It all gets a bit Messi at Priory Park

South West Peninsula League

Premier Division West

Bodmin Town 4 Camelford 1

We all love Lionel Messi, right? Arguably the most gifted footballer to have graced the planet in the last 30 years.

He’s scored some of the best goals you’ll see, with mazy runs which leave defenders in his wake. You know the sort.

Well, the 86 people in attendance at Priory Park on Wednesday night were very fortunate to witness a similar type of finish by Bodmin midfield man Charlie Hardcastle. I kid you not.

With the home side 2-0 up thanks to early goals from Ben Waters and Naby Diallo, Hardcastle received the ball on the right edge of the penalty area at the clubhouse end, with three or four defenders blocking his way.

He chose to take them on, one by one, weaving his way through each challenge with his left foot before firing a low right foot shot past Camelford keeper Josh Colwill to the delight of the crowd.

I don’t know if you can nominate a goal of the season after two games – but I am going to, and if I see a better one on my travels I’ll be sure to let you know.

It was a thing of rare beauty at this level of football and served to give Bodmin the cushion they needed going into what turned out to be a dramatic last 20 minutes.

The home side’s perfect night started to turn sour in the 71^st minute when they were reduced to 10 men with sub Harvey Taylor being sin binned for dissent.

Four minutes later they were down to nine men when Sam Clifton spoke out of turn and he too was invited to spend the next 10 minutes in the bin.

Not long after that, Camelford striker Josh Insley was booked, for what looked like dissent, but there was no sin bin for him.

And the visitors made the most of their two-man advantage by reducing the arrears with Gusterson finishing from close range after a sweeping move along the right.

The time it was taklng for Taylor to be allowed back on after his sin binning started to annoy Bodmin manager Dane Bunney and the referee, over on the far side of the pitch, could be heard to shout that if he had to come over to Bunney he’d banish him from the dugout.

From this point it almost felt like the referee was keeping Taylor off the pitch longer than required, and Bunney’s continual questioning brought the official to the sidelines.

Bunney was shown the yellow card and after asking another question about the time it was taking to get his player back on, he was swiftly shown a second yellow.

Taylor was soon reintroduced to the action, as was Clifton, who put the icing on the cake with Bodmin’s fourth goal in the last minute of normal time.

Bodmin were well worth the victory; they have signed some very good players at this level during the summer and they are likely to be challenging the top six places rather than the bottom six this time around.

For Camelford, who were weakened in defence by injuries and unavailabilities, the result was a disappointment but there were some good aspects about their performance.

They created as many chances as Bodmin but on this occasion their final touch and their finishing was found wanting.

Bodmin: M Searle, K Dyer, K Foster (J Harrison 54), T Hanrahan, S Hill, A Wall, N Diallo (H Taylor 54), S Clifton, B Waters (C Spear 67), R Knight (J Stidson 89), C Hardcastle.

Yellow cards: H Taylor (71); S Clifton (75).

Sin bin: H Taylor (71); S Clifton (75).

Goals: B Waters (6 mins), N Diallo (12), C Hardcastle (67), S Clifton (90).

Camelford: J Colwill, S Watts, J Chaffer, C Hambly, S Wade, T Harvey, R Beare, C Sturdy (J Insley 76), L Best, M Gusterson, E Evans.

Subs: J Biddick (used 76 mins), O Taylor (used 69 mins). H Evans.

Yellow cards: L Best (57), J Insley (75).

Goal: M Gusterson (79).

Referee: Matt Arthur.

Attendance: 86.

Man of the Match: Charlie Hardcastle.

Defensive generosity produces rich entertainment at Bodieve

South West Peninsula League

Premier Division West

Wadebridge Town 3 Dobwalls 2

There was something a bit pre-season about Tuesday’s action at Bodieve Park with both sides looking like there is more work to be done defensively.

Don’t get me wrong, the wide open spaces and a lack of proper marking produced a game full of chances and five goals to cheer the crowd on another unseasonal August evening.

But you feel for the managers who have to watch from the sidelines. For the neutral, a good watch; for the managers, not quite so.

Wadebridge will be the happier because they bagged the points but Dobwalls provided some very good moments too and made sure the hosts were never comfortable.

Substitute Morgan Vallejo’s 71st minute glancing header at the near post from a corner proved to be the winner as the Bridgers clinched their second successive victory at the start of the league campaign.

Dobwalls, who had been held to a 2-2 draw at home to Holsworthy on the opening day, started this game on the front foot and came close to taking the lead in the fourth minute when Cam Patterson chipped the ball over Bridgers keeper Rob Rosevear on the edge of the penalty area.

But Patterson didn’t get enough on it and the ball went slowly enough towards the empty net for a home defender to prevent going in and Wadebridge survived.

Rosevear was at the centre of the action again in the 10th minute, stretching his left leg wide to divert a goal-bound shot from Kaycee Kene Ogwu wide of the post for a corner, an excellent save which left the pacy Dobwalls winger looking on in disbelief.

But he was back in the 21st minute, getting the better of Sam Wickins along the left and closing in on goal before Wickins made a late challenge from behind which sent Kene Ogwu crashing to the ground.

Patterson placed a superb penalty kick past Rosevear to give the visitors a deserved lead and for the opening 35 minutes they looked the better side by some distance.

But Wadebridge’s best move of the game, which arrived in the 37th minute, saw the ball pinged around from the right wing to left before presenting a chance for Wickins, who fired into the net from 10 yards.

Before Dobwalls had chance to settle, Wadebridge attacked again and this time Wickins curled a superb right wing shot from 18 yards around keeper James Morley into the net.

The visitors must have wondered what had hit them and it was almost worse for them a minute before the break with a hat-trick chance for Wickins. But this time Morley pulled off a fine save.

After having an effort disallowed for offside in the second minute of the second half, Dobwalls equalised in the 64th minute with a stunning long range shot from 30 yards by James Forest and it was game on again.

