Stoke Gabriel and Torbay Police slipped to a heavy opening day defeat at the hands of Plymouth Marjon. Forced to play the majority of the game with ten men, the Bees held out until half time but conceded six in the second half as the visitors pressed home their advantage.
After the heavy morning rain, the sun came out to bless Stoke’s season opener at the Speedwell Kia Stadium, highlighting the fantastic surface that has been developed and nurtured over several seasons by award-winning groundsman Rich Organ.
There were also some bright spells for the hosts in the first half with Keiran Townsend appearing to put Stoke ahead from Owen Coldwell’s header after 15 minutes, only for referee Nigel Lawrence to rule out the goal for a handball in the build-up. Coldwell himself fired wide after a promising build up four minutes later and shortly afterwards, Marjon ‘keeper Gabriel Smietanka intercepted a dangerous Joe Aldous cross.
But these were overshadowed by the 26th minute dismissal of defender Chinomso Nto-Mbah. Having already booked the player for a foul after just four minutes, Lawrence was left with little option but to send Nto-Mbah off after he had pulled back a Marjon player who had got away from him.
From then on, the visitors began to turn the screw. Theo Ramsey flashed a dangerous cross across the face of the goal and Tom Kempson and captain Matt Hesford both pulled off vital tackles on the edge of the Stoke box. Ramsey looked to have breached the defence on 37 minutes but was foiled by the offside flag. Three minutes later, Marjon skipper Liam Donovan slipped the livewire Alangel Joseph through on the left, the latter’s chip landing on the top of Sarjantson’s net.
Joseph continued to terrorise the Stoke defence before the break. His delightful back heel found James Bridges on the overlap, Rob Heaps doing well to get back to dispossess him. The home side will have been the most relieved to have reached half-time unbreached.
Barely had the game restarted when the inevitable happened, Joseph slotting home from Marjon’s first attack. The visitors thought they had doubled their lead ten minutes later but Donovan’s effort was ruled out. They weren’t denied for long. Two minutes later, Alex Lecointe beat Sarjantson with a powerful strike to make it 2-0.
Goals three and four came in quick succession, Ramsey and substitute Reece Brown with the goals, the first a tap in after a cross from the left and the second a powerful finish into the top of the net following persistent work from Joseph.
Marjon made it five shortly afterwards, Andy South blasting home.
Stoke did have a couple of chances in the second half. The best of these came six minutes from time. Sam Pritchard’s promising solo run into the box ended in a corner which Hesford smacked against the bar.
But Sarjantson was by far the busiest goalkeeper and made several good saves before Lewis Jago chipped him from a narrow angle in stoppage time to make it 6-0.
Although Marjon were worthy winners, Stoke will feel they would have made more of a fist of it had they not suffered with that early red card. Their next test would be a trip to Coach Road to take on a Bovey Tracey side who had beaten Dartmouth AFC 3-0 in their season opener.