FALMOUTH Town manager Andrew Westgarth hailed the quality of his side's four goals in their 4-1 win at home to St Dennis on Saturday, as Town signed off from their Bickland Park home for 2019 with a routine victory in the South West Peninsula League Premier West.

David Broglino and Sam Pickup gave Westgarth's side a two-goal lead at the break, with Joe Cooper extending the lead before Jacob Rowe's late penalty gave the Saints a sniff.

They were promptly reduced to ten men when Martin Sleeman picked up a second yellow, with Martyn Duff completing the scoring for the hosts in the 90th minute.

"It was like the Callington game last week, the chances we missed were borderline embarrassing really and the goals we did score were brilliant," Westgarth said. "Sometimes on a heavy pitch when you're missing chances you need a bit of quality, and Broggy [Broglino] hit one that was absolute postage stamp. Coops' [Cooper] header was brilliant and Duffy's [Duff] little caress was lovely as well, and young Sammy Pickup, who I thought was outstanding today, scored at a really key time."

Matt Buchan was responsible for several of the hosts' missed chances as Town dominated for the entirety of the game, with the striker, who has scored 12 goals this season, unable to find a way past in-form goalkeeper James Hunkin, with the one time he did beat the 'keeper being ruled out for offside.

"Poor old Bucks [Buchan], I think he must have broken a mirror," Westgarth said. "He's had an open goal, he's had a header, left foot, right foot, one disallowed, nothing's fallen for him at the moment. He himself could have had six, but it goes like that sometimes."

Town saw their hopes of keeping their fifth clean sheet of the season were dashed by a contentious penalty decision in the 83rd minute. Scott Kellow, making his first appearance at Bickland Park in his second spell with the club, appeared to have made a fair tackle on a St Dennis man in the box according to referee Mark Hosking, but he, after consulting with his linesman, eventually awarded the kick, with Rowe beating Town 'keeper Steve Parker-Billinge from the spot.

"If I'm being totally honest I'm bitterly disappointed about it," Westgarth said, "because everyone in the ground, their players and our players were miffed by how he's given it.

"I don't want to go on about it but we want clean sheets and for a striker to get a goal it's just as important for the back four or Steve to get a clean sheet, so I'm really disappointed for them and baffled how the referee never made the decision and why he's consulted his linesman on it, but it's history now."

The game was Falmouth's final home game until Saturday, December 18, when they welcome either Stoke Gabriel or Torridgeside to Bickland Park for their Walter C Parson League Cup third round tie.

Town will face five away games on the trot before then, visiting Mousehole and Wendron in the league in the next two weeks, before Dobwalls, Penzance and Helston Athletic in the first half of January.

Westgarth's side will also face their latest ties in each of the Cornwall Senior Cup and Cornwall Charity Cup in addition to that League Cup game, so he was happy to be picking up league points while they can.

"We've got so many cup games, going into January it's cup, cup, cup, so it's important we get the league form right because that's your bread and butter and that brings the consistency on to the cups and gives you the confidence," he said.

"If we can finish 2019 on a high with Boxing Day [against Wendron] and Mousehole's going to be a tough game. Two big games to finish the year on, the F-Troop are bringing buses down to Mousehole and bringing a bus down to Wendron, supporting a great cause for Kev [Williamson, former Wendron chairman], it could be a special end to the year."