But it took only another seven minutes for the Bridgers to restore their lead with Vallejo’s header.

As Dobwalls pushed forward in the search of an equaliser, so Wadebridge found more space up front and Kyle Flew really should have put the game to bed in the 89th minute as he broke away in an one on one with Rosevear but pulled his shot inches wide of a gaping net.

Wadebridge: R Rosevear, T Harris, S Hepworth, J Rowe, R Hooper, L Webber, D Tate, G Eastman, S Gerken, S Wickins, T Shepherd.

Subs: S Simmonds, C Reski, K Flew, M Vallejo, C Bidgood.

Goals: S Wickins (37, 38), M Vallejo (71).

Dobwalls: J Morley, R Geach, T Davey, C Bleasdale, J Cook, H Baugh, G Garside, C Patterson, I Thomas, C Castlehouse, K Kene Ogwu.

Subs: C Collier, J Forest, B Walton, B Coton, J Ball.

Goals: C Patterson (21, pen), J Forest (64).

Tough start for Ashes – but it’s early days for Macca’s men

FA Cup extra preliminary round

Barnstaple Town 3 Saltash United 1

There’s no hiding from it – it’s not been a good first week of the season for the completely rebuilt Ashes, with three consecutive defeats.

Saturday’s exit from the FA Cup at a windy Mill Road followed defeats by Old Abbotonians (2-3) and Helston Athletic (0-4) in the Toolstation Western League premier division.

But there will be no knee-jerk reactions from new manager Macca Brown, who sees his squad as a work in progress, a new group who will improve.

Skipper Jack Wood gave Saltash the perfect start to Saturday’s tie with a fourth minute goal but a mad six minutes towards the end of the first half cost them dear.

Callum Laird equalised for Barum on the half-hour; Ashes striker Jordan Ewing was then shown a straight red for retaliation four minutes later; and before Saltash had time to settle, Harry Foster put Barnstaple ahead in the 36^th minute.

It stayed at 2-1 until three minutes from the end when sub Tommy Rogers made sure of Barum’s progress into the next round, where they will travel to Tavistock on August 19.

Brown said: “I was absolutely delighted with so much of what we did on Saturday, but again we came away having made things very difficult for ourselves after shooting ourselves in the foot in a number of different ways, and that’s been the story of the week.
“It was a brilliant start, the conditions were difficult but we played some incisive attacking football around their box and the first 20 minutes or so were superb.

“The conditions may have contributed as well, but we didn’t let Barnstaple anywhere near our box and after going 1-0 up early through Woody, we should have scored more.

“JT (Josh Toulson) did brilliantly to roll the defender inside the corner but shot straight at the keeper, Jordan (Ewing) had a shot with trickled across the line and hit the post and Kieran (O’Melia) had a good opportunity too.

“Everything was so positive and then we had a six minute period which changed the game completely.
“Barnstaple equalised with a snapshot from the edge of the box, a good finish, but then within minutes Jordan was sent off after allegedly retaliating to an arm in the face and the game is turned upside down.

“And a few minutes later we conceded a really sloppy goal to go behind. In all honesty out of a 94 minute game it was the only six minute period of the match that I was unhappy with, but in the six minutes we lost the game and those are the fine lines.
“In the second half I honestly thought we were fantastic. Naturally the game played out like 11 v 10 generally does, but we defended unbelievably at times, throwing ourselves in front of the ball and getting blocks in.

“it was superb and staying in the game gave us a chance when that one moment came along, and that looked like happening when Tylor (Love-Holmes) went through one on one, was pushed off balance and shot wide, but for me it was a penalty all day long.

“Referees just assume because the player gets his shot away and doesn’t go down it isn’t a foul, it’s one of the most frustrating parts of the game.
“Billy Tucker was perhaps harshly sent off with 15 minutes or so to go, to even things up, and we did turn the screw, Joe Preece was magnificent coming on causing problems and he set up Henry (Bunning) who drove narrowly wide.

“But then we shot ourselves in the foot again with five minutes to go, as goalkeeper Crebbs’ throw was intercepted and they broke to seal the game, another frustrating goal to concede.”
Brown added: “On the whole it’s not been a great week where we’ve contributed to our own downfall.

“We’ve conceded 10 goals, and I can only think of the snapshot on Saturday where you hold your hands up and say ‘fair enough’; the other nine goals are really poor moments for us whether it’s a goalkeeping error, a free header, a defender getting caught on the ball amongst others, and it’s cost us.

“Two of the performances have actually been really positive in so many ways where we’ve created a lot of chances, but we’ve come away with nothing for that reason.

“However, we won’t panic, I can see some really good signs and going out of the FA Cup isn’t a disaster, as much as we would have liked a little run in it.

“There is no doubt we have to improve in areas and we will. I believe Mousehole won just two of their opening seven games last season in all competitions and they ended up doing ok, so we know one week won’t define our season and it’s up to us to improve, but we have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Barnstaple: L Kingston, C Laird, S Laird, B Montague, C Prentice (M Ham 88), J Grigg, M Perkins, M Andrew, H Foster (J Hearsay 84), S Bowker (T Rogers 80), B Tucker.

Goals: C Laird (30 mins), H Foster (36), T Rogers (87).

Red card: B Tucker (75).

Saltash: J Mead-Crebbin, B Goulty, E Wright, J Wood (S Cox 77), L Murray, J Toulson (J Preece 70), K O’Melia, T Love-Holmes, J Ewing, R Thomson, T Huyton (H Bunning 76).

Subs not used: J Johnson, N Crump.

Goal: J Wood (4 mins).

Red card: J Ewing (34).

Bridgers do Hoops as Rhys special seals late late victory

South West Peninsula League

Launceston 1 Wadebridge Town 2

Wadebridge got there in the end with an injury time goal from Rhys Hooper turning one point into three at a gusty Pennygillam on Saturday.

