Match Report: Falmouth Town 2 v 3 Wadebridge Town

What a difference a week can make in football!  A famous day for the Club winning away at Falmouth for the 2nd season on the trot and winning it with only 9 men at the end!  Enjoy our match report, match highlights and loads of photos.

The Gaffer’s Summary

“A great win, where the lads answered many of the questions I posed them after last Saturdays disappointment. The task now, is to consistently repeat this level of performance.”

Match Highlights

Match Report

Match report courtesy of Matt Friday (PacketMatt) from the Falmouth Packet:

Seven days is a long old time in football, and Falmouth Town found that out at their peril on Saturday.

After an uplifting six-goal victory in their first game of the season at Callington, Town fell flat on their faces on Saturday with a 3-2 defeat at home to a Wadebridge Town side that played the final 25 minutes with nine men.

The Bridgers edged a lacklustre first half that ended goalless, but a super strike from Matt Lloyd and a Kyle Flew penalty within five minutes of each other made it 2-0 after 56 minutes.

Tom Strike saw red on the hour, but David Broglino missed the resulting penalty, only for Tom Crowe to give Town renewed hope when he also departed on 72 minutes.

Broglino atoned for his earlier miss to halve the deficit, but Kieran Rowe made sure of the win in injury time despite Luke Brabyn’s late, late strike.

Town’s supporters, perhaps still riding high from last week’s emphatic opening win, marked the return of crowds to Bickland Park with the release of yellow balloons before kick-off.

But the energy and enthusiasm on the sidelines could not be replicated on the pitch as Town struggled to get going, with Jacob Smale forcing a save out of Ryan Barnes before Rowe struck the bar with a fierce effort.

That woke Town up somewhat and Rob Rosevear had to be alert to tip Brabyn’s effort away from the bottom corner before clawing away Joe Cooper’s header.

But the Bridgers were looking more likely to score the opener, with Barnes doing brilliantly to deny Lloyd from point-blank range after tipping a looping header over his crossbar.

But Paul Rowe’s side were ahead in some style six minutes into the second half, with Lloyd firing a superb strike past Barnes from a tough angle on the left-side of the box.

Town looked to hit back immediately with Ryan Martt heading wide seconds later, but it was 2-0 only a few minutes later after Barnes brought down a Wadebridge man inside the box, with Flew sending the keeper the wrong way from the spot.

The hosts were handed a route back into the game when Strike got his arm on a cross, with that infringement earning him a straight red card, but the normally reliable penalty-taker Broglino saw his tame effort saved by Rosevear.

Smale tried to put the game out of sight but saw one effort saved by Barnes before Tom Annear blocked another, before Crowe’s late foul on Annear earned him a second yellow card on 72 minutes.

That set up a very interesting final 20 minutes as a Town side known for their late comebacks found themselves two goals down but two men up.

Spurred on by the F-Troop, they pulled one back with ten minutes to play as Brabyn’s cross was expertly headed home by Broglino from eight yards.

Town threw everything at the visitors but could not find a way past Rosevear again, with Martt, Brabyn and Broglino all firing wide before the latter saw another effort saved by the keeper.

But the nine men stood firm and secured victory in the third minute of added time, as youngster Rowe profited from gaps in Town’s defence to race through and slow through Barnes’ legs.

But Town were not giving up and pulled a goal back almost instantly as a shot fell kindly for Brabyn to sweep into the corner from close range.

Town came forward again as they sensed what would have been a scarcely believable equaliser, and the F-Troop’s eyes collectively lit up when Barner found space in the box, but his effort flew wide of the mark in what would be Town’s last chance.

Falmouth Town: R Barnes, S Kellow, O Moody (J Bowyer 62), R Martt, J Cooper, T Annear, L Barner, M Duff (K Davies 56), L Brabyn, D Broglino, T Walter (T Nixon 56). Subs (unused): S Pickup, T Clark.

Wadebridge Town: R Rosevear, T Crowe, C Bertrand, T Strike, D Metherell, B Williams, J Smale, R Beare, K Flew, K Rowe, M Lloyd. Subs: J Penhallurick, S Wickins, R Yeoman, L Webber, J Mackenzie.

FT: Falmouth Town 2-3 Bridgers

MOM: Kieran Rowe

Match Photos