🔵 Honours even as SWPL's top two play out six-goal thriller
Read reaction from Liskeard, St Austell, Truro, Mousehole, Falmouth, Helston, Saltash, Torpoint and Plymouth Argyle after their respective weekend games, as well as our women's football round-up.
⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
🔵 Liskeard: Gilbert pleased to pass ‘sternest test’ in St Austell draw
⚪ St Austell: Knight lauds ‘magnificent’ team after rescuing point at Blues
💚 Attention, Cornish Greens: Schuey is coming to town
⚪ Truro: ‘Go down fighting’ says Wotton after Chippenham loss
🟢 Mousehole: ‘Gritty’ nature of win at Yate pleases Ash
🟡 Falmouth: Westgarth overjoyed after ‘emotional rollercoaster’ win sends Town top
🔵 Helston: ‘We weren’t ruthless enough’ admits Cusack after rare home reverse
📸 IN PICTURES: Helston Athletic 1-3 Barnstaple Town
🔴 Saltash: Brown ‘absolutely delighted’ with performance in derby draw
🟡 Torpoint: Cardew happy with point despite penalty controversy
🟢 Argyle: Point a fair one, says Schumacher after Hull draw
⚽ Women’s football round-up: Four sides survive FA Cup second qualifying round
🟢 Argyle preview: Pilgrims look to extend their strong home form against Millwall
Enjoy. 〓〓
🔵 Liskeard: Gilbert pleased to pass ‘sternest test’ in St Austell draw
By Gareth Davies at Lux Park
Liskeard Athletic 3 (Gilbert, Smith, Woods)
St Austell 3 (Brokenshire, Carter, Eddy)
South West Peninsula League Premier West
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Darren Gilbert was pleased to see his Liskeard Athletic side stand up to their ‘sternest test’ of the season so far after they drew 3-3 with table toppers AFC St Austell in a breathless Lux Park clash.
Despite the Blues losing their 100 per cent league record, after nine wins from as many games so far in the South West Peninsula League Premier West, Gilbert praised the showing from his charges, who almost snatched all three points in a frantic finale.
With the teams locked at 3-3, veteran forward Mike Smith was fouled in the box and referee Shaun Edge, who was excellent throughout, pointed to the spot. Town defender Harvey Hann was then sent off for dissent and after calm was restored, Max Gilbert, Liskeard’s outstanding captain, saw his spot kick kept out by visiting custodian Harry Ashton.
“I think was our sternest test and I think we stood up to it,” Darren Gilbert said at full-time. “St Austell have all the experience and we have a very young team, that could probably do with a bit more experience.
“On another day, Max scores that (penalty) and we walk out of here 10 from 10. It isn’t Max’s fault as we had other opportunities in the game and we didn’t take our chances.
“We didn’t defend brilliantly and we didn’t move the ball quickly because they sat in and played 4-5-1, which is always difficult to play against. It was hard to pick the places to put the ball to get in behind them, but they came and did a job, by sitting in and it worked for them.
“It nearly didn’t if we had scored at the end, but we are on a run and the boys have fantastic. I haven’t knocked anyone and the boys have done terrific.
“If someone had said I would have come in here and won nine of the first ten games, then I would have snapped their hands off. I’m not disappointed as I have got heaps of praise for the players.”
⚪ St Austell: Knight lauds ‘magnificent’ team after rescuing point at Blues
Meanwhile, Gilbert’s opposite number Chris Knight hailed his side as ‘magnificent’ to twice come from behind to share the spoils.
Against the run of play, St Austell fell behind when Ashton failed to keep out Max Gilbert’s speculative free-kick although at the other end, a deflected effort from Olly Brokenshire restored parity.
In the second stanza, Town’s leading scorer Adam Carter tapped home at the back post after a teasing cross into the corridor of uncertainty from Jake Shaw. But this lead didn’t last either as Smith found the mark after Ashton had spilt Harry Jeffrey’s effort.
Liskeard then pressed ahead for a second time after Jarrad Woods’ piledriver hit the underside of the bar and crossed the line. As time ticked down, substitute Liam Eddy headed home fellow replacement Noah Teagle’s back post cross to tie the scores again before Ashton’s late heroics.
Said Knight: “I would have bitten your hand off for a point here before the game, I will be open and honest about that. Liskeard are a fantastic team and they have battered pretty much everyone this season so I would have taken a point.