The visitors had dominated possession and created the better chances but they looked likely to have to settle for a draw against a hard-working Launceston side.

Then Hooper, a summer recruit from Newquay, cut in from the left side of midfield and unleashed a superb right foot shot which skimmed past Lewis Slade into the net.

It was harsh on the Clarets who deserved something from the opening league game of the season and their noisy supporters walked away disappointed.

But with the same sort of commitment and more fortune in front of goal they are likely to have a much improved season after the struggles of last season.

Wadebridge, who finished fourth last time out, are expected to be among the frontrunners again so a defeat against them is not the end of the world.

The Bridgers had a chance to open the scoring in the first minute when Tom Shepherd, having created space for himself near the penalty spot, lifted his shot over the bar.

The visitors maintained their impressive start but it was ended abruptly in the 15^th minute when a defensive error led to a penalty for Launceston, fired into the net by skipper Mike Steele.

Kyle Flew should have equalised soon afterwards as he burst through in a one on one with keeper Slade, but he ran the ball too far ahead of himself at the vital moment and Slade intervened.

As the half wore on, Launceston enjoyed more of the ball and created a few half chances but they were unable to get a crucial second goal.

The second half was even stevens for long periods, with opportunities at both ends, but Wadebridge eventually turned pressure into an equaliser in the 78^th minute with Sam Gerken finishing off after a fierce Chris Reski free kick had only been half cleared.

Launceston lost young striker Alfie Fothergill to a nasty looking cut above his left eye which later required hospital treatment.

Then came the late, late Hooper winner which sent the Bridgers home in buoyant mood and eagerly looking forward to the first home game of the season against Dobwalls on Tuesday.

Launceston were due to be at home to Liskeard on the same evening but issues with a couple of their floodlights means the game has been rearranged for September 26.

Launceston: L Slade, R Bath, C Aldridge, M Steele, S Jago, H Westlake, T Bullock, D Woodgate, A Fothergill, J Harris, T Madge.

Subs: B Harrison, G Beardsmore, M Elvidge, J Munday, T Wood.

Goal: M Steele pen (15).

Wadebridge: R Rosevear, T Harris. R Hooper, S Gerken, S Simmonds (S Hepworth 86), L Webber (G Eastman 81), C Reski, S Wickins, K Flew, M Vallejo (D Tate 65), T Shepherd.

Subs not used: B Rowe, Z O’Connor.

Goals: S Gerken (78), R Hooper (90+2).

Brown hits out at ‘scandalous’ Saltash defending in home opener

Western League premier division

Saltash Utd 0 Helston Athletic 4

Some familiar faces to south east Cornwall football followers returned to the area on Tuesday night to punish Saltash severely on their first league appearance of the season at the Waterways Stadium.

Callum O’Brien, who was playing for the Ashes last season, headed Helston into an 11th minute lead from a corner and former Millbrook striker Rikki Shepherd doubled the lead after 23 minutes.

Curtis Damerell, who joined Helston in the summer from Torpoint, made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute after Shepherd was barged over.

And Shepherd illustrated his poaching prowess by pouncing on a defensive mistake to complete the scoring 10 minutes from the end of normal time.

All of which left Ashes boss Macca Brown fuming with his team.

He said: “It’s an embarrassing one, simple as that. First home game of the season in front of 250 supporters, an opportunity to show them what we are capable of and we performed like that.

“The result looks bad but it’s the performance that was most concerning.

“I have to say I changed a few things from Saturday, personnel and shape, and it didn’t come off whatsoever so I hold my hands up there and say I got it wrong, but still I think the goals we conceded had nothing to do with tactics and shape and that’s where the players have to accept responsibility too.

“The game was a gift to Helston. A few said to me they may have been riled after they threw away a lead on Saturday, but to be honest they didn’t need to be because we presented them with four goals and three points.

“The goals themselves were scandalous, a free header from a corner, then a similar pattern just from open play, a penalty conceded 10 seconds after we had taken a free kick in their half, and then an individual error for the fourth, you have absolutely no chance conceding goals like that.

“We had actually defended three or four corners really well up to the first goal, given we know it’s a threat for Helston, but then we give them a freebie where someone has switched off and it’s 1-0.

“There was a lack of intensity and effort without the ball and composure and quality with it.

“You can’t always play well, but how many times do you hear about ‘earning the right’ in football before you even think about quality, the intensity and effort without the ball should be a given, and generally speaking with teams that I put on a pitch it is but only a couple of players showed it last night.

“Helston had it in abundance and credit to them, because in the years that I’ve faced them they’ve not always been like that, but in the last 12 months they’ve been better at the dirty side of the game each time we’ve played them and as a manager that’s exactly what you want to hear about your team, so Matt will be pleased.

“You can only let yourselves down by not doing it and that’s exactly what we did.

“I don’t think there was huge quality in the game but they did the basics very well, and we didn’t. There isn’t much else to say, it’s a shame but we have to move on.

“Two defeats from the opening two games isn’t great but we must forget about the sequence as they are two stand alone results that can happen and it’s magnified because they’re only four days apart.

“There’s no hiding places and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we have Barnstable in the FA Cup on Saturday and we have to be ready.

“It has to be better than that.”

Saltash: J Mead-Crebbin, T Love-Holmes, B Goulty, L Murray, R Hamilton (S Cox 74), K O’Melia (E Wright 63), E Goodman (T Huyton 69), J Wood, R Thomson, J Ewing (J Preece 69), J Foster.

Helston: K Moore, T Elliot, T Moxham (K Cornish 76), J Bentley, C O’Brien (F Walters 68), H Jewell, J Smith (S Colwill 77), A Bentley, C Damerell (R Wilson 61), R Shepherd, J Copp.

