P & D Comb Premier
Tavistock 1
University of Plymouth 1
THIS was the final game for the Lambs and they were full value for gaining a point after a workmanlike second half performance.
The own-goal disease must have spread to the side from the first team the previous day when in the seventh minute John Bradford's penalty area clearance slammed into Adrian Payne and rebound past keeper Tony Rawlings to give the University an unexpected lead.
They were lucky not to go further behind on the half-hour when the ball came back off the crossbar and into the hands of Rawlings.
The Lambs had chances near half-time when Craig Brook shot straight at the keeper and later hot just wide of the target.
University thought they had increased their lead after 15 minutes of the second half when an attacker was put through but it was cancelled out due to a colleague being offside.
Rob Hawkins saw his free kick tipped over the bar before Rawlings came to the Lambs' rescue to save at the feet of a University attacker.
With five minutes remaining the Lambs equalised. Brook's cross was handled in the area and he stepped up to convert the spot kick to give them the point they deserved.
Joint managers Chris Abbott and Craig Smith agreed after the game that it had been a learning curve for them in their first season of management but to get to two semi-finals and finish in the top half of the league was more than expected.
Team: Tony Rawlings, Steve Shaw, Chris Saunders (sub Mark Piper), Adrian Payne, John Bradford, Paul Mellor, Craig Brook, Rob Hawkins, Paul Da-Rocha (sub Lee Fitzsimmons), Steve Brownlow and Steve Nicholson.
Subs not used: Chris Abbott and Craig Smith.