By Kevin Marriott

WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

St Austell 2 Ilfracombe Town 1

AFTER the shock of a 4-1 home defeat to Saltash on New Year’s Day, St Austell bounced back with three points against struggling Ilfracombe Town at Poltair on Saturday.

Adam Carter scored his seventh goal of an injury-hit campaign to give the Lillywhites a 35th minute lead.

Midfielder Matt Searle’s eighth goal of the season 15 minutes from time rewarded the home side for a dominant second half performance before Ilfracombe reduced the arrears five minutes later through Joe Edmonds.

St Austell manager's team.
St Austell's management team pay their respects to the late Peter Beard. Picture: Paul Williams (Paul Williams)

Before the game there was a minute’s silence for Peter Beard, the former long-serving club secretary who died last week.

Saturday’s win, their fourth in the last five games, lifted St Austell up to 12th place in the table and after a difficult opening to their first season at this level, they have found their feet.

Manager Chris Knight said: “We let ourselves down on New Year’s Day, me included, and we let the conditions affect our attitude and performance, but today was the complete opposite, we were excellent right out of the gate.

St Austell v Ilfracombe Town.
LEFT: Man of the match Kieron Bishop (right) celebrates with goalscorer Adam Carter after they took the lead. RIGHT: Midfielder Matt Searle was all smiles after putting the Saints 2-0 up. Pictures: Paul Williams (Paul Williams)

“We know this week is a big one; two teams in and around us in the league and a quarter-final (at Wadebridge Town on Wednesday night, 7.30pm), so we had to start it well and we did.

“Defensively I thought we were sound, Rhys Hooper is with us full-time now and he showed his class alongside Tom Whipp and my two centre midfielders protected them well.

“Searley does what he does yet again and in Kieron Bishop we had the best player on the pitch!”

ST AUSTELL: Andy Collings, Jake Shaw, Martyn Duff, Tom Whipp, Rhys Hooper, Callum Watson, Neil Slateford (capt), Matt Searle, Adam Carter, Ryan Downing, Kieron Bishop. Subs: Liam Eddy, George Marris, River Allen, Alex Hamley, Olly Brokenshire.