St Newlyn East welcomed top-of-the table Foxhole Stars on Saturday to a Cargoll Road bathed in sunshine, looking to build on their good start to the season but also to improve on their last two performances where they felt that they could have played better than they did.

The Saints certainly started very brightly with midfelder Chris Ballett striking a half-volley at goal that saw Elliot Powell head it agonisingly on to the crossbar. Striker Lewis Dodd then turned his marker before firing a low shot across the goal that the Foxes keeper pushed away to safety.

The game's controversial moment came on 19 minutes when Ross London won possession and cut inside past a defender only to be brought down in the penalty area from a clumsy challenge by the Foxhole fullback just as he was about to shoot. Newlyn's loud appeals for a penalty were waived away by the referee to the bewilderment of everyone and even the Foxhole die hard supporters admitted it should have been a penalty and were shaking their heads in disbelief.

Powell was soon back in the action and brought the ball under control and cut inside his defender before hitting a goal bound shot that was cruelly deflected up and over the crossbar. London had a late opportunity to score from a free-kick from just outside the penalty area but his whipped effort flew inches over with the keeper beaten as the first half ended in stalemate.

Newlyn started the second half lethargically and were guilty of giving possession away cheaply but sprung in to life after ten minutes of the re-start when Dodd spun and hit a long range shot over the keeper and narrowly outside the left hand post. On 62 minutes Martyn Probert found Dodd with a through ball and Dodd kept his composure to place the ball over the advancing keeper and in to an empty net.

Newlyn then pressed the self-destruct button and in a mad ten minute spell gifted their visitors three goals. Just a minute after scoring they gave Reed-Bennett too much time and space and his shot from distance deceived Brooks in Saints' goal and bounced into the net, just inside the post. A soft free-kick awarded on 71 minutes allowed Chris Brown to score from just outside the penalty area before Reed-Bennett added his second of the game; again from poor Newlyn defending; heading in from a corner that Newlyn failed to clear.

As Newlyn pushed forward in search of a goal they left Reed-Bennett in space and he was able to score his second of the game finishing from a long pass. Newlyn continued to cause Foxhole problems and were creating opportunities and were rewarded when Lucas Moses cross was saved by the keeper only for Dodd to keep the ball in play and find Brodie Mitchell how fired home from close range with two minutes remaining.

Apart from a crazy ten minute period in the second half that saw Newlyn gift Foxhole three goals the Saints more than matched their opponents for long periods of the game and played some of their best football for a long time. However Newlyn have found out to their cost that mistakes made in the Premier Division get punished – their learning curve in the new division continues though and they look to bounce back on Saturday when they entertain Foxhole again in the Junior Cup, 2.00pm KO

The Pheasant Inn Man-of-the-Match: Elliot Dodd