⚽ Cornwall Football: ‘Title triumph will live in my memory for a long time’ — Mousehole chief
Mousehole clinch maiden Western League title; Liskeard Athletic win Cornwall Women's Cup for first time; Truro City head into Southern League play-offs with fourth straight win
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⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
🥳 ‘Title triumph will live in my memory for a long time’ — Ash
💬 Mousehole’s achievement — in their own words
🏆 Liskeard boss ‘buzzing’ for squad after cup glory
🗣 Boss reflects on ‘mixed emotions’ after champions lose on final day
👏 ‘We are very proud of what we achieved’ — Wendron boss O’Neill
🐯 Truro head into play-offs with fourth straight win
🟢 Western: Seagulls clinch title with victory over Tangerines
👊 SWPL: Wendron beat champions to secure runners-up spot
💚 Argyle defeat U’s to edge closer to promotion
👀 What’s on this weekend
Enjoy. 〓〓
🥳 ‘Title triumph will live in my memory for a long time’ — Ash
By Matt Friday
Mousehole manager Jake Ash hailed his squad's remarkable achievement after the Seagulls clinched the Western League Premier Division title and a historic promotion to the Southern League.
Needing a victory in Saturday's final league game of the season at home to Wellington to secure the title, Ash's side got the job done in style with a 3-0 win over the Tangerines in front of a bumper 648-strong crowd at Trungle Parc.
Andrew Elcock, Callam McOnie and Hayden Turner scored the decisive goals for the Seagulls as they held off the challenge of Duchy rivals Saltash United to claim the title and became the first Cornish team to lift the Western League trophy since Truro City did in 2008.
An historic promotion to the Southern League — at Step 4 of the English National League System — is Mousehole's third in only five years and manager Ash, who has now led the Seagulls to two of those, expressed his pride at this achievement.
“It feels amazing,” Ash told Cornwall Sports Media. “The overriding feeling as a manager is relief. The feelings after a game when you're a manager are so amplified, when you win you are much higher than I think I was when I was a player, and when you lose you’re so much lower than you were as a player.
“I don’t think you feel the emotions the players do, theirs is just total joy in the moment, and the managers and staff are feeling a little bit of a relief, a bit of tiredness and emotion and then you just start to think about next season already.
“But it’s a lovely feeling, and to see the crowd and the smiles on people’s faces including the players and the families was really special. It will live in my memory for a long time.”
After Mousehole missed the chance to clinch the title on Tuesday night when they drew at Bridgwater United, Saltash's victory at Ashton & Backwell United on Thursday took the title race to the final game of the season on Saturday.
A win for the Seagulls over Wellington — their first opponents after promotion to the Western League in 2021, and as it turned out, their last before departing — would ensure that the trophy would be heading to west Cornwall, but failure to do so would open the door to Saltash should they beat Shepton Mallet.
One permutation that very few would have considered before the game was the possibility of an abandonment at Trungle Parc due to the torrential rain in the region on Saturday, but the game managed to be played in its entirety to the relief of the Seagulls faithful.
Elcock got the ball rolling in the 20th minute when his effort from the edge of the box took a heavy deflection and flew into the net before McOnie found the top corner seven minutes later with a sumptuous strike from 20 yards.
With one hand now firmly on the trophy, Mousehole removed any lingering doubt eight minutes from time when Turner lashed the ball home from the centre of the box to get the party started in deepest west Cornwall.
“One of the worst-case scenarios that I never envisaged was the game getting abandoned which at one point looked like it might be an outcome, it was so wet it was crazy,” Ash said.
“But you think of all the worst-case scenarios, because that’s what you do when you’re a manager, but when I thought about how the first half could go and could feel, the boys were better than I thought they would be.
“I knew they had the potential to go and be great in the first half and kill the game off but I didn’t know whether that would actually happen because of everything attached to the game, but they were just so good in the first half.
“The second half got a bit nervy and there was a 20-minute spell where they chased and they pressed us a bit more and arguably should have had a penalty, but when your luck’s in and you’re going for the title, we went straight up the other end and scored the third and it was nice to have that last 10-15 minutes when you knew it was probably job done.
“Saltash have been unbelievable and pushed us so hard. I feel like with the run we've been on we should have won it about three or four games ago, but they've been unbelievable and I hope that they go and do the business [in their play-off] next Saturday, and given the run they’ve been on I wouldn’t be surprised at all [if they do].”