“But on the balance of play overall, I am disappointed (with the results) as I thought we were magnificent from start to finish.
“We didn’t roll over and weren’t bullied at all. We stood up to Liskeard and not many teams have done that so I am really proud of the lads.
“We took the lead and then didn’t capitalise on it, but perhaps a point is fair result, given the fact they missed a penalty at the end with our ‘keeper doing fantastic.”
💚 Attention, Cornish Greens: Schuey is coming to town
An evening with Steven Schumacher
When: Tuesday, October 10, 7.30pm
Where: St Blazey AFC (Station Rd, St Blazey, PL24 2ND)
The Plymouth Argyle manager is heading across the Tamar next Tuesday evening for a Q&A session with the Cornish branch of the Green Army.
The event is being hosted by St Blazey AFC and has been organised by the Plymouth Argyle Cornish Supporters’ Association (PACSA).
Kicking off at 7.30pm, entry is just £1 – free to PACSA members.
To join PACSA, contact Chairman John Simmons at: jannersjournal@tiscali.co.uk
⚪ Truro: ‘Go down fighting’ says Wotton after Chippenham loss
By Matt Friday
Truro City boss Paul Wotton implored his team to show more urgency when chasing the game in the wake of their 2-0 defeat to Chippenham Town on Saturday.
Matt McClure scored both goals as the Wiltshire outfit condemned City to a third successive defeat in all competitions, leaving the White Tigers in 12th spot in the National League South table.
Experienced former Wycombe Wanderers striker McClure put the Bluebirds in front after 13 minutes at Bolitho Park with a smart finish past James Hamon, with the same man doubling the advantage just after the hour with a goal from distance.
“I think they’re the best team we’ve played this season, but they’ve had two shots and scored two goals,” Wotton said. “The second one is a mistake and the first one isn’t great from us either.
“What concerned me was I looked at my watch at 17 minutes to go, we were 2-0 down and I didn’t see any urgency. You’ve got two choices [in that scenario]: you just jack it in and see the game out or you have a rally up and you might lose 2-0 or 3-0, but if you score the next goal at 2-0 you’ve got a chance.
“Go down fighting, and very rarely [do I] I say that about my football team and I was a bit concerned about that.”
🟢 Mousehole: ‘Gritty’ nature of win at Yate pleases Ash
By Pablo Woolls-Blanco
Mousehole manager Jake Ash revelled in his side’s ‘gritty’ 2-1 win away to Yate Town as the team’s superb start to life in the Southern League Division One South continued.
The Seagulls continued their unbeaten start in the Southern League as they rose to third in the table after coming from behind to secure all three points on the road.
Will Sage put the home side ahead with 20 minutes on the clock after his fantastic strike struck the inside of the post before nestling in the bottom corner, giving Yate a deserved lead at the interval.
After a difficult first 45 minutes, Ash’s men responded in resilient fashion, turning the game on its head within four minutes, through goals from Hayden Turner and substitute Jack Bray-Evans. The Seagulls were able to grind out a positive result and take all three points back to West Cornwall.
"We weren't at our best.” Ash said. “But you’re not going to be all the time in this league. I’m really pleased with the response in the second half — I didn’t think we were terrible in the first half; we just lacked that snap and bite but there was no lack of effort.
“I’m really chuffed with how we defended in the second half — people putting their bodies on the line, blocking things, picking up little fouls.
“That’s what you’ve got to do at a place like this — dig in, be gritty, and then have the moments of quality that we know we’ve got in the final third. We were resilient and stubborn. I like that.”
🟡 Falmouth: Westgarth overjoyed after ‘emotional rollercoaster’ win sends Town top
By Matt Friday
Falmouth Town chief Andrew Westgarth declared his side’s late victory at Buckland Athletic an ‘emotional rollercoaster’ as Town climbed to the top of the Western League in dramatic circumstances.
Town took their place at the summit after Andreas Calleja-Stayne’s stoppage-time header clinched a 2-1 win at the Devon outfit, only moments after the Bickland Park side had a penalty saved.
Luke Barner nodded Town in front early on at Homers Heath with the score staying the same until Jared Lewington’s header appeared to rescue a point for the Bucks in the 87th minute.
The game was far from over, though, with Tom Annear then having a penalty saved at the other end before Calleja-Stayne scored the winner from the resulting corner.
