WESTERN PREMIER Helston AFC 4 Saltash United 0

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Created on Sunday, 07 April 2024 13:04

Last Updated on Monday, 08 April 2024 14:41

Published on Sunday, 07 April 2024 13:04

Written by KEVIN MARRIOTT at KJM Sports

Helston maintained their three point lead over neighbours Falmouth at the Western League summit with a comfortable victory over manager Matt Cusack’s former club.

With six games to go, Helston are top on 69 points and a superior goal difference of 20; Falmouth have 66 points.

The sides are due to face each other on Thursday April 18 at Kellaway Park - a date for your diaries.

There were no signs of nerves from Helston on Saturday as they swept aside the struggling Ashes, whose manager Macca Brown must be sick of the sight of two of his former Millbrook players.

Midfield maestro Tom Payne helped himself to two goals, while striker Rikki Shepherd got his obligatory goal against Saltash, with Jacob Smith adding the other.

Brown said: “The score is a fair reflection I think, we were nowhere near it and Helston were impressive, so it was one-way traffic to be honest from the word go which was really disappointing.

“In the team talk we talked about how it was important to make it uncomfortable for them as the pressure was there, and not to give them a ‘gimme’, but that’s exactly how it turned out in the end.

“In the first half we defended well, we were well organised and frustrated them but it certainly wasn’t the game plan to be so deep and spend most of the first 45 minutes in a low block, the game settled into that for a number of reasons.

“Firstly, Helston showed good patience and weren’t wasteful at all so were able to keep the ball for long spells, and when we won the ball back our quality or decision making was really poor, so we kept handing back the ball to Helston and that was our biggest issue.

“We are normally really dangerous on the counter attack, but that wasn’t really the case and we just couldn’t get that first pass out with any quality to have a spell of possession ourselves.

“In hindsight I think we possibly set up in the wrong shape, it has served us well in recent games but Helston are a different proposition and they outnumbered us centrally and that allowed them to dominate more than we would have liked.

“We did eventually change it but we probably should have altered things much sooner as by then it was too late.

“However, we were calm at half time, because despite wanting more with the ball we were doing a reasonable job, we demanded more quality in possession in the second period and unfortunately it just didn’t come.

“When it goes 2-0 it’s a challenge but we knew a goal could change things. At that point we tweaked things slightly and then started to look a lot more dangerous, creating some good openings and causing their back four some problems.

“But one thing we’ve unfortunately been very good at this season is handing teams goals on a plate, and that’s what we did for the final two which made the scoreline really frustrating.

“We were caught in possession and we were then punished to make it 3-0, and then similarly for the fourth when we had to give away a foul after poor play.

“But full credit to Helston, when the game is on 3G you never know how it’ll go when you play on it in a one-off for both teams.

“I did think it would help us but that was also true for Helston who were flawless in possession really, and the league table tells you they’re a better team than us.

“We’ve played them three times this season and the two of them in the league played out in a very similar manner which I’m really disappointed with.

“The cup game sandwiched between them was more like it and every game should look like that from our perspective, but sometimes you also have to give credit to them and they were too good for us yesterday.”

Helston boss Cusack said: “Saturday was a clash of two different projects. Ours being an experienced team pushing for a title and Saltash nurturing further experience at this level for a younger squad.

“In terms of the game, Saltash sat behind the ball and looked to make it difficult for us to break them them down. As always with these types of game plans, they work for as long they achieve that goal.

“Our pressure told midway through the first half where we got in behind their backline and Kai Cornish squared for Rikki Shephard to tap in.

“At half-time we challenged the team to go and produce a 90-minute performance, something we have been guilty of not doing in recent games. The players duly delivered, scoring three more times second half through Tom Payne and Jake Smith.

“Saltash offered flashes of what they can produce and we could see why they have taken seven from nine points in previous games. For us we were expecting a response from our disappointing defeat in the Les Phillips semi-final on Monday.

“For us it keeps us on track as we aspire to secure the league title. To do that we are going to have to dig really deep as we are being made to play four games in seven days - three against top seven teams.

“An odd decision given we have a blank week this coming week. We have been told that it is in the interests of sporting integrity, to ensure both teams vying for the title have the same workload with four games in seven days.

“It is what it is though and if this is what we have to do then we will prepare for that.

“We are really proud of the players and we secured our 69th point of the season, the most the club has ever secured at this level.

“To do that scoring four goals and keeping a clean sheet gives us great confidence going into the Wellington game next week which now becomes our focus.“

The Cornish derby was switched to Devon FA's all-weather pitch at Coach Road, Newton Abbot, because Helston’s Kellaway Park was waterlogged.

Helston: K Moore, D Barker (T Elliott 78), C Martindale, A Bentley, O’Brien, S Colwell, T Payne (Eastman 74), J Smith, J Copp (S Carter 67), R Shepherd, K Cornish.

Subs not used: Jewell, J Bentley.

Goals: T Payne 2 (53 & 73), R Shepherd (33), J Smith (71).

Saltash: J Duffey, B Goulty, E Wright, E Goodman (J Kelsey 77), T Badcott, L Murray, T Love-Holmes, B Fowles, J Curtis (T Huyton 65), J Toulson (N Salop 85), J Preece.

Subs not used: J Jefford, F Tolcher.

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