With the title comes promotion to the Southern League Division One South, with Mousehole becoming the first Cornish team to reach the league since Truro City did so back in 2008 — a feat that would have seemed unimaginable when the team were competing in the Combination League 16 years ago.
Mousehole were one of four Cornish teams leading the march into the Western League back in 2021, but the Seagulls could be blazing the trail all on their own next season. If Saltash fail to win their promotion play-off this weekend, Mousehole will be the only Cornish team at Step 4 — with their nearest away game some 86 miles away at Tavistock.
That is unlikely to faze a club that has been willing to take the leap into the unknown at every other opportunity, and as this season has shown, they should have more than enough about them to compete on the pitch.
“What will stick with me is being on the pitch afterwards and seeing the likes of Brian Richardson, Tim Richardson, Ben Gibson — these people who have been around the club for 30, 40 years, it's been their life and they've seen it as a few fences around it, evolving to 650 through the gate watching a team getting promoted to the Southern League,” Ash said.
“It’s an incredible transformation and it’s all testament to those people behind the scenes, obviously the players have gone and done it and delivered, but we wouldn't have had the platform to go and do that if it wasn’t for all of those amazing people behind the scenes who are still the same people that were there 10, 15, 20 years ago when Mousehole were playing in the Combination League. It’s an incredible journey and story and I'm so pleased that those people had their moment [on Saturday].
“The Southern League, it’s crazy. For me, when I was lucky enough to go on my football journey [as a player with Truro City] we got to the Southern League and it changed, everything felt different.
“It felt like, ‘Wow this is proper football now, this is big boy stuff,’ and I'm so excited for the players and the club to go and experience it next year because it's going to be great. We’ll enjoy it for another day or two and then the planning starts for next season.”
💬 Mousehole’s achievement — in their own words
By Pablo Woolls-Blanco at Trungle Parc
Mousehole enjoyed their greatest ever day in their 100-year history as a football club by securing their first ever Western League title and promotion to the Southern League, Step 4 of non-league football, the club’s highest ever position in the English football pyramid.
The home side ran away 3-0 winners on Saturday afternoon at Trungle Parc, defeating 15th-placed Wellington. First-half goals from Andrew Elcock and then a wonder strike by Callam McOnie gave Jake Ash’s side a comfortable advantage at half-time, before Hayden Turner put the green ribbons on the trophy with just ten minutes to go.
After a 36-game season, Mousehole end with 86 points, 26 wins, eight draws and just two defeats.
Here are the immediate thoughts from some of those involved…
“The boys deserve it. Saltash pushed us right to the end but we’ve worked so hard this year — we deserve it more than anything. Last year we got so close, so to do it again and actually go all the way is an unbelievable feeling. I’ve never won anything in my life, so this is a first — hopefully not the last!”
Tallan Mitchell, midfielder
“I’ve still got tears in my eyes. I’m really happy, really happy. It wasn’t easy this season, but we made it happen.”
Adel Gafaiti, defender
“For the first time, I’m lost for words. Look at what this means to everyone. The younger boys deserve this — they’ve worked so hard. It’s the first trophy for a lot of them, and I’m actually quite emotional even as one of the older ones. To see what it means to them, me and all the families here — everyone is so happy. I can’t put it into words how I feel at the moment, I’m completely lost for words. Roll on the Southern League.
“This club is incredible. The volunteers are special people. It means everything to us, but it means equal amounts to them. They do everything for us, and they go unnoticed, so thank you to every single one of them and I hope they enjoy it as much as we do because these are special times. I’m not that emotional, but I was down and out, done, finished in the summer with injuries, so to be here today and as a Western League winner means absolutely everything.”
Mark Goldsworthy, striker
“I’m buzzing. We came so close last year and to do it this year, we knew what we had to change this season and we did it. We proved we could dig in and win in tricky conditions. We’re so together as a group. The fightback we’ve had when we’ve been losing away from home… this year we’ve just been so good when things haven’t been going our way.”
Jack Calver, captain
“From day one we said anything but promotion would be a failure. People underestimate how much time goes into all of this. I text Jake at 3 o’clock in the morning with ideas and questions. It’s the mental capacity and everything else away from it. At the moment I just feel relief. This year it just felt like it was going to happen, so I’m just delighted. It feels like all the work that we as a group have put in for four years has paid off. We stuck to our principles, but it’s only the start of things for us.”
