⚪️ Worthing defeat 'a reality check', says Truro chief Wotton
Plus, Argyle Women bow out of FA Cup, Falmouth Town dream of Wembley after FA Vase fourth round win, and Helston Athletic regain control of Western League title race.
⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
⚪ Truro: Worthing defeat 'a reality check', says City chief Wotton
🟢 Argyle: Women put on spirited display as they bow out of FA Cup
🟢 Mousehole: Ash hails Seagulls’ ‘resilience’ after Bideford draw
🟡 Falmouth: Town continue march to Wembley with Westgarth’s men into Last 16
🔴 Western: Stoppage-time winner hands Helston advantage in title race
🔵 SWPL: Liskeard’s rare draw opens door for St Austell
🟠 Women’s: St Austell earn crucial win while Saltash go top
Enjoy. 〓〓
⚪️ Truro: Worthing defeat 'a reality check', says City chief Wotton
By Matt Friday at Bolitho Park
Boss Paul Wotton admitted his Truro City side were given a ‘reality check’ after they went down to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Worthing at Bolitho Park on Saturday.
City came into the game on a fantastic run of six wins in their past seven outings, and took the lead on the half-hour mark via Tyler Harvey’s excellent header, only for Danny Cashman to nod in a leveller on the stroke of half-time.
Buoyed by that timely equaliser, the West Sussex outfit raced out of the blocks after the turnaround with Oliver Pearce and Cashman finding the net for the Rebels within two minutes of each other.
Adam Hinshelwood’s side wrapped up the points in the 78th minute when the division’s leading goalscorer Pearce volleyed home to condemn City to a first home defeat since the end of October.
"There were two shots in the first half – we scored a really good goal and then we conceded a really poor goal right on the stroke of half-time," Wotton said. "It’s a reality check, really. We’ve been on a good run [but] Worthing were sharper, quicker, moved the ball better and won more second balls. All in all, we’ve been beaten by a better team today.
“The goal on the stroke of half-time was a blow and the second goal is poor again from us and the third goal is just suicidal defending, literally 90 seconds after you concede the second one and it’s game over.
“We then got raggedy and started chasing the ball and that played into Worthing’s hands because they’re an excellent team. They moved the ball better than us, they were fitter and sharper. I’ve got no qualms about the result, I think Worthing were excellent in the second half and I thought we were poor, so the gulf was huge.
“There’s no screaming and shouting, there’s no finger pointing in the changing room, we know we’ve been poor. It was disappointing especially after going 1-0 up because we’ve been good at defending leads lately, but it wasn’t our day and, in the second half especially, Worthing were better than us in all departments.”
The defeat brought an abrupt end to City’s best winning run of the season, which stood at four matches, but there is little time to dwell on it with the team back in action on Tuesday night for the visit of Dartford.
This is set to be a busy period for City with four matches in the next 13 days, so Wotton’s side will need to quickly brush off any disappointment and focus minds on making amends on Tuesday.
“Before today we’d won six out of seven and now we’ve won six out of eight, it’s a return you would have taken before that run of games started,” Wotton said. “But we’re under no illusion that we’ve got a tough game on Tuesday night.
“Dartford are an experienced team and we haven’t come up against them yet this season. They’ve changed their manager which is always a tricky situation, but we’ll recover properly and go again on Tuesday and hopefully put in a better performance than we did today.”
He added: “I just said [in the dressing room], ‘Let this one sting for a couple of hours but don’t let it ruin your weekend.’ We’ve been on a good run and we’re a good team. When we do what we’re good at we’re a good team and when we don’t we struggle, I’ve said that all along.”
🟢 Argyle: Women put on spirited display as they bow out of FA Cup
By Colin Bradbury
Plymouth Argyle’s women put in a gutsy performance on the big Home Park stage on Sunday but were eliminated from the Adobe Women’s FA Cup by a very strong Nottingham Forest side.
Argyle were bidding to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time after defeating Oxford United on penalties in the third round. They defended resolutely in the first half and looked to be heading into the break trailing by just one until a Forest goal in the third minute of added time doubled the visitors’ advantage.
As Argyle Women’s coach Ryan Perks acknowledged after the game, Forest’s fitness levels — helped by the presence in the side of six full-time professionals — told as the game wore on. The visitors scored four more in the second half before a lovely Jade Berrow header from an Argyle free kick right at the death gave the home side a richly deserved consolation goal.
The Argyle women were backed by a vocal crowd almost 2,000 strong with the younger supporters very much in evidence. As always, the players showed their appreciation, signing autographs and posing for selfies long after the final whistle.
