, 68), Hambly, Cavanagh, Clifton, Elliott, McGhee, Probyn (Chapman, 60), Conroy (Noden, 86), Rosenquest.

SALTASH UNITED: Coombes; Everall (Yendle, 81), Wotton (capt), Goulty (Connew, 65), Greening, Elkington, Fisher (Burch, 57), Wilkes, D Thomson (Huyton, 67), R Thomson, Jefford (Preece, 57).

Men-of-the-match: St Blazey – Mac Dewsnap; Saltash United – Fin Wilkes.