Adam Fletcher, head of football
“I’m not sure this will sink in until I’ve spent some time on my own to think about it. I’ve won a few leagues in the past but nothing compares to this. As a coaching staff, you feel the weight and we felt the weight building up to this game today. We started running on the 15th of May last year, and we’re now two weeks away from starting again! For me, personally, this feeling is fantastic.”
Andy Graham, head coach
“This means everything. From the moment I walked into this club it just had a different feel and energy to it. I wanted this moment so much for the players who work harder than any other team in this league with the travel that we do and the way we train. But I also wanted this for the people behind the scenes at the club. Coming to this club was the best decision I ever made — this is my best moment in football by a mile. I feel a lot of relief, but we’ve done it, and we deserve it.
Compared to winning silverware in his playing career: “This feels better. It’s the best feeling. The amount of people that said to me today before the game that they were nervous and were desperate for it to happen — you feel that weight on your shoulders, and it’s relentless. We’ve had 650 people in Trungle today, a place that 15 years ago was a field with a few little fences around it. The people behind the scenes have driven this club forward. Let’s not escape from the fact that there’s no one throwing money at it or making themselves rich, they’re here because they want to be part of this club, and I’m the same, I love it. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in football. This achievement has been a lot of years in the making but make no mistake about it — we are in the Southern League and we are excited, but it isn’t stopping here!”
Jake Ash, manager
🏆 Liskeard boss ‘buzzing’ for squad after cup glory
By Matt Friday
Boss Lee Mann was pleased to see his Liskeard Athletic Women side get over the line after they lifted the Cornwall Women’s Cup for the first time on Friday night.
They had to do it the hard way, with the Lux Park outfit coming back from two goals down to defeat defending champions Helston Athletic 3-2 in front of a superb crowd of 423 at St Austell’s Poltair Park.
The Blues fell 2-0 behind after 25 minutes through strikes from Liz O’Reilly and Katy Barker-Thomas, but goals from Chloe Williams and Gabi Alphous restored parity before the break before Charlie Pettinger completed the comeback early in the second half.
The victory exacted revenge on Helston, who had defeated the Blues in the semi-finals of last year’s competition on their way to winning the trophy, and Mann was delighted to see his side – many of whom had won the competition with other clubs before – bring the trophy back to Liskeard.
“I think we’ve played 26 games this season and I think we’ve conceded first in 19 of them, so we always like a comeback and we got over the line,” Mann told Cornwall Sports Media.
“I’m buzzing for the girls and that’s one they really pushed for and said they want that trophy so it’s back with us and hopefully we’ll retain it next year and in years to come because it’s a nice trophy to win.
“That’s one they really wanted to win because that could be their last cup final because they’ve got other things they’re moving on to or whatever else. I’m pleased they got over the line and we did it as a squad. It gives us the validation to say we are still the best team in Cornwall in regards to that trophy.”
He added: “[To have a crowd of] 423 people just shows how far ladies football has come in Cornwall, because it is getting a lot better – it just needs to be promoted a little bit more in my opinion, and games like that do that.”
Pettinger’s lob clinches the cup
Liskeard were up against a Helston team that were seeking back-to-back triumphs after lifting the trophy 12 months prior, and Paul Parfitt’s side took the lead in only the eighth minute at Poltair Park when O’Reilly got on the end of a header and fired the ball home.
The Cornwall Women’s Football League Division 1 champions were two goals to the good midway through the half when Barker-Thomas squeezed a shot inside the near post for her 12th of the campaign.
Undeterred, Liskeard quickly halved the deficit through Williams, who raced to meet a lofted pass and shrugged off the challenge of one defender before drilling the ball past Helston goalkeeper Emily Full.
They completed the comeback two minutes before the interval with Williams turning provider on this occasion, with her low cross into the box being rifled home by Alphous.
The tide had turned and the half-time break did little to stem the east Cornwall outfit’s flow with the winning goal coming four minutes after the turnaround. A weak punch from the otherwise excellent Full was snapped up by Pettinger just outside the box, who coolly lifted the ball into the back of the net.
“When we’re on it, we’re a very good footballing side but sometimes it takes us going 2-0 down to actually wake us up,” Mann said.
“I said to them in the changing room, ‘Relax, you’ve done the hard thing of getting back [to 2-2], now it’s just putting your foot on the game.’ We demanded a little bit more energy in the final third and we got the goal we needed.