New-look Saltash throw opportunity away

Western League premier division

Oldland Abbotonians 3 Saltash United 2

A new era at Saltash – with new management and a whole new team – began with defeat at premier division new boys Oldland after the Ashes had worked their way into a winning position.

Having fallen behind to a 22^nd minute goal, Saltash equalised on the stroke of half-time through Kieran O’Melia, who then fired them ahead five minutes into the second half.

But Oldland took advantage of some sloppy defending to score twice in eight minutes around the hour mark and held on for victory despite being reduced to 10 men for the last 10 minutes by a sin binning.

All of which left new manager Macca Brown to say: “We shouldn’t have lost the game. We are disappointed but we only have ourselves to blame, and it’s the age old story of what happens in both boxes, but collectively we lost the game when we shouldn’t have. 

“The back five will probably look at the game and say we created five or six clear opportunities to score and put the game to be bed.

“And the forwards will probably look at it and say we’ve scored two away from home yet we’ve lost the game to three really bad goals – and they’d both be right.”

Brown described it as a typical first game of the season, frantic in places which the Ashes expected, but he felt they did really well in the first half to take the sting out of the game.

He said: “Kieran and Jordan (Ewing) both had really good chances before we conceded from a free kick, but the reaction was fantastic and Kieran scored a superbly worked equaliser which we took into half time.

“In the second half Oldland were more of a threat. I felt we dominated much of the first half but they always looked dangerous on the transition when they were quite direct and tested us in behind.

“But at the start of the second half against the wind they did work the ball out to their right winger a few times who was causing us lots of problems with his pace. But once we went 2-1 up for us we really needed to manage the moment better.

“You have to dial everything up after going ahead, especially away from home as there’s always going to be a reaction, but we didn’t do that from a defensive point of view.

“We had a couple of great chances to take the game away, JT (Josh Toulson) should have scored from a few yards out but we weren’t clinical enough. And then the ball came into our box far too easily and we didn’t defend the box well enough.

“It is just moments in the game, but it is in those moments where you need to be impeccable because that’s how you win games, and to go from 2-1 to 3-2 in the space of 10 minutes was incredibly frustrating.

“However, we obviously won’t get carried away and the beauty of this time of year is that you get a chance to go again a few days later, and hopefully we respond at home on Tuesday night versus Helston.”

Ashes fans are going to have to be patient this season. Not one player is left from the team which finished runners-up last season and Brown has brought in many of the players who featured with him at Millbrook last season.

Saturday’s starting XI included seven former Millbrook players, with another two on the bench and one unavailable (Laurence Murray). Brown has gone with his tried and trusted and will build from there.

They will settle and in Reece Thomson and Jordan Ewing up front they will score goals. But it’s likely to be a rollercoaster ride.

Saltash: J Mead-Crebbin, T Love-Holmes, E Wright (J Foster 70), J Wood (H Bunning 83), B Goulding (S Cox 73), R Hamilton, K O’Melia, T Huyton, J Ewing, R Thomson, J Toulson (J Preece 63).

Sub not used: N Crump.

Referee: Darren Gay.

Big opening day crowd, red cards galore and a bullet from a legend

Western League premier division

St Blazey 1 Shepton Mallet 1

Blaise Park was a picture on Saturday as St Blazey welcomed in a new era at the club.

There were queues to get in, and once you made your way through the gates you were greeted by a magnificent looking pitch.

The scene was set for the Green & Blacks’ first match at Step 5 level after winning the South West Peninsula League title last season.

And although the quality of the football was often lacking, the 90 minutes provided plenty of talking points to keep the 305 crowd, the best in the premier league on opening day, entertained.

For me, the drama started with the announcement that the referee was Shaun Edge. I’ve never been a fan of Mr Edge’s style of officiating, but as it was a new season I promised myself I would give him a clean slate.

This came in useful when the ref produced three red cards in two minutes after an incident-free opening half hour, with partisan supporters of both sides quickly venting their anger at the official.

In my opinion, he got two of the three red cards correct. And there was a case for supporting his decision for the third.

The big flashpoint happened close to the home dugout when Shepton Mallet winger Jack Newman tried to retrieve the ball from the sidelines, believing it was his team’s throw-in.

St Blazey coach Brad Richardson was in his path and appeared to block his way; Newman reacted angrily and grabbed Richardson by the throat, with the Blazey man retaliating in a similar way.

A melee broke out involving players and coaches from both sides, which was quickly broken up, as the ref and linesman discussed what had happened.

Apparently, based on his assistant’s account, the ref sent off Newman and Richardson. And I think they were the correct decisions.

Eventually play restarted and within a minute, St Blazey striker Luke Cloke went in late on Shepton Mallet’s Will Banks, near the halfway line.

This time the ref took no time in whipping out his red card, to the astonishment of Cloke and the home supporters.

There was nothing malicious in Cloke’s challenge, in my view, but there was no question it was late and high, and some refs will see that as a sending off offence; others might have felt yellow would have sufficed.

Cloke’s departure probably affected the outcome of the game because you could have pictured last season’s prolific top scorer putting one or two chances away as the match progressed.

The best opportunities came from fierce low crosses from the right delivered by Will Tinsley which nobody could quite finish off, although sub Matt Lloyd came desperately close on a couple of occasions.

St Blazey’s other main threat came from dead ball situations and it was from one of them that they eventually broke the deadlock after 61 minutes.

Tinsley, who will not look out of place at this higher level of football, produced a perfect cross from a corner on the left and evergreen centre half Martin Giles met it with a bullet header which produced a loud cheer from the home fans behind the goal.

The response from the visitors was strong and they were level in the 73rd minute through Harry Rutty, although Blazey keeper Shaun Semmens felt he had been impeded when going for a cross from the initial cross from the left.

Both sides had chances to turn a point into three but on balance a draw was probably the fairest outcome.

