Rocky to Parkway's rescue as his brace sends them through

PLYMOUTH Parkway came into this Isuzu FA Trophy third qualifying round tie against Southern League Premier South counterparts Gosport Borough carrying the baggage of a bruising few weeks: late goals on the road, set pieces mismanaged, bodies short and confidence thin.

- By MIKE PARRISH Football correspondent @MikeParrish_81

Rocky Neal scored twice for Plymouth Parkway in the 3-2 win over Gosport Borough on Saturday

(TOM FINNIE)

Bolitho Park felt worryingly quiet at kickoff, subdued stands, a hint of frustration, until a travelling drum and a carnival pocket of Boro support injected some much needed noise.

Chris McPhee again patched a side together, this time with Rocky Neal back from a layoff to lead the line. When Gosport went two-up it threatened a familiar story. Instead, Parkway changed tack, found the composure and directness that had been missing, and put their name in Monday's first-round-proper draw with a superb comeback win.

Gosport's plan was simple and effective early on: sit compact, counter quickly and test a backline short on confidence. Parkway kept the ball without much intent, and the visitors carved the clearer moments, the opener arriving on 25 minutes when the lively Rafa Ramos split the defence and finished low across Mack Allan. Before the interval the lead might have grown, only hurried touches and last-ditch blocks keeping the deficit at one.