“I think the third goal was the only ball the ‘keeper dropped and then Sam Metters used her body so the ‘keeper couldn’t get to the ball and she popped it off to Charlie who lofted it over the ‘keeper and it went in, which was lovely.”
‘It’s good to put Liskeard on the map’
The Blues’ cup success caps a memorable season for the east Cornwall side, who had already established themselves as a force in Cornish football when they became the last Duchy side standing in this year’s Women’s FA Cup. The Blues came through three rounds, seeing off Seaton Town, Stockwood Wanderers and Bishops Lydeard, before falling to third-tier FA Women’s National League Southern Premier champions-elect Oxford United.
And Mann’s side have followed that up with a solid first season in the fifth-tier South West Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division after winning the western division last term, with the Blues guaranteed to finish no lower than fifth in the ten-team division with three games still to play.
A fourth-place finish is still achievable if they win their three remaining matches, despite suffering a hiccup on Sunday afternoon when a tired Blues team lost 2-0 at Warminster Town less than 48 hours after their cup final triumph.
They will be joined in the league next season by St Austell, who were relegated from the fourth-tier FAWNL Division One South West just 12 months after winning the SWRWFL Premier Division title, and Mann has his sights on emulating the Lillywhites’ title-winning campaign of 2021/22 next term.
“We’ve had to add players [this season] because our squad wasn’t good enough at the start of the season, and we’ve had to work on our fitness because our pre-season started a bit later because people were away on holiday,” he said. “With teachers, they have to go on holiday at a certain time so we lost probably five or six of the squad that would normally start.
“As a whole, as a small team in Cornwall… we've done pretty well to match [the top teams]. The only team in the top three to beat us was Bristol Rovers. We drew both times with Forest Green and both times with Torquay and probably should have taken a lot more points off them.
“We’re pleased overall and it’s good to put Liskeard on the map and put their name on the trophy, and me and [assistant] Sam Borthwick will push on to try and win again next year. Our goal next year is to win the league and get into the National League — that’s our push next year because I think we are good enough to do that.
“We’ve got a trophy which is what we set out to do this year, we’ve achieved that, and we said we wanted to finish in the top half of the table and we’ve done that. I’d have liked to have finished third, but Forest Green, Bristol Rovers and Torquay are just batting a little bit stronger than us at the moment, and we’ll bridge that gap next year.”
🗣 Boss reflects on ‘mixed emotions’ after champions lose on final day
By Gareth Davies at Blaise Park
Joint manager Brad Richardson revealed his ‘mixed emotions’ after St Blazey’s last day defeat to Wendron United, before lifting the South West Peninsula League Premier West title.
Blazey were confirmed as champions after defeating local rivals Sticker 3-2 last Wednesday with Wendron forced to battle with Liskeard Athletic for second.
Led by Cam Wheat’s brace and Sam Young’s deflected strike, Wendron led 3-0 before substitute Liam Eddy cut the deficit.
River Allen’s 81st-minute wonder goal set up a thrilling finale but in the dying embers, Jacob Cleverly secured a fine 4-2 victory in atrocious conditions and the runners-up berth for Wendron.
“If you ever wanted to celebrate a title win, then this wouldn’t be the weather you wanted,” he told Cornwall Sports Media at full-time. “Obviously we wrapped [the league] up in the week and I was surprised at our start to this game because I thought we were still in party mode.
“I understand, though, and it’s difficult to be tough on the boys because they have performed week in, week out, this season.
“But I wasn’t happy at half-time and the game got away from us a bit. We made three substitutions and then demonstrated what we could do, meaning that overall, it’s a day of mixed emotions on the field.
“Off the field it was different and brilliant with the lads deserving every bit of credit they get. Like I always keep saying, they have done the hard yards and we deserve to be champions.”
Blazey looked dead and buried when the outstanding Wheat combined with equally impressive Josh Wood to put Wendron three goals to the good with just 47 minutes gone.
Richardson admitted that the spirit of his team got them back into the game, one he described as ‘rollercoaster’, just like the 2022/23 season as a whole for Blazey — which he admitted would be a filmmakers’ dream.
“It could have been one of those days where we crumbled and lost by four or five,” he added. “But our comeback shows the togetherness in the group and after we have had bad results this season, we have regrouped for the next game and been brilliant.
“After the third goal went in, it was a bit of panic stations, but we could have got back to 3-3 or even won it so it’s a shame about the late goal at the end.
