🔴 ‘Every game is like a basketball game’ — Wadebridge chief seeks more control of matches
We hear from Wadebridge Town and Newquay after their 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Plus, we speak to both sides after Mullion beat Truro City reserves in midweek, and we look ahead to this weekend's games.
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⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
🔴 Wadebridge: ‘Every game is like a basketball game’ — Rowe seeks more control of matches
🔴 Newquay: Peppermints forward rues missed chances
🔴 Mullion: ‘We needed that one’ — Carey pleased to end three-game losing run
⚪ Truro: Hilton disappointed with Seagulls defeat
🍿 Cornwall Football’s Weekend Preview
🟢 Argyle preview: Pilgrims travel to a revitalised Birmingham City at St Andrews
Enjoy. 〓〓
🔴 Wadebridge: ‘Every game is like a basketball game’ — Rowe seeks more control of matches
By Matt Friday at Bodieve Park
Wadebridge Town 2 (Rowe, Bidgood)
Newquay 2 (Turner, Lowry)
South West Peninsula League Premier West
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Wadebridge Town chief Paul Rowe wants to see his players take greater control of matches in the wake of his side’s 2-2 draw with Newquay on Wednesday night.
Cam Turner put the Peppermints in front at Bodieve Park with a fine free kick from 25 yards before Jacob Rowe got the faintest of touches on Sam Wickins’ cross to level the scores before the break.
Phil Lowry nodded Newquay back in front fewer than two minutes after the turnaround before Cam Bidgood rescued a point for Paul Rowe’s side, who ended the game with ten players after Wickins was sent to the sin bin.
The draw means the Bridgers return to second in the SWPL Premier West table but now find themselves eight points off unbeaten leaders St Austell.
“It was pretty similar to three of our other four games this season where we haven’t had the amount of control of the match that we’d have liked to have,” Rowe told Cornwall Sports Media after the final whistle. “I think we had it for a 15-minute spell which culminated in our first goal.
“Every game we seem to be involved in at the minute is like a basketball game and it’s just down to individual brilliance or errors as to who comes out on top. We’ve had a good chat in [the dressing room] and we’re just looking for that little bit of control in football matches which we don’t seem to have.”
He continued: “I think both teams could have won it. When you go down to ten for the last ten minutes I’m pleased it’s 2-2. They’ve had a few chances and I think Rob [Rosevear]’s pulled off an unbelievable save at the end.
“Yet we’ve had chances as well and probably both teams will kick themselves that they haven’t won it but be grateful that they haven’t lost it.
“It was probably a good game to watch I imagine, but not a great game if you’re a manager trying to instill some confidence and some control into your football team.”
The visitors opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a wonderful piece of individual brilliance. Newquay won a free kick 25 yards from goal and Turner proceeded to bend the ball over the wall and into the far corner.
Wadebridge looked the brighter side otherwise with Greg Eastman forcing a smart save out of Peppermints custodian Adam Robathan before Bidgood's cross was put agonisingly wide by Matt Lloyd.
But the hosts made no mistake with their next opportunity ten minutes before the break, with Rowe getting the deftest of touches on substitute Wickins' whipped cross to guide it past Robathan from six yards out.
With the scores level at the break, it took Newquay fewer than two minutes of the second half to restore their lead. With team-mate Matt Sanders having nodded wide a few moments earlier, Lowry made no mistake when he met Harrie Tilston's clipped cross at the back post and nodded it home.
But back came Wadebridge and shortly after Wickins' free kick had tested Robathan, it was another set piece that produced the equaliser. Bidgood arrived at the near post to meet Chris Reski's corner kick and rifle it into the roof of the net from close range.
Both sides pushed for a late winner but to no avail. Morgan Vallejo curled a free kick inches wide of the top corner for the hosts — who finished with ten men after Wickins was sent to the sin bin — after team-mate Lloyd blazed over from a good position. Lucas Preston struck the base of the post for Newquay, while Harry Downing and Louis Price also missed big chances to snatch all three points for the visitors.
When asked what prevented his side from taking all three points, Bridgers boss Rowe replied: “Patience and possession. We’ve gone behind in every game this season and then you get a little bit edgy. If you get a goal or two up I think you see a little bit of swagger from us but at the moment we’re too easy to score against and we’re finding ourselves behind. Then you’re chasing it and you’re forcing things a little bit.
“Hopefully we’ll take the lead the next time we play and we go on to win by four or five, which this bunch of players is capable of doing.”