Argyle: 1 Jasmine Read, 2 Katie Dickson, 4 Jemma Rose, 5 Panagiota Papaioannou (capt), 6 Lucy Hack (11 Fern Orchard, 55), 7 Charlotte Whitmore (19 Erin O'Shea, 88), 8 Imy Crawford (15 Georgie Knott, 76), 9 Ellie Sara (11 Jade Berrow, 55), 10 Rebecca Dandridge, 18 Taya Pomfret, 29 Mia Endacott. Substitutes (not used): 21 Maddi Curno (gk), 13 Grace Smith, 22 Emily Elliot, 23 Katelyn Bell, 24 Grace Perrins.
🟢 Mousehole: Ash hails Seagulls’ ‘resilience’ after Bideford draw
By Pablo Woolls-Blanco at The Sports Ground
Mousehole manager Jake Ash praised his side’s ‘resilience’ after the Seagulls picked up a well-earned 1-1 draw away to Bideford.
In the Seagulls’ third straight away game in the Southern League Division One South, a superb second-half equaliser from Tallan Mitchell ended Bideford’s six-game winning streak.
After a first half void of many clear-cut chances, it was the home side who found themselves ahead, after Josh Webber pounced upon another Mousehole error at the back before emphatically lashing a left-footed effort into the far corner, just after the half-hour mark.
Mousehole showed their quality in the second period and got their equaliser in the 64th minute through Tallan Mitchell, after some tricky footwork in the penalty area and after an impressive, lengthy passing move.
Bideford were reduced to ten men in the 80th minute as Archie Reay was given his marching orders for violent conduct, but after several second-half opportunities to find their first away win since the end of September, the Seagulls settled for a point.
"I felt like we really nullified them (Bideford) today.” Ash said. “Other than the goal which was a little bit disappointing, I didn’t really feel like there were many moments when we were under threat and I think we created the better chances. It’s a very difficult place to come. In terms of away games you put it right in the top bracket, so it’s a good point.
“We’ve really put a bit of resilience together. It would be really nice if we didn’t have to come in at half-time down, and that’s a common theme. But the decision making was really good, as was the intensity to play forward.
“I’m really pleased — it’s a slight tinge that it’s another game that we’ve drawn and another game that I thought we could go on and win.”
🟡 Falmouth: Town continue march to Wembley with Westgarth’s men into Last 16
By Matt Friday
What a fantastic season it is turning out to be for Falmouth Town.
Andrew Westgarth’s side are in the midst of a surprise title race in the Western League, have booked their place in yet another Cornwall Senior Cup semi-final, and are now through to the last 16 of the FA Vase for the first time since 1995.
Having seen off Honiton Town, Crediton United, Fareham Town, Moneyfields and Barnstaple Town already this season, Town added Hellenic League outfit Hartpury University to that list on Saturday with a 2-0 triumph at Bickland Park.
The west Cornwall club opened the scoring against their Gloucestershire opponents in the 12th minute when Luke Barner was upended by goalkeeper Steve Starkodie, with Jared Sims making no mistake with the resulting penalty.
With the hosts holding on to a slender one-goal lead, the 608 spectators in attendance had to wait until midway through the second half for the goal that clinched Town’s place in the fifth round proper, with Jacob Grange driving the ball home from Tom Annear’s corner to send the F-Troop wild.
The final blast of the referee’s whistle confirmed the memorable victory for 1986-87 Vase quarter-finalists Town, with the club’s current crop now one step away from emulating that club-record run.
Standing in their way are Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South side Jersey Bulls, who will welcome Westgarth’s boys to the Channel Islands on February 10 for what will likely be Cornish football’s most eagerly-anticipated cup match since Truro City’s FA Cup first round bow at Charlton Athletic six-and-a-half years ago.
If they win that, then they would be a mere two rounds away from a trip to Wembley Stadium for the final — it is definitely time to dare to dream.
🔴 Western: Stoppage-time winner hands Helston advantage in title race
By Matt Friday
There was little doubt as to what the game of the weekend in the Western League was going to be before kick-off, and the top-of-the-table clash between Clevedon Town and Helston Athletic yielded perhaps one of the most significant results of the season.
Clevedon began Saturday afternoon four points clear of Matt Cusack’s Blues at the summit, who enjoy a game in hand on their Somerset rivals, and by the end of the day that gap was cut to just one point thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Callum Martindale.
Helston drew first blood two minutes before the break at Hand Stadium, with Tom Payne meeting Steve Colwell’s pass and firing home, only for Freddie King to restore parity four minutes after the turnaround.
The Seasiders lost Syd Camper to a red card midway through the second half, but it appeared as if the home side would stand firm to snatch a point until Martindale popped up to snare all three for the Blues in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
It was also a good weekend for St Blazey, who triumphed 4-2 at home to Oldland Abbotonians to clinch back-to-back league wins for only the second time this season.
George Newton and Luke Cloke gave the Green and Blacks a useful two-goal lead after half an hour at Blaise Park, only for Harrison Kyte to halve the deficit shortly safter.
