Parkway rise to the occasion and stun Salisbury

MCPHEE’S MEN ENJOY ANOTHER MEMORABLE MOMENT IN TROPHY

- By MIKE PARRISH Football correspondent @PlymouthPFC

STORM Claudia had battered Plymouth all week, but bright blue skies broke over Bolitho Park as this FA Trophy second round tie delivered everything the competition is loved for: goals, chaos, drama, momentum swings and a fearless Parkway performance to stun National League South opposition.

Chris McPhee made several changes following last weekend’s defeat to Uxbridge. Callum Hall returned to the starting XI, while Taylor Scarff, Rocky Neal and Shane White remained sidelined through injury. Jake Smith dropped back into midfield, leaving teenager Will Sullivan — the makeshift striker —to lead the line. And from the opening whistle, the youngster repaid that trust.

The nationwide 15:03 kickoff, marking non-league football’s 3Up campaign, had barely settled the crowd before Parkway drew first blood. Inside two minutes, Hall’s smart press forced discomfort in the Salisbury back line, and Sullivan pounced to sweep home from six yards — an instinctive finish that set the tone for a fearless opening spell. Parkway looked reborn after last week’s setback. James Watts-Barciela carved open the right flank repeatedly, sending in a teasing cross that Hall almost turned in. Hall’s return added balance and aggression down the left, while Smith's bite in midfield helped Parkway pen back their higher-league visitors.

Salisbury looked rattled but tried to assert their experience. Winger Josh Keeya and target man Oliver Bray slowly found pockets of influence, yet Parkway’s press remained ferocious — triggered time and again by Hall and Barciela.