The Price is right for Newquay in FA Vase blitz

LOUIS Price helped himself to a hat-trick as an injury-ravaged Newquay saw off their South West Peninsula League Premier East opponents with something to spare at Mount Wise on Saturday.

Cullompton went into the tie having won all five of their league games this season, scoring 15 goals and conceding only one.

But they paid the price, literally, for giving the experienced and prolific striker too much room inside the penalty area where he has prospered for years.

Other goals came from Callam Mconie, Tim Nixon with his first goal for the club, and substitute Alex Cole.

Manager Shaun Middleton said: “I thought we played extremely well yesterday. It’s the sort of football that I expect us to play and that I see in training all the time.

“Unfortunately this season we haven’t quite hit the heights of what I think we can do, but hopefully this result is a turning point in performance and results.

“I feel we completely controlled the game and played some really fast, free-flowing football and the quality of possession was really great. We were also strong and dogged off the ball and we defended resiliently.”

He went on: “There were some great performance throughout the team, notably from Louis Price, who scored a great hat-trick. Also I feel Ross Fallens had a great game and also our full-backs looked really good, especially going forward.

“The subs made a good impact when coming on, especially Alex Cole who assisted a great goal for Louis and also scored a really good goal himself.”

At the start of the tie, Price was flattened by a challenge in the third minute and needed lengthy treatment to be able to continue, but got his revenge four minutes later, holding off a defender and gaining a yard of space before firing into the net from 15 yards.

Price was in the wars again soon after, but his long-standing creator of chances from the wing, Tom Shepherd, provided an excellent ball to the near post in the 18th minute but Price could not quite get to it. Ten minutes later, however, a carbon copy move along the right ended with Price slotting in Jacob Kevern’s low cross.

The Devonians enjoyed plenty of possession but conceded a third in stoppage-time when Mconie turned away from a defender 20 yards out and curled a magnificent left foot shot into the top corner.

And it was 4-0 three minutes into the second half with a sweeping move ended with Price and Nixon trading passes inside the penalty area before the latter sent a low shot into the net off the inside of a post.

Price completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute when he expertly directed a superb left wing cross from substitute Cole into the net with a superbly weighted header from 10 yards. To their credit, Cullompton’s heads never dropped and they got their reward when they pulled a goal back 10 minutes later via sub Dave Lea.

But the Peppermints had the last word when Cole, who made a great contribution after being brought on 10 minutes into the second half, tried his luck from 20 yards and watched as his shot took a deflection on the way into the net.

NEWQUAY: Shaun Semmens, Jacob Kevern, Tom Moxham, Sam Fearon, Harry Downing (capt), Connor Paine, Ross Fallens, Tom Shepherd, Tim Nixon (Joe Baker, 75), Callam Mconie (Alex Cole, 55), Louis Price (Ben Shaw, 70). Subs not used: Matt Searle, Ethan Elwell (gk).

Peppermints’ man-of-the-match: Louis Price.