Falmouth Town 3, Helston Athletic 2

DAVID Blizzard scored the winning goal as Falmouth Town began their defence of their Walter C Parson League Cup with a come-from-behind victory at home to Helston Athletic on Friday night.

Phil Cattran put the Blues in front early on before captain Hugh Howlett was shown a straight red, but Cattran added a second shortly after to throw Town’s title defence into disarray.

But David Broglino hit back with two goals to level the scores at the break, before Blizzard finally found the winner with just over ten minutes of the 90 remaining.

Cattran gave Helston the lead on 23 minutes when Ryan Barnes produced a flying stop to tip Jamie Thirkle’s cross away from goal, but only into the path of the Blues striker who fired into the corner.

The potentially match-defining moment came just after the half-hour mark when Helston skipper Howlett was given his marching orders for a two-footed challenge on Tim Nixon.

But the Blues responded brilliantly to double their lead just 20 seconds after play restarted, with Helston countering through Charlie Young before Tyler Cheshire set up Cattran to round Barnes and slot into the empty net.

Sensing that their League Cup crown may be slipping, Town stepped things up and hit back three minutes before half-time with Broglino thundering the ball into the top corner from outside the box.

Falmouth Packet:

David Blizzard also scored the winner in Town's 2-1 FA Vase second preliminary round win at home to Clevedon Town in September

There was still time for Town to level before the break as Broglino grabbed another, finishing off a one-two with Jordan Annear by guiding the ball into the bottom corner from ten yards.

The extra man was beginning to take its toll on Helston as the hosts took the game to them in the second half, with Annear, Jack Bowyer and Luke Brabyn all being thwarted by Blues ‘keeper Barrie Wyatt.

The visitors’ second-half resistance was finally broken in the 79th minute when right-back Blizzard ghosted past everyone and popped up in the box to prod home Brabyn’s diagonal cross from six yards.

Falmouth: R Barnes, D Blizzard, O Moody, M Duff, J Cooper, J Ward, L Brabyn, D Broglino, M Buchan (J Bowyer 11), J Annear, T Nixon (R Martt 83). Subs (unused): S Pickup, J McIlroy, A Westgarth.

Helston: B Wyatt, H Jewell, G Roberts, R Chinn, H Howlett, J Cooper, L Tonkin, C Young (A Williams 65), T Cheshire (L Roberts 52), P Cattran, J Thirkle (S Beattie 79). Subs (unused): K Daughtery, J Flamank.

  • Both sides are back in action in midweek, with Helston visiting Ivybridge Town on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.30pm) before Falmouth travel to Bodmin Town on Wednesday night (kick-off 7.30pm).