Elburton Villa 1, Falmouth Town 0

FALMOUTH Town’s travel woes continued as they slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Elburton Villa’s Haye Road on Saturday.

Town were lively early on but were unlucky to come up against some dogged defending, with Robbie Mann’s scrambled goal early in the second half proving to be the winner.  

Town have failed to win any of their last seven away games in the South West Peninsula League Premier, with their last triumph coming on October 24 at Bodmin Town. Since that game they have drawn three and lost four on the road.

Falmouth struggled with their hosts’ strong approach to the game, with Tim Nixon the first of six Town players to be shown a yellow card in the game when he reacted angrily to a free-kick award against him after failing to win one in a similar situation earlier on.

The visitors were threatening from early on in the match and forced home goalkeeper Jack Dixon into a couple of saves inside the first ten minutes, making a routine catch from Nixon and saving David Broglino’s effort at the foot of his post.

The hosts came close to opening the scoring in the 20th minute when a cross into the box found the lurking Kirk Smith, who fired a shot just past Ryan Barnes’ post.

Luke Johnson, who enjoyed a solid game for Town, tested Dixon soon after with a shot from just inside the box, which the ‘keeper was able to gather.

Luke Brabyn was the next Falmouth man to be thwarted ten minutes before the break, with his shot striking a defender and returning for him, only for the follow-up to be blocked as well.

Town had yet another attempt blocked just before half-time when Broglino’s free-kick took a deflection off the wall to Johnson, whose shot was turned away for a corner.

The big moment in the game arrived ten minutes into the second half, with Elburton countering from a Falmouth corner and winning one of their own as a result. The delivery into the box sparked a goalmouth scramble with two shots being cleared off the line, but referee Stacey Ford ruled that Mann’s second shot had crept over.

Martyn Duff could have got the visitors back on terms immediately but his shot was the latest to be blocked, with chances looking few and far between for Town as the second half wore on.

Broglino saw his shot on the turn tipped over by Dixon as time ticked away, before manager Andrew Westgarth, on for the injured Rob Wearne, passed up a big chance to score a late leveller after running clear of the defence, with his shot going out for a corner.

Falmouth: R Barnes, D Blizzard, J Webber, M Duff, J Cooper, J Ward, L Johnson, D Broglino, M Buchan (R Wearne 41; A Westgarth 70), L Brabyn, T Nixon. Subs (unused): O Moody, R Martt, C Davis.