Falmouth Town staged another cup tie comeback to claim victory in their Walter C Parson League Cup third round clash with Brixham at Bickland Park on Saturday.
The tournament's defending champions safely progressed in the end, but they did not have it all their own way against their stubborn South West Peninsula League Division 1 East opponents.
The Devon club went ahead on ten minutes when Carl Bradley thundered a shot past stand-in ‘keeper Adam Rowbathan, but the defending champions were level on 20 minutes thanks to a super strike from Tim Nixon which flew into the top corner.
The score remained the same until the 69th minute when Bowyer got on the end of Luke Brabyn's cross to head his side into the quarter-finals.
History looked to be repeating itself in the 11th minute when Bradley broke free of the Falmouth defence and fired a powerful strike past Rowbathan, deputising for unavailable first-team goalie Ryan Barnes.
Town had found themselves a goal down at home to Division 1 opposition two weeks earlier when St Dennis enjoyed a half-time lead in their Cornwall Senior Cup second round tie.
But like that occasion, and on many other occasions in the past 18 months, Town's superior fitness and quality eventually told as they wore their dogged Devonian opponents down.
Manager Andrew Westgarth said: “Well I think people might look at that and just think ‘oh a routine Falmouth Town 2-1 win’, but I think that was probably one of our best performances of the season in a sense of we ground out a result, we were resilient, and I thought our work rate was excellent.
"From Brixham’s side of it, it was probably the best time they could play us; tough conditions, pitch was really heavy and obviously we had a few missing today but I thought the boys were excellent and delighted to be in both Senior Cup and League Cup next rounds for the start of the year.”
Town were only behind for nine minutes before Nixon fired in a stunning equaliser from the edge of the box, with Westgarth praising the winger's goal and his overall performance.
“He’s been excellent, Nixey’s been fantastic this season," he said. "I’ve said it before many times in interviews that I don’t think people give him the credit he deserves.
"A lot of people said when I signed him that he only plays well in nice conditions, but he’s been excellent for us today [Saturday] and if you’re looking for a bit of quality or a little bit of magic to get you back into the game then that was certainly it.”
The winning goal arrived 20 minutes from time when Bowyer escaped his marker to head in Brabyn's cross at the near post and book Town's place in next year's quarter-finals, where they will join Mousehole, St Austell and Elburton Villa, plus four sides yet to be confirmed.
Falmouth: A Rowbathan, D Blizzard, O Moody (A Westgarth 61), R Martt (J Penhallurick 81), J Cooper, J Ward, L Brabyn, J Webber, J Bowyer, S Pickup (T Annear HT), T Nixon. Subs (unused): J Miller.
Brixham: R Walton, J Spence, M Brooke, S Green, R O’Callaghan, G Dandridge, R Somers, L McAuley, R Bowker, C Bradley, S Robinson. Subs: J Turak, R Willcocks, T Couch, P Pickavant.
- Town visit Exmouth Town in the league on Saturday (ko 3pm).
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