Way Of The Park

There is a joke in there somewhere about sinking ships.

Homers Heath is always a great place to visit, one of the best grounds in the Western League. A sneak preview of what Falmouth have got to look forward to next season. The goal hungry Town forwards up against up a Bucks defence (featuring Rob Farkins and Nick Milton at its heart) that has only conceded 2 goals in their last 5 matches will be very interesting.

Never understood the paranoia of clubs regarding sharing of info via freely available highlights (and yes, Plymouth Parkway were one of them. At one stage a few seasons ago they didn't even like publicising line ups until the last moment). For example, Manchester United were able to study all the characteristics of Liverpool's play by watching (and rewatching) all their matches. See how that worked out... 🤔

As I've said before on here, not sure his managerial and coaching track record stands up to much, but nobody can doubt his enthusiasm, ideas and commitment to the club's he he has been involved with. Has an encyclopedia like knowledge of the local scene and players, and a passion for the game in Cornwall. Always thought he would be an excellent chairman or director of football.

Can they win it? Probably not. Those sides from the North take a bit of beating. 11 of the last 15 winning teams have come from North East or North West of England. Could go very deep into the competition though with home draws . Looked at St Austell's run to the semis in 2014/15, they were lucky with home ties in 6 of the 8 rounds before that stage. A long journey down, and the prospect of a large partisan crowd awaiting them, would be a daunting prospect.

Can't see Lee Hobbs getting sacked. What he's achieved over the last few years has earnt him the time to get through the current tough patch.

No, Mockey Jackson.

Okehampton v Famouth stands out. Top of Peninsula East v top of Peninsula West

The Vase is, for me, the best knockout competition in England. Unlike the FA Cup, League Cup and FA Trophy, no side rotates/rests players and sees it as a sideshow. The later stages where you find out who you have drawn, then Google your opposition and work out where they are on the map (if it's an away trip) is a special time. If Falmouth can get lucky with home draws, then they could have a decent run this season. A large and noisy crowd at Bickland could be worth an extra man on the pitch, teams will not fancy going down there.

Where?

Of course, no players ever make mistakes during a match. Serious question coming up, if a player is suspended (3 matches for example) could, if they are a qualified referee, officiate a match when they are serving this? It would be in a different league of course, or at youth/junior level. Perhaps, in the same way that you can take a driver awareness course as an alternative to having points on your licence, you could take a refereeing course as a way of reducing or deferring a suspension. Could be sold as an "awareness of the laws of the game" session.

Widening the debate slightly, just shows what has been lost by not having coverage of the local game by real journalists (although the Voice and a few others are looking to rectify this). Alhough there has never been more coverage of teams and matches , the various social media outlets and their ease and speed of use have enabled this, and though many club's presentation is great (and only getting better), the quality and impartiality of the information is sometimes open to question. I know the gent who does the Parkway match reports, and they are generally very honest and say it how he sees it, but many are undoubtedly "one eyed." You can quite often get contradictory views on one match (and incidents within it) from the two opposing clubs social media, and equally, highlights packages can be edited to not show things that are not flattering, or fit the narrative. All this output, including that from Piran Films, has to be viewed and read critically, and understood that it is not coming from independent sources, but is going to reflect the views and allegiances of those that present and pay for it.

Another card for Moore yesterday, dissent I would guess. The penny might drop with him, and a few others, at some stage.

Doh !Never make comments about Bodmin Town after two large glasses of wine.