SWPL WEST Football back with Cornish crackers
- Details
- Created on Friday, 04 December 2020 13:35
- Last Updated on Saturday, 05 December 2020 12:11
- Published on Friday, 04 December 2020 13:35
- Written by KEVIN MARRIOTT Cornwall football's touchline ace
I don’t know about you but I was at Blaise Park watching an all-SWPL FA Vase tie between St Blazey and Helston Athletic.
It was an enthralling contest, settled in the end by a penalty shootout which Helston edged.
And Blaise Park will be the stage for one of the matches of the day when the Premier West season restarts on Saturday.
The visitors this time are Saltash United, who have their eyes firmly on a title challenge after making an excellent start to the campaign under new manager Dane Bunney.
The Ashes are the only team to have beaten leaders Mousehole so far - and at Trungle Parc - and it could be argued that they have looked stronger on their travels than at Kimberley Stadium.
During lockdown, Saltash strengthened their squad by signing former St Austell favourite Neil Slateford from Helston and it will be interesting to see if he features on Saturday.
St Blazey are well down the league table but that has more to do with them playing only seven league games so far, and the Ashes are unlikely to underestimate them.
Blazey have become a difficult team to beat on their own pitch and have a potent goal threat from Dan Perryman and Jack Alexander.
They can be prone to lapses at the back but in the main their work rate, demanded by joint managers Shaun Vincent and Matt Hayden, means opponents are usually in for a hard shift.
Elsewhere on Saturday, another attractive fixture sees Bodmin Town taking on Liskeard Athletic at Priory Park.
Darren Gilbert is hoping the enforced break will have allowed his squad’s injury problems to have eased.
Having recruited some experienced campaigners during the summer, Bodmin were fancied to make a strong start but they have been disrupted by unavailability.
Ironically their most complete performance so far came in their last game before lockdown, a 2-0 victory at Wadebridge courtesy of two goals by former Bridgers star Dan Jennings.
Wadebridge had been in excellent form with a win at Liskeard followed by a draw at Mousehole, but Bodmin started strongly and were never in danger of losing.
It is five weeks since Liskeard played and they will probably have been grateful for a breather after a disappointing and unsettling 3-1 defeat at St Austell.
The Blues have thrived on a togetherness of players and officials but a public falling out between their three coaches over a misunderstanding about the substitution of star striker James Lorenz was concerning.
Hopefully time has been a healer and the Blues can concentrate fully on their performance.
They are widely regarded as one of the best footballing teams in the league and when things come together for them they are a match for anyone - as they proved on the opening night of the season when deservedly beating Bodmin 3-1.
To complete a double over Bodmin would be another feather in their caps.
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