That next time will be on the unfamiliar territory of the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills when they head to Western League Division One outfit Bishop Sutton in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase on Saturday afternoon.
Rowe is seeking a victory, with the Bridgers having won only one of their four Vase ties during his tenure, but is also after an improved showing from his side.
“I’m just looking for a performance up there,” he said. “We haven’t really ever had a run in the Vase since I’ve been in charge. We haven’t qualified for it for most of it but we haven’t had a run in it, so we’re going up there to win the game, but with that, something to take back into our league programme as well.”
🔴 Newquay: Peppermints forward rues missed chances
Newquay forward Alex Cole, who missed out on the game after suffering an injury in pre-season, felt a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal was the difference between the three points his side could have taken and the single point they came away with.
“In terms of the game I think it was two good teams,” Cole told Cornwall Sports Media. “Coming here away against Wadebridge, they’re a good team, I think we played very well although the first half was a bit cagey.
“In the second half we improved in terms of what we wanted to do, we had a few chances and missed a few but so did they, but overall I thought it was very good. We’re a young team with a bit of experience moving forward. It was a hard-fought 2-2 and we had chances right at the end [to nick a win] but we didn’t take them.
“It’s a Wednesday night game and sometimes it changes things and players don’t always turn up in these games, but overall I think we had the chance to win it and we didn’t, so hopefully next game we can do that and get the win.”
Despite the disappointment of being pegged back on two occasions, Newquay looked the likelier side to go on and grab a late winner, with Bridgers gloveman Rob Rosevear denying Price with a one-on-one before Downing nodded agonisingly wide from Turner’s corner as the Peppermints had to settle for a point.
“I think a few of the players out wide, where we play, were a bit leggy and in the last ten minutes you either have a player to come on to make that opportunity and score or you keep the [faith with the] same players that you’ve had [and hope they score],” Cole said.
“But there were opportunities for both sides, to be fair. I think they had one in the last five minutes and didn’t take it.”
The hard-earned point on Wednesday night follows an emphatic five-goal victory at home to Bodmin Town in their 2023-24 curtain-raiser last Saturday, and Cole and his team-mates are harbouring hopes of a strong shopwing this season.
“I think it’s good, we’ve got a great team together: some good young lads, some good experienced lads that have come back — including Ross Fallens and Phil Lowry from Wadebridge,” he said.
“I think the actual team itself is very good, we just need to keep improving and, like I keep saying, take our chances when you get them. I know it’s hard, I’m a striker and sometimes I don’t take my chances, but in these games against these teams you have to take your chances to get to the top.
“I’ve played for Newquay for seven or eight years now and we just haven’t got to that level to get up to that top four, top three [in the league], but I think the team we’ve got now, with Louis Price coming back from Mousehole, we’ve got an opportunity to do well. But [it’s all well] saying it, you need to do it.”
NEXT UP: Wadebridge are in FA Vase action this weekend when they make the trip to Western League Division One outfit Bishop Sutton, while Newquay entertain Mullion in the SWPL (kick-off 3pm).
🔴 Mullion: ‘We needed that one’ — Carey pleased to end three-game losing run
By Matt Friday at Clifden Parc
Mullion 5 (Noy 2, Kemp, Greet, Roberts)
Truro City reserves 2 (Shaw 2)
South West Peninsula League Premier West
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Boss Rob Carey was pleased with his Mullion side’s impressive display in their midweek victory over Truro City reserves.
Jack Noy scored twice as the free-flowing Seagulls put five goals past the newly-promoted White Tigers to end a run of three successive defeats.
Mullion led at the break through Brodie Kemp’s effort before Noy and Dan Greet put Carey’s side three goals up shortly after the turnaround.
City hit back with two goals from Ben Shaw, but Noy’s spot-kick and Harry Roberts’ late strike secured the points for the home side.
It was just the tonic for Mullion after their promising opening-day win against Sticker was promptly followed by defeats to Penzance, St Austell and Launceston, and Carey was pleased to buck that run of losses with a strong all-round performance.
“I think if we’d been a bit more clinical it could have been an awful lot more goals if I’m honest!” Carey told Cornwall Sports Media at full-time. “We’ve played good football at times in the last few games we’ve played, we’ve just not got the results. Even in some of the big losses we’ve had we’ve still tried to play football and tonight we definitely played a lot of football and we managed to get some of those chances away.
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