PREMIER DIVISION

Bovey Tracey...1 Torpoint Ath...3

THE only ingridient missing from loan striker Josh Grant's game has been a goal and he finally put that right by scoring twice as Torpoint gained their first away win since late October.

This comfortable triumph at the Western Counties Roofing Ground, against a Bovey side that had won their previous three home games took Stuart Dudley's side up to fifth place in the table.

Tom Kelly's Moorlanders could have no complaints over the result as they were left well-beaten.

"We should have won by three or four goals because we missed several chances, especially in the first half," said the Tamarsiders' manager Dudley after the encounter.

"But I'm pleased that we actually played and even more pleased that we won."

Former Plymouth Argyle Youth striker Grant is presently contracted to Southern League premier side Truro City.

He will, hopefully, find the confidence from his two-goal haul to produce the form he is capable of.

Grant opened the scoring in the 15th minute when he latched onto Liam Thornton's left-wing pass.

He raced past two defenders and slotted the ball home for his first goal in Torpoint colours.

Thornton then turned from provider to goalscorer, on the half-hour.

He cut in from the left before firing his right-footed shot home from 20 yards.

Torpoint's 2-0 half-time lead could have been more had Thornton, Lewis Vines and Chris Yeatman all found the net when well-placed.

But this was not to prove crucial as the visitors continued to have the upper hand in the second half.

However, the third goal did not arrive until the 75th minute when Grant was brought down in the area by Bovey midfielder Liam McAuley for a penalty kick the player duly dispatched.

The home side applied some late pressure, pulling a goal back with 10 minutes remaining, through Aaron Cowell's close-range effort.

But Torpoint were able to see out the rest of the game with few alarms to begin 2010 on a high note.

DIVISION ONE WEST

Vospers Oak Villa...0 Millbrook...1

MILLBROOK made it three wins on the trot with this narrow, but deserved, success at Weston Mill against a lacklustre Vospers outfit.

Vospers best spell came in the early stages of the first half, but it was Millbrook who finished the period in the ascendancy.

They carried that into the second period as they always looked the more dangerous of the two sides.

"We made life very easy for Vospers in the first half but on our second half performance mean't that we were well worth our win," said Millbrook boss Dane Bunney.

"I personally think 1-0 flattered Vospers a bit as, apart from the last few minutes, they didn't really trouble us.

"That's three on the trot now and the players are really looking forward to the visit of Newquay next Saturday."

Vospers' boss Martin Burgess said: "We had a lack of quality and desire to win the game.

"Therefore, Millbrook totally outbattled us.

"I kept the players in the centre of the pitch at the end of the game and told them straight that our season points to just mid-table mediocrity.

"And that they are better than that. But they have to start proving it and first of all they need to find a bit of consistency."

Robbie Stephens had been lively up front for Vospers early in the game but he then limped out of the action midway through the first half, which effectively ended their attacking threat.

Millbrook took over with Ben Applegate's effort flying wide from 20 yards before Ben Waters near-post volley was beaten out by home goalkeeper Andy Barnes.

Millbrook started the second half in a determined mood with Chris Curran and Ben Ferguson taking control of the midfield and Ben Waters causing the home defence problems.

Waters was chopped down from behind by Tony Bouch on 62 minutes, with Ferguson sending Barnes the wrong way from his spot-kick.

Vospers made a determined, late, effort to rescue a point but they could not find a way past a resolute Millbrook defence.

Newquay...1 Plymstock Utd...1

AFTER playing 359 minutes without finding the net, and suffering three successive defeats, the U's finally got their season back on track after a late leveller from wing-back Paul Heveran earned the visitors a draw at Mount Wise.

The U's have not played badly in either of their previous two games, but their goal touch has deserted them and they must have thought that the jinx was set to continue.

With the game only five minutes old, a deep cross from Kevin Francis found Joe Jasper.

Jasper's header back across goal already had his team-mates celebrating until goalkeeper Ryan Barnes appeared from nowhere to somehow get one hand to the ball and turn it over the crossbar.

The home side now took up the running, prompted from midfield by Paul Hampshire.

But the visitors were equal to the challenge with Nicky Souness in the thick of the action as the Peppermints pressed forward.

With half-hour played it was the turn of Ben Hardie to come to his side's rescue when he went full length to turn Luke Rigby's 25-yard thunderbolt around the post.

Unfortunately, for the young keeper less than five minutes later he blotted his copybook when Tom Hunter swung in a deep cross from the left and his mistimed punch fell nicely for Jake Hartigan who volleyed home.

On the balance of play the home side just about deserved their advantage but the second period began with the U's rolling up their sleeves, determined to get back on terms.

They were helped by the fact that Newquay appeared quite content to sit on their lead a dangerous strategy it would seem when leading by such a slender margin.

The U's now had their tails up but a leveller would not come, although Mike O'Neill missed probably the best of a succession of chances when, following a left-wing cross from Craig Holt he contrived to head over from almost under the crossbar.

With time running out it appeared that a third single goal defeat in a row was on the cards but, with the referee checking his watch, central defender Ben Alcock threw one last cross into the danger area and up popped Heveran at the far post to rifle his drive into the roof of the net before he disappeared beneath a sea of his relieved team-mates.