“I can’t be mad at the lads because it has been a rollercoaster in this league. I always say that if you did an Amazon documentary you would get box office views because it has been so up and down.
“But we have all come together and got over the line at the end and after 17 years, a club of this size and stature, not to win something, makes it amazing that we are a part of this title win.”
Along with Richardson and Phil Lafferty, Andrew Moon has led the Green and Blacks to Step Five for 23/24 after Ryan Fice was sensationally relieved of his duties just three games into the season.
Winning the league title also secures a first piece of silverware for the club in 17 years, with Blazey once again a powerhouse in Cornish football.
Moon admitted that the weight of history didn’t play on the minds of his players and instead says that an inconsistent fixture list was Blazey’s biggest hindrance during the run in.
“The most frustrating thing was not having a run of games,” Moon revealed. “We were four or five games behind Wendron and we just wanted to play Saturday then midweek. So having to slowly tick the games off was frustrating, but as the finishing line appeared, we focused and got the job done.
“Wednesday night, I have seen grown men, who live close to this place, shedding tears so that speaks volumes about how much it means to them.”
With just the Champions Bowl against Brixham to come for Blazey, which has curiously been scheduled for Monday, May 8 at Speeds Meadow, home Cullompton Rangers, attention will soon turn to a first ever Western League campaign for Blazey.
Moon says that despite the challenges facing his club next term, they want to establish St Blazey as a Step Five club and more.
“It is a step up and I am aware of that,” he added. “But Blazey are in a good place both geographically and the stature of the club. When you walk into this place, you really know you have arrived and you don’t get that at many clubs in Cornwall.
“Blazey need to look at establishing at Step Five before pushing on and this is something we are very much aware of.”
👏 ‘We are very proud of what we achieved’ — Wendron boss O’Neill
By Gareth Davies at Blaise Park
Boss Mike O’Neill refused to be downbeat as Wendron United missed out on the South West Peninsula League Premier West title by just three points.
The Underlane outfit pushed eventual champions St Blazey all the way and deservedly prevailed 4-2 as the title winners and runners-up clashed at Blaise Park on the final day.
Needing a point to guarantee second place, O’Neill’s charges found themselves 3-0 up just after the break thanks to Cameron Wheat’s brace and a deflected Sam Young strike.
Substitute Liam Eddy grabbed St Blazey a lifeline before River Allen’s wonderful solo effort set up a grandstand finish with nine minutes to play.
However, Wendron clung on with Blazey searching for a leveller and in injury time, secured victory through substitute Jacob Cleverly.
“We came down here first and foremost to win the game, regardless of what has gone before,” O’Neill said, speaking exclusively to Cornwall Sports Media at full-time. “We wanted to finish as high as we could, with as many points and goals as possible too. It was obviously disappointing to not have our names on the league winners’ trophy, but to finish just three points behind St Blazey shows how well we have done this year.
“We have broken a lot of records and we are very proud of what we have achieved.”
Despite a fine campaign, drawn games against strugglers Bodmin Town and Penzance as winter became spring ultimately cost Wendron but O’Neill refuted that notion and instead focused on the ‘huge moves forward’ made by his side in 22/23.
He added: “It’s easy to look back at results and think of games that we should have won or shouldn’t have drawn, but there is a bigger picture. Sometimes defeats or drawn games spur you on to a winning run.
“If you look at the game we lost at home to Bude, we felt really bad that day and it was a low moment for lots of people involved with the club. But it led to eight games unbeaten and our third run of games like that this season.
“So everything happens for a reason and whilst we could point our frustrations at individual games, it would be wrong to do so.
“Over the course of a season, luck always evens itself out and that’s what will stick with me because as a group, we have learnt an awful lot. We have made history for our club with its highest ever finish of second at Step Six.
“We finished joint top scorers with Liskeard and after today’s win, the fewest losses in the league too.
“So whilst it isn’t the league we have won, which was something we were desperate to do, we have made huge moves forward, by breaking new ground again.”
🐯 Truro head into play-offs with fourth straight win
Truro City prepared for this week’s crucial Southern League Premier South play-off semi-final with a 2-1 victory over relegated North Leigh in Oxfordshire on Saturday.
Rocky Neal and Dan Sullivan scored for City as the White Tigers secured their fourth successive victory and clinched a third-place finish at the end of the regular season.
