Helston Athletic 3, Millbrook 2

Helston Athletic earned their second SWPL Premier win of the season on Saturday as they beat Millbrook 3-2 in a feisty affair, with both sides ending the game with ten men.

Ryan Holland scored his first goal for the club early on before an own goal put the Blues two up. Ryan Knight pulled one back for Millbrook before Holland saw red before the break.

Tyler Oliver restored Helston’s two-goal lead before Jake Foster was dismissed for the visitors, with Tom Payne’s late free-kick providing a small consolation for Millbrook.

Holland got the ball rolling on 10 minutes with his first goal for club in some style, firing into the top corner from 25 yards.

The hosts were two up just eight minutes later as a Millbrook man turned Scott Beattie’s cross into his own net.

Millbrook almost responded immediately as Rikki Shepherd struck the bar from six yards, but were back in it on 29 minutes when Knight headed home from a free-kick.

The game was end-to-end at this point with Shepherd and Beattie both missing good chances, but Holland turned from hero to villain on the stroke of half-time when he reacted badly to a foul and was promptly shown the red card.

But it was Helston who found the next goal, with Oliver – who had come on as a sub ten minutes earlier – hammering his 20-yard effort past Millbrook goalkeeper Chris Wearing.

Things got worse for the away side as Foster saw red for leaving his studs in on Harrison Jewell.

But Payne’s well-taken late free-kick ensured a nervy finish for the hosts, although they held on to claim all three points.

Helston: B Wyatt, K Davies, G Roberts, R Beattie, H Jewell, L Roberts (L Tonkin 75), K Marks, R Holland, S Beattie, K Cornish (T Oliver 62), J Thirkle (A Wharton 75). Subs (unused): T Cooke, J Cooper.

Millbrook: C Wearing, R Tetley, S Morcom, L Murray (J Toulson), J Richards, T Hall, J Foster, R Shepherd, T Payne, L Kershaw, R Knight. Subs (unused): J Cooke, D Fraser, M Brown.