St Blazey: S Semmens, W Tinsley, R Ward, A Dilley (I Mccue 73), J Cooper, M Giles, K Bishop, J Smale, L Cloke, C Merrin (M Lloyd 34), J Bowker (CJ Pritchard 46).

St Blazey Star Man: Martin Giles – brilliant at the back, scorer with a fantastic header.

Opening day at Blaise Park.

Quality being added piece by piece at Dane Bunney’s Bodmin

It was never going to be easy to follow Darren Gilbert in the hot seat at Bodmin Town.

Gilbert won just about every trophy going at South West non-league level during his 14 years as manager, and a further four as a player.

But it was the manner in which Bodmin won things which always made a trip to Priory Park something to look forward to. You knew you were going to see some good football.

Gilbert’s immediate successor during the summer, the likeable Matt Hayden, took over a squad which was disintegrating in front of his eyes and the biggest blow was losing the prolific Dan Jennings.

Hayden had no choice but to get numbers in as soon as possible in order to have a squad to choose from come the start of the season and when you have to recruit like that, quality becomes a secondary concern.

And of course, when you’re up against it, you find that injuries start to affect you. In Hayden’s case, three or four long term injuries struck in the opening month of the season to bring further disruption.

It was almost inevitable that poor results would follow in the opening weeks of the campaign and unfortunately it cost Hayden his job.

He had been brought in by Gilbert midway through last season to help with the coaching and recruitment, and was seen as a good addition to the backroom team.

His departure opened an opportunity for somebody to step in and try to turn this ailing giant of Cornish football around.

Bodmin turned to Dane Bunney, who had been out of local football since being harshly dismissed by Saltash United at the end of last season, despite the Ashes finishing fourth in the Western League.

During his time at Saltash, Bunney played a big part in securing the club’s promotion from the South West Peninsula League as assistant manager to Matt Cusack, and continued the development of a top quality squad when Cusack departed to Plymouth Parkway.

Bunney could have returned to local football sooner than he did but he made it fairly clear that it would take the right sort of club, and the right type of challenge, to entice him back.

That club and that challenge was Bodmin Town. And it’s a big challenge.

I happened to witness one of his early warm-up sessions with the players before a match at Priory Park, and it was a bit of an eye-opener.

After what he had been used to at Saltash, it must have come as something of a culture shock to see some players messing around and not taking the session very seriously half an hour before kick-off.

But he’s sorting it, bit by bit, piece by piece. Some of the players he inherited have already left; they are being replaced by better players. Football is a simple game.

In the last couple of weeks Bunney has signed the vastly experienced midfield man Dave Trott, who was a joy to watch in his hey-days with the Ashes.

He can still play, and showed touches of quality during his 53 minutes on the park in this week’s 2-2 home draw against Camelford.

The match also saw the return to the club of striker Kyle Marks, who had not been getting regular game time at St Blazey.

Another quality signing. When I asked Bunney why he had targeted Marks, he said: “Because he’ll score goals.”

Marks didn’t take long to deliver – three minutes to be precise. Pouncing on a long clearance and getting to the ball before the Camelford keeper to send a looping header into an empty net.

His party piece came an hour later, when he was picked out wide on the left and unleashed an unstoppable shot, which pleasingly crashed into the net off the underside of the bar.

What is it about shots that crash in off the underside of the bar?

Although Bodmin were not at their best – credit to a young Camelford side who continue to play good football under the guidance of long-standing manager Reg Hambly – there are definite signs of progress.

Bit by bit, piece by piece.

KJM Sport returns

I’m back – my local football match reports will be appearing here in the near future.

Thank you for your support

Kevin Marriott

Bodmin clinch extra special treble – but 4-1 so harsh on Godolphin

Bodmin Town man of the match and goalkeeper Scott Corderoy (second from left) leads the celebrations after the 4-1 extra time league cup final win over Godolphin. Picture courtesy of Adrian Langdon.

Treble winners: Bodmin Town 2015-16, Carlsberg SW Peninsula League champions, Walter C Parson League Cup winners, and Cornwall Senior Cup winners. Pictured at Launceston after league cup final win over Godolphin. Picture courtesy of Adrian Langdon.

 

 

CARLSBERG SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE

WALTER C PARSON FUNERAL DIRECTORS CUP FINAL

Bodmin Town 4 Godolphin Atlantic 1 (after extra time)

Striker Andrew ‘Rocky’ Neal scored his 59th and 60th goals of a remarkable individual campaign to round off Bodmin’s season of success, adding the league cup to the league championship and the Cornwall Senior Cup.

But this latest success – and none of the trophies have come easy – was only clinched in the late stages of extra time after cup holders Godolphin had pushed their more illustrious opponents all the way at Launceston’s Pennygillam ground.

Indeed Andy Savage’s team had Bodmin on the ropes in the second half of normal time, and had Ross Fallens been able to convert an 85th minute penalty, the trophy would probably have been staying at The Godolphin pub for another year.

Unless you were among the crowd of 306, you will probably take one look at the scoreline and think this was another of those Bodmin strolls in the park. After all, they beat the same club 7-0 in the Senior Cup final on Easter Monday.

But this time, two of Bodmin’s goals came in the last three minutes of extra time, giving the final score an unbalanced and unfair appearance.

And for long periods of the second half, Darren Gilbert’s players looked dead on their feet, often second best in the tackle and rarely able to keep the ball.

It was all in stark contrast to the first half where a 19th minute goal from Steve Bowker, who finished off from close range after Lee Bevan’s left foot corner from the right caused confusion in the six yard box between Godolphin players, gave Bodmin the advantage.

And for the most part of the opening 45 minutes, they were the side who looked more likely to score, with Neal and the lively Nick Hurst spurning good opportunities.

The next goal was going to be crucial and it came from Godolphin eight minutes into the second half as skipper Phil Lowry drilled a low right foot shot past Bodmin keeper Scott Corderoy into the net from 15 yards.

