JAMIE Thirkle scored a last-minute winner as Helston Athletic got their 2018/19 SWPL Premier campaign off to the perfect start at home to Sticker on Friday.

Scott Beattie gave the hosts the lead after just five minutes, but Tyler Cheshire levelled for the visitors before half-time. It looked as if it would be honours even until Thirkle struck for the Blues in injury-time.

Helston started in superb fashion with Beattie rising to head Tyler Oliver's cross past Sticker goalkeeper Jamie Blatchford inside five minutes.

Sticker responded well with Cheshire coming close with an attempted lob over Helston's Barrie Wyatt, before Callum Kenny shot straight at the keeper soon after.

But they were level on the half-hour mark when Cheshire worked some space around the box and squeezed a shot into the bottom corner.

Cheshire came close to giving his side the lead just before half-time, with Wyatt parrying his effort to the feet of Andrew Butler six yards out, but the Sticker man could not keep his shot down.

Helston edged even closer to regaining the lead on 53 minutes, with Louis Roberts' cross reaching Kyle Marks who almost managed to round Blatchford, but the keeper recovered to parry the shot for a corner.

Sticker countered from the subsequent corner and Ben Rosevear was given the chance to shoot, but his effort was straight at Wyatt.

Oliver was next to test Blatchford with an effort from 25 yards, and it looked set to caress the back of the net but for a superb diving save from the visiting keeper.

The evenly-matched nature of the game continued with Joel Cockings almost scoring seconds after coming on. He raced through on goal but Wyatt was out quickly to block, with Cheshire putting the rebound wide.

Cockings' fellow sub Ryan Jarvis' first act was to send Wyatt flying to brilliantly tip his 20-yard curled effort over his crossbar a few minutes later.

Oliver fashioned another opportunity for himself 13 minutes from time, knocking the ball over one defender before hammering a shot inches over the bar from close range.

With time ticking away it seemed as if both sides would have to settle for a point, until a cross into the Sticker box found its way to Thirkle, who volleyed the ball into the middle of the goal to plunder all three for the hosts.

Helston: B Wyatt, K Davies (c), T Cooke, R Beattie, H Jewell, T Oliver, K Marks, L Roberts, S Beattie, P Cattran, R Holland. Subs: K Cornish, J Thirkle, L Tonkin, H Howlett, S Thomas.

Sticker: J Blatchford, J Walker, A Solomon, A Avery, M Rowles-Jane (c), F McAvoy, B Rosevear, A Butler, T Cheshire, C Kenny, J Hooper. Subs: M Boynton, J Cockings, R Jarvis, B Smith, S Began.