Newton bagged a crucial second of the day moments before the break and skipper Cloke matched his team-mate’s individual haul by netting his second and St Blazey’s fourth just before the hour.
Zac Tucker pulled one back for Oldland but the visitors were powerless to prevent Blazey from avenging their defeat by the same score at the South Gloucestershire side in September.
Saltash United’s wait for a maiden away league win of 2023-24 goes on, though, with Mackenzie Brown’s side falling to a 2-0 defeat at Barnstaple Town, for whom Tor Swann scored both goals.
Elsewhere, bottom side Millbrook went down 2-0 at home to 12th-placed Nailsea & Tickenham, with Miles Hardidge and Luke Osgood finding the net for the Bristol outfit.
🔵 SWPL: Liskeard’s rare draw opens door for St Austell
By Matt Friday
Liskeard Athletic dropped points for only the second time this season as the SWPL Premier West tabletoppers were held to a 2-2 draw at mid-table Bude Town.
Top goalscorer Dan Jennings’ latest brace gave Liskeard a two-goal lead at Broadclose Park, but Billy Hopcroft halved the deficit before Ryan Keates’ injury-time penalty rescued a point for the home side.
The only other time the Blues have dropped points this season was an entertaining 3-3 draw with title rivals St Austell, and Saturday’s result opened the door for Chris Knight’s second-placed side to close the gap at the top to just a single point if they could defeat Wendron United.
That could have been a title tussle in itself a couple of months ago but an out-of-form Wendron were handed a fifth successive league defeat by the Lillywhites, who scored via Matt Searle (2) and Adam Carter.
The win takes St Austell one point behind Liskeard having played a game more than the Lux Park outfit, with both teams set to meet on what could be a hugely significant day in the title race at Poltair Park next weekend.
Wendron, meanwhile, surrendered fourth spot as a result of that loss, with Dobwalls taking full advantage by defeating bottom side St Dennis 3-0 at Lantoom Park, with Oscar Larrieu scoring a hat-trick for the Reds.
Haiden Chapman and Jacob Rowe found the net as third-placed Wadebridge Town solidified their position with a 2-1 win at home to Truro City reserves, while Cam Bidgood’s late goal gave Bodmin Town only their fourth win of the season at home to Mullion.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Launceston and Callington Town against Camelford and Newquay respectively, while Sticker and Penzance played out a goalless draw at Burngullow Park.
🟠 Women’s: St Austell earn crucial win while Saltash go top
By Matt Friday
St Austell put daylight between themselves and the bottom two in the South West Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division with a crucial 2-1 victory over fellow relegation battlers Bishops Lydeard.
All of the action came in the final 20 minutes at Poltair Park, with Lucy Grose’s penalty being cancelled out by Holly Miller before Sophie Buchanan struck what could prove to be a vital winner four minutes from time.
The win moves seventh-placed Town five points clear of their opponents in the relegation zone with a game in hand.
The best viewing in the SWRWFL Western Division was at The Sports Ground where Helston Athletic ran out 6-3 winners over hosts Bideford in a goal-laden encounter in Devon.
Eve-Charlotte Moore and Beth Prouse scored two goals apiece for the Blues, who also netted through Charlotte Bond and Sasha Sparkes, while Aimee Kingdon (2) and Ellie Bishop replied for the home side.
The win sees Helston move level with former leaders Ilminster Town after they were deposed by Saltash United, with the Ashes moving to the summit after triumphing 2-0 at Waterways Stadium. Nicola Champion and Nicola Symons found the net for Saltash, who are now one point clear of the Somerset side having played a game more.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Sticker went down 2-0 at home to Feniton.
Meanwhile, RNAS Culdrose remain at the Cornwall Women’s Football League Division 1 summit despite suffering a 2-0 reverse at Saltash Borough, with Molly Gill (2), Stacey Gill, Harriet Howell and Samantha Burnham notching for the home side.
Third-placed Bodmin closed the gap on the Phoenixes to three points after triumphing 3-0 at Mousehole, while St Dennis ran out 2-0 winners at Wadebridge Town in a key clash towards the foot of the table.
Division 2 pacesetters FXSU retained their grip on top spot with a 12-0 victory over Troon, with Chloe Whatley scoring a hat-trick as second-placed Biscovey defeated Ludgvan 6-2 at Starrick Moor.
Emma Bate scored a brace as Padstow United beat Redruth United by the odd goal in five at Clijah Croft, while Lanner and Wendron United shared four goals.
Finally, the CWFL Supplementary Cup second round saw St Agnes defeat Penryn 2-1 in an all-Division 1 affair at Kernick, while Chloe Yorath bagged a hat-trick as Callington Town strolled to an 11-0 victory at Charlestown.
Follow us on X: @sportscornwall
Follow us on Facebook: @cornwallsportsmedia
Follow us on Instagram: @cornwallsportsmedia
Visit our website: cornwallsportsmedia.co.uk