“You’ve got to enjoy the good days in football and that was certainly a good day, an emotional rollercoaster,” Westgarth said.
“To beat Buckland, who have had their difficulties but have plenty of experience in their side and it’s such a well-run place to play football, to come away with three massive points [is fantastic].
“The league table is so tight, I think it’s only three points between first and seventh so if we’d lost we would be down in seventh. We knew that before the game — we said to the boys that if results go our way there’s a great chance we could be top of the league come five o’clock.
“I know it’s only early days, it’s September, but it’s small hurdles that you have to get over. To get to the end of September and be top of the league, I’d have bitten your hand off for that.”
🔵 Helston: ‘We weren’t ruthless enough’ admits Cusack after rare home reverse
By Matt Friday
Helston Athletic manager Matt Cusack admitted that his side were second best as the Blues suffered a first home defeat since January at the hands of Barnstaple Town.
Cusack’s side let a lead slip against the unbeaten Devonians who ultimately ran out 3-1 winners at Kellaway Park, which saw the Blues also lose their status as league leaders.
Tyler Elliott gave Helston the lead after 25 minutes but the hosts failed to capitalise on a handful of good opportunities before Brodie Montague made them pay with an equaliser shortly before half-time.
Barum debutant Oscar Massey then put his new side in front before Elliott saw red for a mistimed challenge late on, with Massey clinching the win in stoppage time.
“The best team on the day won, I’ve no problem with that,” Cusack said. “We were second best for large periods of the game. I felt the first half was a pretty even affair but for about half an hour in the second half I thought they were better than us. They seemed to be first to every second ball and looked a yard quicker.
“It was unlike us, we’ve been great of late in second halves and it wasn’t to be today. No complaints about the result but I’m disappointed with the red card. I’m not contesting the decision, I thought it was a late tackle. I think it’s just one of them where [Elliott’s] just overrun it and then he’s committed to a tackle and he was a bit late and he knows it, he’s gutted with it.
“But that wasn’t why we lost this game. We lost this game because we felt at 1-0 we had good opportunities in transitional moments and we weren’t ruthless enough. We didn’t show enough quality, we didn’t take care of thsoe transitions enough.
“I felt that if we had done that we could have got two or three up at half-time, but because we didn’t, against a side who are at the top end of the league, they will get their moment and when they came along they took them, so credit to them.”
📸 IN PICTURES: Helston Athletic 1-3 Barnstaple Town
By Colin Bradbury
Check out our selection of photos from Helston Athletic’s 3-1 defeat to Barnstaple Town in their Western League Premier Division encounter on Saturday.
🔴 Saltash: Brown ‘absolutely delighted’ with performance in derby draw
By Matt Friday
Boss Mackenzie Brown was ‘absolutely delighted’ with his Saltash United side’s display in their 1-1 draw with local rivals Torpoint Athletic.
It was honours even in the southeast Cornwall derby as the Ashes came from behind to rescue a draw against their neighbours at Waterways Stadium, with Brown’s side now unbeaten in their last four games on home soil.
After a goalless first 45 minutes it was former Ashes frontman Ryan Richards who came back to haunt his former side early in the second half, but Tylor Love-Holmes restored parity for the hosts on the hour.
It could have been even better for the Ashes had Jordan Ewing converted his penalty shortly before Love-Holmes’ leveller, but Brown was thoroughly pleased with his team’s performance, if not quite the result.
“I thought we played them off the park to be honest,” he said. “It was our best performance of the season, it had been brewing and [on Saturday] we saw it and for 40 minutes in the first half in particular we were outstanding and should have scored three or four goals. They couldn’t handle us and we were a huge problem for them but we just didn’t put them to bed.
“That was disappointing and in the end they scored just after half-time and then you think that’s just typical Saltash at the moment. But full credit to our boys, they bounced back to get themselves a penalty but then we obviously missed the penalty, but we bounced back again and scored a great equaliser.
“Before the game would I have been happy with a point? Probably, but in terms of the pattern of the game we’re disappointed [not to get] the three, but I’m absolutely delighted with the performance, that’s for sure.”
🟡 Torpoint: Cardew happy with point despite penalty controversy
By Matt Friday
Brown’s opposite number Dean Cardew was pleased to take a point away from their rivals after admitting his side were below their best.