Bodmin suffered another blow when Bowker was forced off with a hamstring strain – Sky Sports would probably say he is out for the season – and they had to push midfield man Lance Bailey further upfield to support Neal.

Steadily, however, Godolphin took a grip on the game and it took a fantastic close range save from Corderoy to deny Lowry a second goal in the 65th minute.

Corderoy’s save brought loud acclaim on the sidelines from Kevin Miller, the keeper he had stepped in for after the veteran failed a fitness test on an ankle injury.

Corderoy came to Bodmin’s rescue again in the 81st minute when his outstretched right arm diverted a Fallens shot away from goal.

But the keeper was in trouble five minutes from time when he raced to the edge of his penalty area to try to get a challenge in on Lowry but succeeded only in sending him sprawling to the ground and the referee pointed to the spot.

Many thought the offence merited a straight red card – but official Derek Fox indicated that Lowry was running away from goal, therefore he considered it only a yellow.

That decision was to prove pivotal, as Corderoy recovered his composure to dive low to his right to keep out Fallens’ resulting spot kick.

Neither side was able to force a winner in the time remaining, and the prospect of another 30 minutes of play at the end of a long and hard season wasn’t greeted with joy by any of the players as the whistle went for the end of normal time.

The closest anyone came of breaking the deadlock in the first half of extra time was when Bodmin left back Shane Jewell lashed a thunderous volley wide in the 100th minute.

So who had it in them to produce something special to prevent a penalty shoot-out? It turned out to be the league’s runaway top scorer, Neal, who finished off from close range to put Bodmin 2-1 ahead in the second minute of the second half.

Semmens was then fortunate to stay on the pitch with a late late challenge out near the touchline as he raced out of his penalty area to stop River Allen’s breakaway towards goal. The distance away from goal probably saved him – though it was a crude intervention.

But the keeper got himself in all sorts of trouble in the 117th minute as Bodmin substitute Jack Podmore nipped in to make the game safe at 3-1.

Neal’s last minute goal was just the icing on the cake – and Bodmin’s players knew a marathon effort was finally over.

But it’s much easier to forget your tiredness for a while if you have three trophies to celebrate with.

For Godolphin, this has been a very good season too. Finalists in the Senior Cup and League Cup, they also finished fifth in the league – a tremendous effort by a club who don’t pay their players, most of which are local boys.

They will come again – on this occasion, however, it simply wasn’t their day.

Bodmin: Corderoy, Hurst, Jewell, Chambers, Simmonds, Bevan, Hillson (Allen 77), Krac, Bowker (Podmore 54), Neal, Bailey (Gilbert 118). Subs not used: Dingle, Miller (gk).

Goals: Bowker (19), Neal (107, 120), Podmore (117).

Yellow cards: Hurst (38), Bailey (58), Hillson (75), Corderoy (84).

Godolphin Atlantic: Semmens, Flannigan, Tilston (Bradshaw 46), Dilley, J Shepherd, Brown, P Lowry, Fallens, Paxton (Cole 61), Rigby, Martin (T Shepherd 87).

Goal: Lowry (53).

Yellow cards: Martin (31), Brown (83), Semmens (112).

Referee: Derek Fox.

Attendance: 306.

Marriott Man of the Match: Scott Corderoy – the Bodmin keeper made some excellent saves, the best of which denied Lowry at a crucial stage in the match.

Rocky end to long and winding road to the title

CARLSBERG SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE

PREMIER DIVISION

Bodmin Town 3 St Austell 2

IT was perhaps fitting that the top marksman in the league, Andrew Neal, had the final say as Bodmin clinched the premier division title at Priory Park tonight.

Defending champions St Austell looked capable of taking the most thrilling of battles for the championship into the final day fixtures. Needing to win, they were on top with the game poised at 1-1 early in the second half.

But then Neal, nicknamed Rocky, came up with a finish out of the top drawer as he sent a superb volley from 18 yards into the net after 72 minutes.

To their great credit, injury-ravaged St Austell continued to fight for another equaliser but Neal had the final say, racing clear in the 88th minute to round goalkeeper Jason Peters and roll the ball into the net to spark wild celebrations from a big Priory Park crowd.

It was Neal’s 58th goal of the season, having joined Bodmin from Tiverton Town in early September.

Underlining their great spirit, the Lillywhites still produced a second goal with a smart finish from central defender Martin Giles in the 90th minute but the points and the spoils went to Bodmin.

Steve Bowker had set them on their way with a stooping close range header in the 16th minute, a lead Bodmin held until five minutes into the second half when St Austell skipper Chris Reski took advantage of hesitant defending to squeeze the ball past Kyle Moore.

The result leaves Bodmin seven points clear of St Austell at the top, which makes it sound a bit of a cruise of a season for Darren Gilbert’s men, but it has been far from that.

St Austell, proud champions, kept the pressure on the early season leaders right to the end. The final month of the season has been a rollercoaster, and both sets of players deserve high praise for raising the interest in Peninsula League football to a level which attracted a crowd of more than 400 to Priory Park tonight.

The championship trophy was presented to Bodmin skipper Tom Chambers after the game, with club captain Steve Simmonds in close attendance.

It was good to see St Austell’s understandably upset players emerging from the dressing room to provide a guard of honour for Bodmin, just as Bodmin had done this time last year when St Austell collected the trophy at Poltair Park.

The rivalry continues to be fierce between the two clubs, but it is good to know the spirit of the game remains in place.

Bodmin: Moore, Hurst, Jewell, Chambers, Simmonds, Hillson, Krac, Allen, Bowker, Neal, Bailey (Carter 58). Subs not used: Bevan, Tasker, Jennings, Corderoy (gk).

Goals: Bowker (16), Neal (72, 88).

Yellow cards: Bailey (39), Hillson (82).

