When is the season really over?
31st May, the official date? Perhaps by mid-March.
No it may surprise you that for last season most teams could
have packed up playing by the end of October!
The proof (and you can check back to other seasons as well),
is that a team's league position at the end of the season
can be almost be worked out from where they sit in the table
by 31st October. Barring only a couple of exceptions most
clubs finish within a couple of places of their 31st October
positioning. Only a couple of teams jumped more than two
places and teams with flood lights fell away at the end of
the season as they tended to play more games at the start of
the season than others.
Here are the list of teams in the combo last season, their
league position on 31st October and their final league
position. Check it out yourselves.
I've highlighted in red teams that stayed in the exact same
place. In blue teams that were within 2 places up or down on
their 31st October position.
15 of the 20 teams never moved more than 2 9 places up or
down for 31st October to 31st May.
Falmouth 4-4
Hayle 16-16
Helston 3-5
Holmans 19-17
Illogan 2-1
Ludgvan 17-19
Mullion 14-13
Newquay 5-10
Penryn 1-2
Penzance 7-11
Perranwell 8-3
Porthleven 13-16
Portreath 20-20
Culdrose 12-12
St Agnes 10-8
St Day 6-7
St Ives 15-14
St Just 11-6
Troon 9-9
Wendron 18-18
Why is this info perhaps useful. If you are spending money
on players and are mid-table come 1st November, spending
more might not give you a higher final league position.
Perhaps someone fancies a bet and after looking at this
seasons table on 31st October could place one on where
certain teams will finish come the end of the year.
Perhaps it will make teams fight harder for points to prove
me wrong!
Rob Warne Off To Torquay
A PENRYN footballer will be realising a boyhood dream this
summer when he will be pulling on his boots for a
professional football club.
Pool School student Rob
Wearne, 16, returns to Torquay United
next month after signing a two-year contract with the League
Two club.
The striker has enjoyed a prolific scoring record for
United's U16s side, and that has prompted the Gulls to offer
Wearne a full-time deal at Plainmoor.
The teenager, from Four Lanes, who scored 28 goals for
Penryn's second team this season, was spotted by United
scouts playing for Cornwall Schools U16s and invited to
train with the club in November.
And after making a huge impact for United's junior side,
playing against the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Charlton and
Bournemouth, he will be hoping to catch the eye when he
plays for Torquay's U18s next season.
Rob's father, Steve,
said: "Obviously we're all over the moon for Robert, this is
something he's always dreamed of.
"He's doing really well, the coaches at Torquay are really
pleased with him and to be offered a two-year contract is
just unbelievable.
"Penryn have been really supportive too and I'd like to
thank them for everything they've done for Robert this
season."
Wearne becomes the latest Cornish youngster to attract
interest from professional football clubs, further enhancing
the county's growing reputation for nurturing young talent.
Bodmin youngster Saul
Halpin landed
a professional contract with Torquay in November, while
Cornwall's County Youth squad have just completed a hugely
successful season, where they retained the South and West
Counties Championship. In March it was confirmed that
Torquay United were expanding their youth recruitment
operation by setting up their first development centre in
Cornwall, based at Truro
College.
The Gulls' youth department is looking to have four
development centres set up in the south west to give them
the best possible chance of finding promising youngsters.
Ludgvan On The Lookout
LUDGVAN Football Club are
looking for a new manager to take over in charge of their Jolly's Combination
Leagueside next season, writes Peter
Heyman.
The Hurlers have been struggling in recent years but were
showing signs of improvement last season under manager Richard
Luff until
he was forced to resign when his job with the Fire
Service was
relocated to Taunton.
The improvement continued under caretaker manager Anthony
Hosking, with the club finishing the season
second from bottom of the table. They thus avoided
relegation, with bottom club Portreath going down and
Pendeen replacing them for the 2010-11 season.
But the Fairfield club are now seeking a permanent manager
to revive their fortunes and steer them to a safer position
in the league table. New players would also be welcome to
join one of the friendliest clubs in the league with their
excellent facilities at the Community Centre.
Applications for the post should be made in writing to
Ludgvan Football Club, Ludgvan
Community Centre, Fairfield, Ludgvan, Cornwall
TR20 8ES, or by calling club secretary Sue
Rowe on
01736 740042. The closing date for applications is Sunday,
June 20.
PENDEEN RETURN
AFTER a 12-year absence Combination
League football
will return to Borlase Park next season and Pendeen Rovers
manager Andre
Peters can't
wait.
Peters was in charge when Rovers failed to gain re-election
to senior level football after finishing bottom of the table
in 1998.
But following his return to the club, these are exciting
times for Rovers, who completed a league and cup double at
Helston's Kellaway Parc on Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory
over St Agnes in the Percy Stephens Cup final. That followed
their Falmouth/Helston League Division One title win, which
was confirmed last Friday following Perranwell's 4-3 win
against rivals St Agnes.
Only a penalty shoot out defeat against Falmouth
Town thirds
in the Lockhart Cup final denied Rovers the treble.
And now, Peters will set about the task of ensuring Rovers'
time in the Combination League is a far happier one. In 1997
they finished second bottom, before dropping out of senior
football a year later.
But as Peters begins planning for next season's return to
senior football, he will be hoping to emulate the success of
the late eighties and early nineties when they achieved four
consecutive top six finishes between 1989-90 (6th); 1990-91
(4th); 1991-92 (6th) and 1992-93 (5th).
The Rovers boss admits he has a tough task on his hands, but
he has every faith that his young squad will equip
themselves well next season.
He said: "We have a very young squad, with an average age of
23, but they have been excellent.
"We could do with a bit of experience in there too and there
are senior players who want to come and play for us.
"It's a big challenge, it's going to take a lot of hard
work, but I'm confident the boys can make the step up.
"It's still very much a learning process for many of the
players, but if we can consolidate our place for the next
couple of seasons then things will be looking very good for
the club."
Rovers clinched the double on Tuesday night when goals from
Tristan Arthur, Wade
Brown and
Glen Carew ensured victory in the Percy Stephens Cup.
Peters said: "It's been a fantastic season and I am
delighted for the lads."
