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ECPL Fixtures for Friday' Saturday' Sunday' 6th 7th 8th May


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17 hours ago, karaoke said:

Well that was a good report !

16 hours ago, Dave Deacon said:

Only about 120 attendance apparently and so would any one of you like to let us know what happened? 

Evely Cup Final

Torpoint 2 - 0 Helston

Scorers: Bartolini, Rowe. 

Lineup: WestallM, Carter, WhiteJ, WhiteS, Quintrell, Cotter, Bartolini, Payn, Blair, WestallC, Warren.

Subs: Rowe, Northcott, Robbins. Unused: Macleod, Jackson.

4 changes to the XI from the previous Monday's Cup Final meaning 15 lads started at least 1 of the Finals. I don't usually change a winning side but the whole squad have contributed all season and deserve a starting place every week. Extremely pleased to win another cup and the changes fully justified themselves with some really good performances. Bartolini in particular with an outstanding 1st goal of the season for him and was voted MOTM by our Coors fuelled clubhouse afterwards.

Prior to the game we knew nothing about Helston other than their seasons' successes and some social media posts. Not my usual due diligence so we couldn't really prepare for anything other than the usual cliche of "play your own game." But to their credit the lads did just that.

The game was fairly uneventful in the opening periods for both sides as we figured each other out a little. A few set pieces for Helston did worry me a little due to the notable height advantages they had forward to aim at. Luckily they were all dealt with well, with WestallM gathering a few with confidence and the rest cleared to safety. A couple of sloppy free kicks were within shooting distance but again we got away with them not being too much of a threat. As the half wore on, we did get our foot on the ball with a little more confidence and some passing moves opened up a few opportunities that didn't come to fruition but positive signs that we were capable of progressing up the pitch. WestallC isn't usually half a foot smaller than his opposite centre halves but he grew in confidence as he began to win his ground duels with ease and for once pace! Alongside this the aerial duels began to even up a little as he won a few of them or deterred clean contact for the men in blue. The right hand side of the Helston defence's severe lack of pace began to be a thorn in their own side as we found some areas to exploit, with Warren out on the left getting chances to drive 1v1 at the full back and WestallC working that channel well now too creating shots on goal from 18yds on a few occasions. One opportunity in particular saw him race clear in an MBappe foot race in comparison to his chasers, but the Blues keeper did very well and shut off most of his angles, an attempted scoop from WestallC the first real scoring opportunity. An inswinging corner from Warren was volleyed home for Carter's 1st of the season, but the referee chalked it off after some confusion due to a foul on the keeper by another player in Gold. Unfortunate but the goal was coming. Deep into the half a typical WhiteS 4-iron in behind the right hand side again was bettered by a probing run from Bartolini who produced a sublime finish lifting the bouncing ball over the closing keeper into the net from about 20yds out around 41mins. HT 1-0.

A positive 1st half and a real belief we could add to our lead was match in the 2nd half with more dominance on the ball, higher energy levels off it and far fewer mistakes that comes with playing with confidence. WestallC continued to drive the team forwards, often on his own with a few mazy runs followed by shots at goal. The introduction of Rower around 65mins only heightened the work rate again on a warm day when Helston began to tire. Cotter's short passing game in deep pockets sucked out what draining energy they had and Rower and now Northcott in midfield joined WestallC and co in attack. On 75mins Rower fired in our 2nd low into the corner from 20yds with his left foot (YES his left from 20yds!) after good work from Adam Blair to tee him up. Having gone all season without a goal and never scoring under my helm until 3 weeks ago, that was his 3rd in 4 games and all so vital in picking up our recent wins. The team's celebrations were a blend of having a 2 goal cushion in a final and the support that Rower has from everyone for all the off the ball work he gives us every second he's on the pitch. A deserved goal from a deserving player.

A depleted and tired Helston didn't threaten much after this and our possession % stayed high with fresher legs and confidence that we were close to another trophy. A pleasing win and our 4th win at Blaise Park this season, now our 2nd home. Was great to see the changes having good games, in particular Payn and Bartolini in midfield and Carter in defence who have given me a welcome headache when selecting the side for our upcoming home fixture vs St Stephen on Friday. Two more to go in the league to wrap up the season, still with a 3 horse race for the title. 12 Ws in a row. I'd love to make it 14!

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10 minutes ago, Adlestrop said:

Excellent report,as usual. I don't know who the referee was,but thought he was outstanding.

Aidan Hagley. Allen Johns and Alan Howells as his assistants. Think there was only 1 or 2 yellows and not a dirty tackle all game which was good to see and therefore easier to manage. Helston are a good bunch and we will be visiting Kellaway Park in July for a friendly rematch and a few beers.

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