St Austell: Peters, Grant, Watts, Pople, Williams, Giles, Reski, Broad (Prynn 75), Eddy, Evans, Copp (Slateford 84). Subs not used: Gibson, Kilbey, Chapman (gk).

Goals: Reski (50), Giles (90).

Yellow cards: Grant (32), Evans (35), Giles (57), Copp (74), Eddy (77).

Referee: Tim Burley (Lanner).

Attendance: 400.

Marriott Man of the Match: Andrew Neal – you have to give it to Rocky, When it mattered, he came up with the goods.

And then there were two . . .

CARLSBERG SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE

PREMIER DIVISION

Cullompton Rangers 1 St Austell 1

Stoke Gabriel 0 Bodmin Town 1

Two matches to go then in a thrilling premier division title race – with the big one still to come and the destiny of the trophy undecided.

Bank holiday Monday’s results for the top two left Bodmin four points clear of St Austell and when the two clash at Priory Park on Wednesday evening (7.30), a draw would secure the title for the home side.

However, a St Austell win would take us into the last fixtures of the season, with the Lillywhites travelling to red hot Tavistock on Friday evening, before Bodmin head up the A30 and M5 for Saturday’s game at Cullompton.

And anybody daft enough to write off St Austell has not been following a dramatic, helter skelter, topsy turvy run-in which has seen the tag of favourites change hands more than once in the last month.

I said at the beginning of April that the race would go to the wire. Apparently that upset one or two at Bodmin, because some felt St Austell’s 3-2 defeat at Plymouth Parkway on March 31 ended the Lillywhites’ chances.

There followed a surprising and untimely (from Bodmin’s point of view) slump in results as Darren Gilbert’s men, unbeaten in 25 games, started a gruelling schedule of ten matches in 30 days during April.

On April 2nd they had to dig very deep to rescue a point from a 2-2 draw at home to Falmouth Town, having trailed 2-0. Four days later they failed to score in a league game for the first time this season as second from bottom Stoke Gabriel battled hard and defended brilliantly to earn a 0-0 draw at Priory Park.

Worse was to come three days later when Bodmin, having raced into a 2-0 lead at Saltash, collapsed spectacularly in the second half to lose 4-2 and have two players sent off as they lost their discipline and their unbeaten record.

Three days after that it was off to Plymouth Parkway, a team Bodmin have never found comfortable opponents. On this occasion Parkway were down to the bare bones but Bodmin failed to score for the second time in four games and had to settle for a 0-0 draw.

A 3-0 home win over Torpoint appeared to signal Bodmin’s return to normal form but three days later they crashed 4-3 at Ivybridge – and like the Saltash match, they did so after being 2-0 ahead early on.

So  eight points dropped out of 12 in the first fortnight of April.

Meanwhile, St Austell were going along nicely with their one game a week schedule, winning four on the bounce at Exmouth (2-0), Ivybridge (4-2) and Launceston (2-1) and at home to Exmouth (2-0). Twelve points out of 12.

Bodmin managed to end their wobble with a hard-earned 3-2 home win over Witheridge on Thursday April 21st and then it was St Austell’s turn to show signs of nerves.

With manager Phil Lafferty on holiday, his side were held 1-1 at home on Saturday April 23rd by Stoke Gabriel, who fought back from 1-0 down to equalise and have enough chances to have taken all three points back across the Tamar.

By the end of that weekend, St Austell led by four points but Bodmin still had one game in hand. They used it to good effect by beating nine man Saltash United 7-0 on the Monday, putting further pressure on St Austell the next evening.

They faced a Tavistock side who turned up at Poltair Park brimming with confidence after a long unbeaten run. And it turned out to be a disastrous night for the home side.

Tavistock won 4-1 and to compound St Austell’s woes, right back Marcus Martin was sent off for abusive language to referee Stuart Kane, who was then the target for an alleged assault by the player.

Bodmin were back in action the following evening, against a rejuvenated Parkway side who looked strong as they established a 1-0 first half lead. But Shane Krac’s goal early in the second half earned the point which took Bodmin back to top spot on goal difference.

Saturday saw St Austell drop more precious home points, this time against a battling Helston Athletic, who fought tooth and nail for a 3-3 draw.

Bodmin, meanwhile, opened up a two point gap at the top with an edgy 2-0 win at Exmouth and so it was on to bank holiday Monday.

The quality of the football was not top of the agenda any more, it was the results that mattered and for a long time it looked like St Austell were on course to go back level on points, with Liam Eddy’s 63rd minute goal giving them the advantage at Cullompton.

Meanwhile Bodmin were being held 0-0 at Stoke Gabriel and only a superb low save from Kyle Moore, the third different goalkeeper they have used in recent games, prevented the home side from taking the lead.

But the title race took another twist in the latter stages of both games. Cullompton equalised to hold St Austell to a 1-1 draw, while top scorer Andrew Neal fired home an 84th minute winner for Bodmin at Stoke Gabriel.

The thin line between success and failure never better illustrated than in those last few minutes.

And so to Wednesday evening at Priory Park. If Bodmin avoid defeat, they will be champions. They haven’t lost a league game at home all season, so the task sounds fairly straightforward doesn’t it?

It won’t be. May the 4th be with you.

 

 

 

Bodmin limp to top of table

CARLSBERG SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE

PREMIER DIVISION:

BODMIN TOWN 1 PLYMOUTH PARKWAY 1

Injury-ravaged Bodmin had to dig deep in the second half to earn the point which takes them to the top of the table on goal difference with four games to go.

Trailing to a superb 33rd minute strike from Jordan Trott, Bodmin lost midfield creator River Allen with a knee injury soon after and then had to replace Steve Bowker (ankle) at the start of the second half.

But they carved out a 56th minute equaliser from former Parkway favourite Shane Krac and despite losing a third injured player in Sam Matthews (foot) midway through the half, they battled to the end – and the referee played ten minutes of time added on – to take a deserved point.

