Do all Cornish Soccer Players have 2 left Feet!

[Bananaman]

Speaking to Ron Atkinson last week.We started talking about Cornish Football Players and why there are not many pro footballers from Cornwall.We decided it was because all cornish players have 2 left feet!good work ron!!!!!!!

[Deano]

Who are the current Pro Cornish Footballers-

Jamie Day

Martin Gritton(Born in Glasgow, but moved to Cornwall at young age)

Are there anymore??

[patch]

matt etherington at west ham

[Miles from home]

Speaking to Ron Atkinson last week.We started talking about Cornish Football Players and why there are not many pro footballers from Cornwall.We decided it was because all cornish players have 2 left feet!good work ron!!!!!!!

I think one of the reasons is the reluctancy of club scouts to venture down to our humble little county,i think they may be pleasantly suprised by the talent on offer if they could be arsed to have a look

[derek martyn]

21 year old Jamie Lowry from Newquay is doing very well at Chesterfield where he has established himself

as a first team regular on the right hand side of midfield (sometimes full back).

[hansome dan]

Going back a few years when poltair reached semi finals of national schools trophy ,,every school we played had all their players signed on with pro clubs,britol{bristol/london}walsall[midlands}as examples and we had only one [gary ball at argyle]yet we managed to beat these sides.

Back then it was probably down to geography but nowadays that should,nt matter. :c:

[Michael Rabone]

Speaking to Ron Atkinson last week...

There are a number of lads that have proven the fact that if you are good enough you will achieve at the highest level. Is it a question of infrastrucure? We have plenty of great footballers locally. Those that have made it at professional level stand as proof that it can be done.

Anyway, we all know about Mr Atkinson and his prejudice... I'd rather have two left feet than a comb-over and a whopping pair of moobs!!

What do you think, Ron?

[Guest Sport Lover]

A lot of the problem down here is location for a lot of sports, because you just wont get spotted and even if you do there are hundreds of miles of travelling to do to make trials training etc. Its also about the level of sport you can play down here on a week by week basis the choices/chances are limited.

[Stig]

There is currently a 16 year old lad (goal keeper) from Newquay (not too sure of his name) but he has been travelling up to Exeter City every Sunday to play in their academy for the past 5-7 years.

[Tommy Matthews]

Our nearest pro club is Argyle, and for some players that's well over an hour away. When they want you there 2 or 3 times a week it's a tough call for some parents to get their kids there.

In the cities, an hour's travelling could take you to a dozen different clubs if one doesn't fancy you.

Making the grade at pro level is doubly difficult down here, and for all those that do they need a lot of good luck along the way, extremely supportive parents, and dedication above and beyond normal resources.

There is also the 90 minute rule which I don't believe applies to some people here in Cornwall because for some they couldn't actually get to Plymouth in 90 minutes.

[Guest Peppermint]

Typical idiotic remark from a very overrated manager who did nothing for a lot of clubs. Then I recall his racist remarks on television. We have plenty of talented players from Cornwall but as Tommy says it is a matter of travel time and expense for parents. Clubs will obviously rather take local boys than someone from miles away.

[Tommy Matthews]

By the way I wish I did have two left feet....I might have been a decent player if my right foot was as good as my left!!

[J MILLER]

I remember being involved with Argyle between age 14 and 16, the selection process was at best terrible, I hear things have improved slighly now. In the last year of 'school boy' football the Cornish contingent played the Plymouth based side 3 times. The Cornish lads won 2 and drew 1. So obviously feeling quite bouyed by our chances of being offered YTS. out of the 13 players taken on only 2 from Cornwall were taken on One was Lee Phillips who by which time had already turned out for the first team and didnt feature in any of the above mentioned matches and Glenn Rogers now at Porthleven. When I was talking to Matt Etherington last year we were discussing this very subject and he considered a number of the players we grew up with had the ability but wether its oppurtunity, committment or dedication or a mixture of each is why more players dont 'make the grade'. I know from talking to Matt a great number of sacrifices have to be made for what is only a small chance of success.

[Footie Nut]

Many years ago during a chat with Billy McNeill then Celtic manager, we asked the same question. His opinion was that it was little to do with ability but more to do with location. "There are hundreds of kids with the potential in any large footballing town / city. Why would anyone spend the additional money required to send scouts to possibly bring one or two kids all the way from Cornwall"

OK extreme example but it explains the reasons.

[Tommy Matthews]

When you think things through logically, kids are kids wherever they grow up, it's just their surroundings that shape the difference.

We have a huge amount of high class surfers down here compared with people living in the inner cities, and because of location we will always produce more of them because of opportunity.

Matt Etherington is my nephew and I used to take him to football with me for years before he moved to Peterborough to live, and I can tell you he didn't have the same kind of childhood that most of us had.

While we were on the beach with our mates in the Summer holidays etc, he was touring Europe playing football. Now most of us wouldn't mind that too much, but he spent weeks away from home, always travelling, not having much contact with his friends and family.

Okay, now he's made it, it's all worthwhile and we'd all like to trade places, but he'll tell you now that every day he goes to work he's on trial, it's a great life for the few that make it, but with huge personal sacrifices.

Jamie Day had all the credentials to make the grade at Peterborough, but they needed more time with him each week to work on his role within the team. He moved to Peterborough and lived in digs with a family and finished off his last year at school there so that he could cement his place for a scholarship.

How many of us would do that?

[sammo 66]

one other major factor i think everyone has missed is rugby . cornwall has always been a big rugby county. a long time ago when i was at redruth school during the season we played rugby against other schools nearly every week whilst the football side only played about two fixtures a season. and there was loads of rugby trials for cornwall yet none for football. even now redruth school has a big link to redruth rugby club but no link to a football club so if your good at both sports you are only aimed in one direction.

[legend15]

i hear Toby Davis is doing well for himself

also isnt Nigel Martin from cornwall

[bighairydave]

I think Redruth School have a "bias" towards rugby probably because Redruth RFC are willing to give the school money to develop the kids and maybe get some first team players out of it. Look at their side now. A vast majority of the players have come from their Colts section. Also what sort of club is around Cornwall which can ploy money into schools to get players playing good quality National League Football (eg League 1/2 etc)?