SWPL Clubs set to flex muscles

[Richard Chown]

The Packet ©

by Leon Prynn

WITH the Carlsberg South West Peninsula League’s premier division having kicked off the football season in Cornwall last Saturday, the rest of the county’s senior teams have the opportunity to flex their muscles this Saturday as their season gets under way.

The SWP League’s Cornish division looks as if it is going to be a very competitive league despite many managers within the league predicting that Penzance are likely to prove the eventual winners.

Their views are based on the fact that one of Cornwall’s most successful managers has been seconded to Penlee Park to transform the Magpies’ fortunes.

Not surprisingly he has brought in a number of players to the club with Porthleven, one of his former clubs, to have suffered most.

What is certain is that the other clubs are not going to lie down and allow Penzance to run all over them and to be fair to the Magpies, they will be the last club to expect that to happen.

“Promotion is our absolute priority,” said Mewton, “but there are no guarantees. There are a lot of good sides in this league who have the same ambition as us.”

Porthleven manager Gary Marks is one of them. When Gary joined as manager several season ago he had to rebuild the side after the club decided on a policy of using local players from inside a certain radius. Now, this season, he has to do it all over again after losing half a dozen of his first team squad.

“I don't think any manager enjoys losing players, especially after working so hard to put the team together, but you have to get on with it. I suppose the only disappointing thing is that the players have moved sideways and not upwards. If players are going to better themselves, then you say good luck to them, but that isn’t the case here.”

Just like the weather, Marks has found the summer rather disappointing as well as frustrating in that he has had to start all over again, but he is more than happy with the players he has brought in.

The key to Marks’ philosophy is to target the players with the right attitude.

“You want players who are good,” said Marks, “but you want them to be just one of many cogs in the wheel. They need to have the right attitude and I think those that have come in possess that quality.

“Wayne Brown and Darren Burchell have both come in from Falmouth Town and Danny Burrows has joined us from Illogan along with Josh Kemp. I have been targeting Burows for a while and he was always going to be our goalkeeper from the start for this season.

"Jamie Thirle is back from a service posting, so that's like having a new signing and despite several clubs showing an interest, Kevin Lawrence is staying with us. We've held on to Hugh Howlett and Martin Day and I'm delighted to have signed Paul Robinson from Goonhavern.

"Jamie Thirle is back from a service posting, so that's like having a new signing and despite several clubs showing an interest, Kevin Lawrence is staying with us. We've held on to Hugh Howlett and Martin Day and I'm delighted to have signed Paul Robinson from Goonhavern.

At Wendron manager Steve Webber feels he has his work cut out to maintain the club's progress over the past few years.