Bodmin revealed later that midfield man Lance Bailey, another former Parkway player, had dislocated his shoulder early in the game but had it put back in during the half time interval and saw the game through before going to hospital.

Matthews was also said to be on his way to hospital for x-rays on his foot injury.

More often than not you would regard a home draw as two points dropped but on this occasion this was a good point for Bodmin, given all the circumstances.

Although they made the brighter start, with Adam Carter and Andrew Neal spurning chances in the opening ten minutes, Bodmin were soon pushed back by a Parkway side urged on from midfield by the excellent Danny Lewis.

And it was a free kick from Lewis in the 21st minute which almost led to the opening goal as defender Mike Landricombe rose to send a powerful header towards the net only for goalkeeper Scott Corderoy to tip over the bar.

It was a warning sign for the home side and one they didn’t heed as Parkway swept ahead in the 33rd minute with a rocket of a finish from Trott with Bodmin defenders failing to close the left back down inside the penalty area.

Lewis then created a great opportunity in the 38th minute with a superb low cross which rolled invitingly across the six yard box but nobody was there to provide the finishing touch.

And deep into first half injury time, former Bodmin favourite Steve Colwell produced a fine shot from 20 yards but Corderoy was equal to it with a good stop.

There was still time for play to switch to the other end where Neal was in on goal but was twice denied by excellent blocks from keeper Dean Smith.

Parkway, though, had been the better side by a distance in the first half and might have expected to continue their dominance in the second half, especially with the lively Bowker forced out of the action with an ankle injury.

But Bodmin started to attack with more belief and they were level 11 minutes into the half when keeper Smith made a hesitant clearance after racing off his line to deny Neal, only to see the ball break to Krac, who calmly chipped his shot from 25 yards into an unguarded net.

Matthews then suffered his foot injury following a challenge from Jamie Bass but his replacement, Dan Jennings, brought more spark to the Bodmin attack with his turn of pace.

The introduction by Parkway of striker Levi Landricombe with nine minutes left brought renewed belief to the visitors but it was Bodmin who almost snatched a second goal in the 84th minute.

Carter found himself one on one with Smith but the keeper dived in bravely at the striker’s feet to deny him, while also injuring himself. So much so that in an injury-ravaged game, he had to be replaced by substitute goalkeeper Martin Piper.

Carter made up for his miss by heading a Parkway corner off the line in the 89th minute, before substitute Callum Watson got the better of Jack Podmore on the right and his intended cross to the far post almost drifted into the net.

Because of the injuries, a good deal of time added on was expected, but maybe not the ten minutes the referee played. It made for a tense finish to another top South West Peninsula League game.

So there we are. A hectic and dramatic midweek of action complete, leaving Bodmin on top on goal difference from reigning champions St Austell.

We’re now down to the last four games for both teams – and the meeting between the sides next Wednesday, May 4, is likely to be crucial.

Bodmin: Corderoy, Hillson, Matthews (Jennings 63), Chambers, Simmonds, Bailey, Bowker (Bevan 46), Allen (Podmore 36), Carter, Neal, Krac. Subs not used: Gilbert, Bullen.

Goal: Krac (56).

Yellow cards: None.

Plymouth Parkway: D Smith (Piper 86), Bass, Trott, M Landricombe, J Heveran, Berry (Watson 73), Colwell, Lewis, M Smith, Richards (L Landricombe 81), Martindale. Subs not used: Saunders, D Smith.

Goal: Trott (33).

Yellow cards: None.

Referee: Derek Fox.

Marriott Man of the Match: Danny Lewis – excellent contribution from the Parkway midfield man.

FA charge St Austell player Marcus Martin

The Cornwall Football Association have issued a charge against St Austell footballer Marcus Martin over alleged incidents involving a referee at last night’s Carlsberg South West Peninsula League match against Tavistock.

Two minutes from the end of the game, which Tavistock won 4-1, Martin was shown a straight red card by ref Stuart Kane for abusive language and then allegedly ran at the official, grabbed him around the neck and pulled him to the ground.

A statement from Cornwall FA said: “Following the receipt of reports from the match officials at a game between AFC St Austell and Tavistock AFC, Cornwall FA have issued a charge against Marcus Martin for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 – improper conduct against a match official (including physical contact/violent conduct/ and threatening and/or abusive language behaviour).

“Mr Martin has been suspended from all football and football activities with immediate effect. AFC St Austell and Mr Martin have two weeks to respond to the charge.”

A Cornwall FA spokesman told BBC Radio Cornwall that St Austell, the club, would not be facing any disciplinary action.

St Austell, the reigning champions and still leaders of the premier division despite last night’s defeat, had issued a statement of their own earlier today announcing that they had suspended Martin with immediate effect pending investigations.

Martin, a former Plymouth Argyle youngster, is an experienced and much-travelled local footballer. He has also played for Exeter City, Tiverton Town and Plymouth Parkway, and was a member of the FA Vase winning Truro City side of 2007.

St Austell suspend Marcus Martin

ST AUSTELL have this morning suspended their player, Marcus Martin, following an alleged physical attack on referee Stuart Kane after receiving a straight red card for dissent against Tavistock at Poltair Park last night.

The incident happened in the 88th minute of the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League premier division game, which Tavistock won 4-1 against reigning champions and league leaders St Austell.

In a statement, club chairman James Hutchings said: “Following the unsavoury events that occurred during the game on Tuesday night following the dismissal of Marcus Martin, the club would like to place on record that it does not condone such behaviour in the game in any way.

“Marcus Martin has now been suspended by the club with immediate effect and we will be working with the FA and SWPL very closely while a full investigation is carried out.

“The club would also like to apologise publicly to all in attendance at the game, the FA, the SWPL and also to the match referee Stuart Kane, who is a well respected match official throughout Cornwall and Devon.

“No further comment will be made at this time.”