FALMOUTH Town achieved the expected win against Welton Rovers to keep their promotion hopes alive and also keep the pressure on their local rivals Helston Athletic in the race for this year’s league title, writes Scott McCormack. 

Falmouth welcomed back their strike pair of Oscar Massey and Rubin Wilson, having been cup-tied from the previous FA Vase game. Wilson replacing Luke Brabyn and Oscar Massey replacing Ollie Walker who was unavailable for this game. In fact Massey started in an unfamiliar position wide on the left in Walker’s absence. Alex Wharton was unavailable also as he starts a new job in the London Area.

The pattern of the game was set right from the start as Falmouth’s possession football meant that the visitors could make very little impact on the game at all. On a still heavy pitch, Falmouth’s passing and movement was excellent as they mounted wave after wave of attacks. On five minutes, Falmouth made a break down the right and Luke Barner found Oscar Massey beyond the far post. 

With the angle too fine for a shot, he expertly shifted the ball to his right foot and unleashed a powerful shot which the keeper saved well low to his right. Seven minutes later and from a very similar move Oscar Massey opened the scoring.  Again, a cross from the right from Barner found Massey but this time he was able to create a better angle and lashed the ball high into the net with a fierce shot that the keeper could do nothing about.

Falmouth increased their lead in the seventeenth minute when Rubin Wilson latched on to a ball over the top of the Welton Rovers defence. He looked up to see that the visiting keeper had left his line to try to close him down and expertly lobbed the ball out of the keeper’s reach and into the empty net.  A real goal-scorers finish.  It was his first goal in front of the Packet End, and he celebrated with a “Rappo-style” tour of the area behind the goal as he high-fived the sea of out-stretched hands that awaited him.

Cam Hutchinson playing in the No. 10 role was having a great game running at the defence and starting to get some shots in, a couple of which the keeper did well to save. In the 29th minute, after another period of Falmouth pressure, it was Hutchinson who added a 3rd goal. The ball broke to him just inside the area and he hit a powerful half-volley leaving the keeper with no chance.

Falmouth added another goal of quality after 43 minutes.  The ball was played down the left into Massey’s feet with Bradley Leivers having made a run beyond him.  With a deft flick, Massey found Leivers who hit a deep cross to Barner about 15 yards out. Barner made no mistake with the finish, and it was 4-0 to Falmouth.

Coming out for the second half with such a commanding lead, it seemed like the priority was to get through the rest of the game injury-free and not pick up any unnecessary bookings, given the busy schedule over the next two weeks with three league games culminating in the massive FA Vase tie in Jersey on 10th February. With this in mind Falmouth started to make substitutions with Leivers being replaced by Max Everall on 52 minutes, Tom Fisher replacing Tom Annear, Jack Webber for Cam Hutchinson, Luke Brabyn for Luke Barner and James Swan for Jared Sims, all within a period of 19 minutes. 

 

It was during these changes that Town added to their lead with another quality finish from Luke Barner. Hutchinson picked the ball up halfway inside the Welton Rovers half and placed a perfectly weighted forward pass into the path of Luke Barner, just inside the area, who hit an unstoppable shot high into the net again giving the keeper no chance.

As Falmouth’s intensity lessened a little, Welton had their best period of the game with their captain Louie Gurner looking strong in the midfield and their young No.11 Mason Aldon showing good pace and trickery as he ran at the home defence.  However, Falmouth eventually added to their lead with their final goal and Oscar Masseys second of the game.  Some good work in the midfield from Tom Fisher lead to him finding Oscar Massey in the right-hand side of the area and he unleashed what is becoming his trade-mark powerful finish again high into the net, to make it 6-0 and cap off another convincing performance from Falmouth.

Town make the relatively short trip to Blaise Park on Wednesday night as they take on an in-form St Blazey side who dropped their first points of 2024 in a close game against Ilfracombe. Town then host Brixham next Saturday before another home midweek league game against Milbrook on February 6. 

All games they will need to win if they are to keep the pressure on Helston Athletic.  Once these games have been completed it will be time for some overseas action, as Town travel to the Channel Islands for their much-anticipated FA Vase tie with Jersey Bulls on Saturday, 10th February.