However, he was frustrated not to receive a late penalty after former Ashes man Alex Cairo was brought down in the box in the dying embers of the game.
While other results mean they have slipped to sixth in what is a very congested Western League table, the draw means Torpoint are now on a run of four games without a defeat.
“I was happy with the point in the end considering that we didn't play well at all,” Cardew said. “But we showed good character in staying in the game and coming into it a lot more in the second half and were the team looking more likely to win it come the end.
“The fact that we had a blatant penalty denied at the very death, that every person in the ground agreed was a penalty was a difficult moment to take as well.
“It's nice to be on a little unbeaten run but we know that we need to improve on our performance if we're going to continue it though.”
🟢 Argyle: Point a fair one, says Schumacher after Hull draw
By Matt Friday
Plymouth Argyle chief Steven Schumacher felt the point his side earned from a 1-1 draw at Hull City on Saturday was a fair one.
Adam Randell’s first-half goal was enough for the Pilgrims to take something away from the MKM Stadium.
Randell started and finished the move that yielded his goal in the 22nd minute, with Bali Mumba’s cross being tipped into the path of the Pilgrims midfielder who made no mistake from close range.
Argyle were on top as half-time approached but were then hit with a sucker punch shortly before the break, with Jaden Philogene’s cross being tucked away by Regan Slater.
“I think any point in the Championship is a good point, especially away from home,” Schumacher said. “We've had to work really hard to earn that point today. We showed different sides of our game. We've competed against a really good Hull City team throughout the game.
“On another day we could have taken three points maybe, but we also could have lost it, so it could have gone either way. A point is probably a fair result on reflection.
“The majority of this season, we've shown that we can compete. We've shown that we're a good team and we can push these top teams all the way. There's only one time this season that we've let our standards drop and we know what happened on that night.
“That would be the message to the lads: this is a good point and we need to get home, recover and get ready to go again on Tuesday.”
⚽ Women’s football round-up: Four sides survive FA Cup second qualifying round
By Matt Friday
St Austell prevailed in a dramatic penalty shootout at Bishops Lydeard to become one of four Cornish sides to book their place in the third qualifying round of the Women’s FA Cup.
Lucy Solloway scored twice as Town twice came from a goal down in Somerset to send the tie to penalties, with the Lillywhites triumphing 4-3 on spot-kicks.
Town’s South West Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division colleagues Liskeard Athletic are also through after edging out Saltash United 2-1 at Lux Park. Nicola Symons gave the Ashes the lead but an own goal levelled the tie before Sam Metters headed home the winner.
Sticker are comfortably into the next round after Tori Marks’ five-goal haul helped the mid-Cornwall side to a 12-0 victory over St Agnes, with Annie Richards (2), Lauren Bennett, Chloe Harris, Gracie Davies and Amber Hadrill also finding the net.
Beth Prouse plundered a six-timer as Helston Athletic also made it through after thrashing Crediton United 8-0 at Kellaway Park, with Abi Locke and an own goal completing the rout.
But it is sadly the end of the road for the Cornwall Women’s Football League pair of Bude Town and Saltash Borough, with the Seasiders losing 3-1 at Teignmouth while Borough were beaten by Plympton on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Devon.
In the CWFL Division 1, Sarah Brown scored the only goal of the game as leaders Bodmin made it three wins from three with victory at Wadebridge Town.
Elsewhere, Jasmine Bibby and Francesca Callander found the net for RNAS Culdrose in their 2-0 win over Penryn, while Scarlett Clouter’s effort couldn’t prevent Mousehole from going down 2-1 at home to St Dennis.
In Division 2, Anna Wherry and Summer Hanson both bagged hat-tricks in a 14-0 win for Biscovey at home to Charlestown, while Chelsea Pawlyn also grabbed a treble for Wendron United as they ran out 9-0 winners at Troon.
Chloe Yorath went one better with a four-timer in Callington Town’s 5-2 victory at home to Padstow United, with Tylah Gardiner scoring both goals as Ludgvan won 2-0 at St Agnes reserves.
Elsewhere, FXSU triumphed 5-3 at Lanner while Redruth United were handed a walkover against Dropship.
🟢 Argyle preview: Pilgrims look to extend their strong home form against Millwall
By Colin Bradbury
Plymouth Argyle v Millwall
EFL Championship
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
After drawing with the Tigers of Hull at the weekend, Argyle will be looking to tame another big cat as the Lions of Millwall travel to Home Park on Tuesday.
