Western League
Premier Division
Helston Athletic 1 Falmouth Town 0
Rikki Shepherd stole the headlines on Thursday evening as Helston recorded a slender victory over Falmouth which took them above their Cornish rivals at the top of the Western League.
The former Millbrook striker was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball into the net from close range in the 16th minute after a goalmouth scramble that left Falmouth keeper Morgan Coxhead requiring treatment.
In what has developed into a great title race between two neighbours, the three points took Matt Cusack’s side above Falmouth on a superior goal difference of 16 with a game in hand.
Andrew Westgarth’s team have only two games left – Shepton Mallet away on Saturday and Old Abbotonians at home on Saturday week – and they are likely to need two wins to keep the pressure on Helston.
The Blues are back at Kellaway on Saturday to face Buckland Athletic, their game in hand sees them travel to Torpoint Athletic next Tuesday, and they finish at home against Clevedon Town on Saturday week.
Shepherd’s strike proved to be the only goal of a game which featured two of the best defensive teams in the Western League.
And while the magnificent crowd of 1,179 were quieter than expected possibly because of a lack of penalty area thrills, the ability to defend a lead proved to be Helston’s strength.
This was their 14th clean sheet in the league – Falmouth have also kept 14 – and they rarely looked like conceding with their keeper Kyle Moore brilliantly protected by his back four.
Left back Callum Martindale was named as the sponsors’ man of the match but it could have been any of the defenders. Dave Barker oozed experience and calmness at right back, while Jordan Bentley and Callum O’Brien were magnificent in central defence.
The closest Falmouth came to scoring was in the 21st minute when a James Ward piledriver from the edge of the box was brilliantly blocked by Bentley at full stretch.
Helston relied on breaks and set pieces for their best opportunities and from a 54th minute corner, O’Brien’s glancing header at the near post went agonisingly wide of the far post.
On the hour Aaron Bentley tried his luck from 20 yards with a rasping low shot which just cleared the post with Coxhead struggling to get across.
As the game entered its final stages Falmouth stepped up the pressure with their best period of the match and came close a couple of times.
The best opportunity was created by substitute Luke Brabyn, who robbed Helston keeper Moore as he tried to clear on the left edge of his penalty area, and curled his shot in the direction of an unguarded net.
Unfortunately the curl took the ball away from the net and no other Falmouth player had gambled to get on the end of it.
The referee somehow found 12 minutes of time added on which added to the late drama but adding more than a quarter of the entire second half seemed excessive.
If it wasn’t the best football match to watch, the occasion, with a crowd of more than a thousand, provided a special night under the moon and the floodlights.
After all, how many games in Cornwall have kick-offs delayed because of crowd congestion?
Helston: K Moore, D Barker, C Martindale, J Bentley, C O’Brien, A Bentley, S Colwell, T Payne (B Mariko 64), C Damerell, R Shepherd, J Copp.
Subs: T Elliott, S Carter, H Jewell, K Cornish.
Goal: R Shepherd (16).
Yellow cards: J Copp (21), B Mariko (68).
Falmouth Town: M Coxhead, J Swann, B Leivers, A Calkeja-Stayne, T Annear (J Grange76), J Ward, L Barner, J Webber (C Hutchinson 60), R Wilson (L Brabyn 64), O Massey, J Sims (A Elcock 60).
Yellow cards: T Annear (67), A Elcock (83).
Referee: Ryan Dennis.
Attendance: 1,179.
Men of the Match: Helston – Jordan Bentley; Falmouth – Andreas Calleja-Stayne.
KJM SPORTS 