Paul Wotton’s side will now welcome fourth-placed Poole Town to Bolitho Park on Wednesday night, with a place in Saturday’s play-off final awaiting the winner…
⚽ Dream start: What a start! Sullivan crosses from the left and Neal simply heads past the keeper to give the visitors an early lead. 1-0 (2’)
⚽ Level: The hosts equalise through Conor McDonagh, whose low strike beats James Hamon in the City goal. 1-1 (27’)
⚽ Victory: City strike what proves to be the decisive blow four minutes into the second half. Matt Wright has a shot blocked before playing the ball to Sullivan, who fires into the bottom corner. 2-1 (49’)
“It’s always nice to win. That’s four wins on the trot now so we’re in a good place. We’ve had an awul lot of games.
“We’re looking forward to [the play-off], we’re excited. We’ve had a tremendous season, 89 points is a hell of an achievement and the boys deserve their chance in the play-offs and we’ll do our utmost to take advantage of it.
“It’s a great game, it’s a game to be excited for. You’re in football to play in big games and you’re in football to play in games where things matter. We’ve given ourselves a chance and we’ll try our very, very best on Wednesday.”
🟢 Western: Seagulls clinch title with victory over Tangerines
Jack Wood scored a brace as Millbrook signed off for the campaign with a resounding victory over bottom side Cadbury Heath. Josh Toulson, Tylor Love-Holmes and Kieran O’Melia also found a way through the Heath defence, with Ali Boyer bagging a consolation for the home side.
Falmouth Town 3-0 Sherborne Town
James Ward, Tim Nixon and Louis Jagger Cane scored as Town secured a 15th win of the campaign and guaranteed an eighth-place finish at worst in their first season back in the division since promotion.
Keynsham Town 1-3 Helston Athletic
Rikki Shepherd, Sam Carter and Rubin Wilson all got on the scoresheet as Helston continued their fine end-of-season form with a comfortable victory over the division’s 18th-placed side, with Dylan Lewis bagging an excellent consolation goal from the edge of the box in stoppage time.
Needing a win to secure the championship and promotion to the Southern League, Mousehole didn’t let the bumper 648-strong crowd at Trungle Parc down as Andrew Elcock, Callam McOnie and Hayden Turner scored the goal to send the Western League trophy down to deepest west Cornwall.
Saltash United 4-0 Shepton Mallet
Saltash have to settle for second place despite getting their job done in style at Waterways Stadium. Adam Carter, Carlo Garside, Harrison Davis and Sam Hughes gave the Ashes a handsome final-day win, but Mousehole’s victory means Danny Lewis’ side will face a promotion play-off next weekend.
Torpoint Athletic 1-1 Ilfracombe Town
Gary Hird’s first-half goal was not enough for Torpoint to record a victory in their final home outing of 2022/23, with Charlie Prentice rescuing a point for the Bluebirds after the break.
👊 SWPL: Wendron beat champions to secure runners-up spot
Goals from Jake Shaw and Scott Flannigan gave sixth-placed Newquay a hard-fought final-day win at Bodmin, with the Peppermints finishing two points shy of the top five.
Callington’s busy end to the season didn’t appear to faze the Pasty Men as they put six past Penzance at Marshfield Parc. Ben Langton, Andre Rodukov, Sam Rutter, Rio Daly, Lewie Rendle and Joey Burton found the net for the hosts, with Rolandas Sumnauskas and Kai Baxter netting for the Magpies.
Dobwalls made seventh spot their own with a fine victory over the Seasiders at Lantoom Park. Kelvin Fyneboy and Oscar Larrieu scored as the Reds ended their season on a winning note, with Scott Piper replying for the visitors, who end their first season back in the SWPL in fifth place.
The division’s second- and third-from-bottom sides shared the spoils in their season-ending fixture at Pennygillam. All four goals were scored in the first 20 minutes, with Ben Harrison and Alfie Fothergill notching for the Clarets and Alfie Flack and Isaac Varga netting for the visitors.
Liskeard Athletic 5-0 Camelford
Liskeard’s hopes of pipping Wendron to second spot on the final day were dashed by the Dron despite the Blues strolling to a 5-0 win at Lux Park, with Dan Jennings (2), Max Gilbert, Ruben Kane and Harvey Mullis doing the damage on the day.
Champions St Blazey were denied a winning end to their glorious campaign as runners-up Wendron had the last laugh at Blaise Park. Cam Wheat scored a brace and Sam Young and Jacob Cleverly also netted as Michael O’Neill’s side clinched second spot, with Liam Eddy and River Allen replying for the hosts.