Millwall currently lie 15th in the Championship table, two places behind Argyle, with both teams taking 11 points from nine games. Their away form has been relatively good, with one win and two draws from their four games on the road this season. Now in their seventh season in the Championship, Millwall have finished in the top ten in four of the last six campaigns but without ever troubling the play-off places.
The two sides have not played against each other in the league since 2006 when a Championship clash ended in a 1-1 draw. The most recent meeting in all competitions was in 2018, when the Pilgrims lost 3-2 in a Carabao Cup second round tie.
‘Inconsistent’ — the word that manager Gary Rowett has himself used — best describes the Lions’ performances so far this season. In a quirk of the fixture list, Argyle’s next two opponents faced each other last Saturday, as Swansea City visited Millwall at the Den. Having beaten Middlesbrough, Stoke and Rotherham in the campaign so far, Millwall slipped to a heavy 3-0 defeat to a Swansea side that until then had only won one in eight.
Argyle, meanwhile, returned from the north with a point against a Hull side that has started the season strongly. This was a match which, while it ended 1-1, in truth could have been 2-1 to either side or a 2-2 draw. Argyle will surely be buoyed by their performance, and while they are yet to win on the road, it feels like a three-pointer is not far away. Nevertheless, the Pilgrims remain considerably stronger on home turf, and are fourth in the Championship table on home form.
Overall, against Hull City, Argyle looked more than a match for a seasoned Championship side that had only lost once this season. Any doubts that the Greens would look out of their depth in the second tier have surely been banished by now.
Returning to Tuesday’s opponents, Millwall predominantly deploy a 3-4-1-2 formation. However, playing two up-top hasn’t exactly delivered a goal-bonanza so far; with just seven in the opening nine Championship games of the season, only struggling Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer goals. In four of those nine matches, the Lions have failed to find the back of the net at all.
Kevin Nisbet, a £2 million summer signing from SPL side Hibernian, is Millwall’s top scorer with two, and no other player has bagged more than one. Argyle, in contrast, have failed to score just once, against Watford at Vicarage Road.
Rowett has had to deal with injuries to both of his frontmen already in this campaign. Nisbet picked up an ankle injury against Rotherham on 20th September, albeit he was fit in time for the Rotherham clash. Millwall’s other main striker, Tom Bradshaw, of whom Rowett speaks very highly, suffered a hamstring injury in the game against West Brom on 23rd September. The manager regards him as his key man up-front, although he only has one goal to his name in eight appearances in the current campaign. Bradshaw missed the Swansea clash and Rowett said at the weekend that he ‘might have half a chance’ of returning for the Hull City game next Saturday, which appears to rule him out of making the trip to Home Park.
Argyle have injury concerns of their own. Callum Wright suffered a torn ligament in the Bristol City clash with the initial assessment being that he would not return to action until mid-November. Wright, who has so far played predominantly as an impact-sub, will undoubtedly be a loss to the Pilgrims until then.
Steven Schumacher has a particular issue on the left side of defence, with an ankle injury expected to side-line Saxon Earley until the end of November and Lewis Gibson aggravating a foot injury in training the week before the Hull City game.
Playing as a left-sided centre-back alongside Kaine Kesler-Hayden in a 4-4-2 formation and as a left-back against Norwich City when Schumacher switched to a 3-4-3, Gibson has been one of the brightest of the summer arrivals at Home Park. Argyle won’t know how long the former Everton man will be out of action until he has a scan this week but having started every Championship game until Saturday so far this season, he will be a big miss.
Against Hull he was replaced by Macaulay Gillesphey who has been recovering from a groin operation in the summer. In his first start this season, he was unfortunate to be involved in the Hull equaliser just before half time when his clearance was blocked. It will go down as a mistake on the part of the defender but in truth he was unlucky that the rebound spun back into play when it looked to be heading over the dead-ball line, allowing the Tiger’s Jaden Philogene to get in the cross for Regan Slater to slot home at the back post.
At the risk of tempting fate, in the next three and a half weeks, Argyle have three fixtures at Home Park — against Millwall, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday — that look to be eminently winnable. A decent points haul from those games would likely leave the Greens in a comfortable mid-table spot by the end of the month.
We’re back on Thursday. See you then!
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