Sinky

My reason for finishing as the first team manager is simple. I took over the managers position 2 years ago at the age of 22. The club wasnt in a great shape the likes of Coady and Ryan had left to play higher standard (Ive got no problem with that) and we managed to hold our own and reach a cup final with me being the 2nd oldest player by some margin. This season Coady and Ryan returned we picked up Courtney Rowe and Derek Truscott and i thought had a genuine chance of doing well. We didnt want promotion as travelling into England (Devon) for an ECPL match nearly ever week interested no one but we thought we could challenge. Due to injuries, work and general lack of numbers we played a lot of weeks with bare 11 or on a good day 12. It was hard work getting a team every week and with my work load during the week and my already receeding hair line i decided that i couldnt do it anymore. I want to turn up on a saturday and play. Not worry about having to have a qualified lines person or get a fine from the ECPL. Not worry about getting 11 players and collecting sub money from them as well as fines money etc... Ive got plenty of time to worry about that when im retired and not playing anymore. Also what made my decision easier was a certian referee we had on the last day of the season. Someone i used to have a lot of time and respect for as a person and ref let himself, the league and other refs in general down. As for St. Stephen itself several on here are moaning about pulling out the east cornwall league for the duchy instead. Its a brave decision as player numbers and general interest is down. Im surprised they have kept to teams but Its a credit to those involved that they are willing to work as hard as i know they do to try and provide St. Stephen with 2 football teams. I think its very unfair of you to take that view and i would be wishing any club going through a similar situation all the luck in the world and hoping they manage to get themselve back on their feet.

It's not as uncommon as you think, we are playing the 2nd of 7 home games in a row today!

Harsh! Pitch isn't the greatest trur but no where near the worst. They play some good football when other teams can't. Thats nothing to do with the pitch but your own players. It's the same for both sides and good players can play anywhere which Kilk prove week in week out.

Just wait until you play Roche. Must be sharing their tactics with Bodmin. I saw sly headbutts, kicking off the ball (I have stud marks on my chest to prove that) as well as the general leaving a foot in on every tackle, pushing and shoving. Saying that, we didnt deserve to win despite a perfectly good goal being disallowed for one of our players passing himself the ball while in an offside position??? I thought they called that dribbling? The fact he had to run between 2 players to receive his own pass makes he think he wasn't even offside in the first place? To be fair the ref realised his mistake but was, as he was all game, too quick to blow his whistle against us. Instead of having the stones to appoligies for his honest mistake he continued to mumble some rubbish excuse as to why it couldn't be given. Roche are a difficult team to break down, they work hard and whether it's just because it was a local derby were a very physical side. They had enough chances to win the game last night and we should consider ourselves lucky to get a point. Another disappointing performance from us but at least we are still picking up points while playing badly. Looking forward to Kilkhampton this weekend, a long away trip but always have a good game and a great bunch of lads. Well they were last season haha!

St. Blazey 1 St. Stephen 3 (1-2) C. Coad (2) J. Truscott 1 Don't know Blazey Scorer? Firstly would like to thank Andrew Rundle for allowing the game to be played. There was talk of today's game being abandonded so the second team players were available for the first team who were apparently short! So thank you to St. Blazey for fulfilling the fixture, the pitch was as good as it always is despite the heavy rain during the week. As for the game itself, we found ourselves 1-0 down within 2 minutes. St. Blazey started a lot better than us and thourghly deserved the lead. We managed to get back into the game and felt we did enough to deserve the win with the St. Blazey keeper definitely the livelier after the first 20 minutes. First game is always difficult to judge we were slow, off the pace and missing a few players to Cricket but got the 3 points we wanted. Preformances will hopefully come with a settled side and a few more games behind us. All the best to Andrew and St. Blazey will be a tough team to beat this year.

Have seen St. Dennis play a couple times this season already and if they play as well as they did tonight and against St. Austell they will be serious contenders this year! When they want to play I don't think there are many teams that will get near them. Sorry we didnt give you a better game, all the best for the rest of the season though Lee!

Although named the ECPL it should actually be called East Cornwall and West Devon Premier League (EC&WDPL) last year we crossed the bridge into England twice. The East Cornwall league used to be full of local derbies, Sticker, Probus, St. Stephen, Roche, Nanpean, St. Dennis, Biscovey, St. Blazey 2nd, Foxhole, Bodmin, Wadebridge with the likes of Liskeard or Callington, Saltash and Camelford the only long away trips. Times have changed, players want money to play and managers want money to spend. It doesn't take an idiot to work out you can't spend more than what you earn/raise so why so many clubs are struggling is down to stupidity. Clubs get a bit of spare cash and they pay players taking them from local rivals. When this money runs out and their local rivals get a bit of spare cash guess what? The players go back again. I blame the players mostly because their loyalty can be bought for a shiny £10 note every week. I'm sorry but £10 even £50 a week isn't going to make you rich, in most cases it wont even pay for the alcohol consumed on a Saturday night out.

St. Stephen started their pre season fixtures away to Perranwell Friday evening and came away with a positive result. 5-6 was the final score line but we took a 1-5 lead into half time with as close to a full strength side as we could put out. We were only missing our captian and centre back Thomas Olver and the attacking threat of Jordi Willmott both out due to work commitments. In the second half we changed things around a lot but all credit to Perranwell they stuck to the task in hand and thourghly deserved the 4 second half goals. A lot of positives to take away from the game but a great game to watch, played in a fantastic manner and I would like to wish Perranwell all the best for the up coming season!

I don't know who you are Clay Country87 but you obviously know the answer to that question or you wouldnt keep asking! Does it really matter who St. Dennis have got in to replace Carl? He's a quality player and to be honest there are very few players who could replace him! Off the top of my head I can think of 2 and both play for St. Dennis already, Lee Rickard and Scott Hill. For a local chap who claims to watch all the local teams you seem to have a very strange obsession with St. Dennis which makes me think your either jealous of their success or just someone looking to rub a few people up the wrong way! Let's move on from the "who's going to replace Carl" and talk about something more interesting and less repetitive!

You have to reward loyalty!

Coady you should put your big wodden spoon away! It's a marathon not a sprint anything can happen

Repeat of last year for us, home to Tavistock. Let's home we give them a better game this year!

Congratulations Liskerad, definitely deserve the promotion! Possibily gave us our 2 toughest games this season. All the best from St. Stephen

St Stephen 2 Plymstock 1 A.Sincock J. Wilmott (P) Good even game between to very commited teams! 0-0 half time both teams missed good chances to take control. All the best to Plymstock for the rest of the season!

St. Stephen 3 Biscovey 2 OG, Jordi Wilmott 2 Don't know Biscovey scorers Close game but can't argue with the result, our keeper didn't make a save 2nd half and we could have scored several more if it wasn't for a great performance by the Biscovey goalkeeper! All the best to Biscovey for the rest of the season