St Dennis may be destined to finish bottom of the table but they were able to record their fourth win of the campaign in their penultimate fixture of the season, with Liam Nicholls, James Baker, Ash Taylor and Josh Pope securing victory for the Saints.
💚 Argyle defeat U’s to edge closer to promotion
Plymouth Argyle took another step toward promotion with an accomplished 3-1 win at home to relegation-threatened Cambridge United on Saturday.
Goals from Callum Wright, Joe Edwards and Niall Ennis gave the Pilgrims their third win inside seven days — and it means Steven Schumacher’s side could be celebrating promotion back to the Championship this coming weekend if results go their way…
⚽ In front: Argyle get their noses in front when Ryan Hardie receives the ball on the edge of the box and flicks the ball into the path of Wright, who calmly steers the ball beyond goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov. 1-0 (16’)
⚽ Leveller: From nowhere, the U’s equalise when a cross from the left is flicked on and Sam Smith heads it back across Callum Burton and inside the far corner. 1-1 (31’)
⚽ Two in two: After getting his first goal of the season in midweek, Argyle skipper Edwards now has two in two when he steers a calm finish past the right hand of Mitov. 2-1 (56’)
⚽ That’ll do it: Argyle make sure of the points with a beautifully worked move, with Bali Mumba exchanging passes with Ennis to allow the latter to slide a confident low finish into the bottom corner. 3-1 (73’)
Argyle: Burton, Gillesphey, Houghton, Scarr, Edwards, Hardie (Ennis 66), Mayor (Matete 80), Mumba (Earley 90), Randell (Cosgrove 90), Lonwijk, C Wright (Azaz 80). Subs (unused): Parkes, Wilson.
“We just focus on what we can do. The standard this year has been outstanding and for us to be in there and pushing Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich and Barnsley every single week is credit to everyone.
“Ninety-two points is a good milestone, and we should be really pleased with that, but we're not finished. It's not over. We know we can't rest and can't expect anyone to do us a favour. We've just got to try to deal with our own business.”
Argyle and Ipswich Town are still occupying the automatic promotion places after both sides earned three points, with Sheffield Wednesday keeping their top-two hopes alive with a late 2-1 victory over Exeter City…
Elsewhere at Home Park:
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👀 What’s on this week
⚽️League One: Tuesday, 7.45pm: Plymouth Argyle v Bristol Rovers. Saturday, 3pm: Plymouth Argyle v Burton Albion.
⚽️Southern League Premier South play-off semi-finals: Wednesday, 7.45pm: Bracknell Town v Chesham United; Truro City v Poole Town.
⚽️Southern League Premier South play-off final: Saturday, 3pm: Winner play-off 1 v Winner play-off 2 (at home of highest-ranked side)
⚽️Western League Premier Division: Tuesday, 7.30pm (unless stated): Wellington v Helston Athletic; Welton Rovers v Falmouth Town (7.45pm). Saturday, 3pm: Ashton & Backwell United v Torpoint Athletic; Falmouth Town v Street; Shepton Mallet v Helston Athletic.
⚽️Western League / Southern League play-off final: Saturday, 3pm: TBC v Saltash United.
⚽️South West Peninsula League Premier West: Tuesday, 7.30pm: Callington Town v St Austell. Wednesday, 7,30pm (unless stated): Bodmin Town v Mullion (7.45pm); St Dennis v Dobwalls. Saturday, 3pm: Callington Town v Mullion.
🏆Walter C Parson League Cup semi-final: Tuesday, 7.30pm: Liskeard Athletic v Newton Abbot Spurs (at Ivybridge Town).
🏆Cornwall Intermediate Cup semi-final: Wednesday, 7.30pm: Redruth United v Illogan RBL (at Penryn Athletic).
🏆Cornwall Junior Cup final: Sunday, 2pm: Falmouth DC v Dropship (at Wendron United).
⚽️FA Women’s National League Division One South West: Sunday, 2pm: Portishead Town v St Austell.
⚽️South West Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division: Sunday, 2pm: Liskeard Athletic v Sherborne Town.
⚽️South West Regional Women’s Football League Western Division: Sunday, 2pm: Saltash United v Marine Academy Plymouth.
⚽️Cornwall Women’s Football League Cup semi-finals: Sunday, 2pm: Foxhole Stars v Bodmin; Helston Athletic v RNAS Culdrose.
See you on Thursday!
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