St Blazey 3 Helston Athletic 2

Last year's beaten finalists Helston Athletic are out of the Cornwall Senior Cup after losing 3-2 against St Blazey at Blaise Park.

Sid Taylor's side almost didn't make it at all, after player injuries and absences forced them to call up Tom Barwell and Jamie Lightfoot from the club's reserve team in order to field a fully fit starting eleven.

A lively opening saw Danny Zallick miss an open goal for St Blazey, before Mark Goldsworthy opened the scoring for visitors five minutes later when he ran on to Chris Strike's superb lofted through ball to finish coolly past Blazey keeper Dave Painter.

But Bobby Oaten's side equalised just before half time when Zallick made amends for his miss by scooping a pass up and over the Helston back line for George Swain to run on to and volley past Helston keeper Mark Thomas.

The green and blacks went 2-1 up almost immediately after the restart when a superb through ball sliced the Helston defence in two, and Tornado Bello did well to curl a low shot inside the near post from a tight angle.

And St Blazey made it 3-1 soon after when Zallick scored the goal his performance deserved, tapping in from close range after good work by Bello on the right.

Helston continued to work hard, but playing with a 4-5-1 formation the Blues often lacked a cutting edge up front, and lone striker Goldsworthy found himself crowded out by men in green shirts on more than one occasion.

The Blues did pull a goal back with three minutes left on the clock when Matt Fox received the ball on the edge of the St Blazey box with his back to goal.

The diminutive midfielder turned his marker, beat another defender and smashed an unstoppable drive high into the back of the net, leaving Painter no chance.

But it was too little too late.

There will be no repeat of Helston heroics in the competition last year. St Blazey held on to book their place in the next round.

St Blazey: D Painter, M Thackeray, C Bennet, C West (c), J Stone, A Bance, T Bello, G Swain, D Zallick, L Coombs, A Piggott. SUBS: J Greet, M Ives, J Sims, B Swain.

Helston: M Thomas, D Stidwell, C Strike, J thomson (c), H Howlett, A Collick, J Lightfoot, C Young, T Barwell, M goldsworthy, M Fox. SUBS: S Jenkin, K McPhilbin, T Russell

Referee: P Grenfell.