WESTERN PREMIER Saltash Utd 0 Helston Athletic 4
- Details
- Created on Wednesday, 02 August 2023 08:20
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 August 2023 21:52
- Published on Wednesday, 02 August 2023 08:20
- Written by KEVIN MARRIOTT Cornwall football's touchline ace
Callum O’Brien, who was playing for the Ashes last season, headed Helston into an 11th minute lead from a corner and former Millbrook striker Rikki Shepherd doubled the lead after 23 minutes.
Curtis Damerell, who joined Helston in the summer from Torpoint, made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute after Shepherd was barged over.
And Shepherd illustrated his poaching prowess by pouncing on a defensive mistake to complete the scoring 10 minutes from the end of normal time.
All of which left Ashes boss Macca Brown fuming with his team.
He said: “It’s an embarrassing one, simple as that. First home game of the season in front of 250 supporters, an opportunity to show them what we are capable of and we performed like that.
“The result looks bad but it’s the performance that was most concerning.
“I have to say I changed a few things from Saturday, personnel and shape, and it didn’t come off whatsoever so I hold my hands up there and say I got it wrong, but still I think the goals we conceded had nothing to do with tactics and shape and that’s where the players have to accept responsibility too.
“The game was a gift to Helston. A few said to me they may have been riled after they threw away a lead on Saturday, but to be honest they didn’t need to be because we presented them with four goals and three points.
“The goals themselves were scandalous, a free header from a corner, then a similar pattern just from open play, a penalty conceded 10 seconds after we had taken a free kick in their half, and then an individual error for the fourth, you have absolutely no chance conceding goals like that.
“We had actually defended three or four corners really well up to the first goal, given we know it’s a threat for Helston, but then we give them a freebie where someone has switched off and it’s 1-0.
“There was a lack of intensity and effort without the ball and composure and quality with it.
“You can’t always play well, but how many times do you hear about ‘earning the right’ in football before you even think about quality, the intensity and effort without the ball should be a given, and generally speaking with teams that I put on a pitch it is but only a couple of players showed it last night.
“Helston had it in abundance and credit to them, because in the years that I’ve faced them they’ve not always been like that, but in the last 12 months they’ve been better at that side of the game each time we’ve played them and as a manager that’s exactly what you want to hear about your team, so Matt will be pleased.
“You can only let yourselves down by not doing it and that’s exactly what we did.
“I don’t think there was huge quality in the game but they did the basics very well, and we didn’t. There isn’t much else to say, it’s a shame but we have to move on.
“Two defeats from the opening two games isn’t great but we must forget about the sequence as they are two stand alone results that can happen and it’s magnified because they’re only four days apart.
“There’s no hiding places and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we have Barnstaple in the FA Cup on Saturday and we have to be ready.
“It has to be better than that.”
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