Ian Pethick

I'm thinking of your wellbeing, eating at football matches doesn't agree with you. Now, where's that bag of liquorice?

Food and drink is a better earner than gate money for most clubs. Think about it, £1.50 for a wholesale pasty (for example), sell one (or even two) to a hungry punter for £3.00. 100% profit on the mark up. Everybody's happy.

With Rocky Neale, Levi Landricombe and Michael Landricombe, Nick Hurst, Harry Evans and now Jordan Annear joining Tiverton Town from Peninsula League clubs in recent seasons, it seems to have become a decent hunting ground for Martyn Rogers. What other players from this league players do the folk on here think would merit a look?

Brings me back to my original point. Regardless of where/whom the playing budget was coming from, Darren Gilbert has done an incredible job keeping the club at that level, and also attracting the calibre of players that he has had. There were other clubs shelling out the same levels of "expenses", but not achieving nearly as much.

Bodmin being contenders and regular winners for so long is testament to the efforts and single mindednrss of Darren Gilbert. Unlike teams such as Parkway, Falmouth and St Austell they run on very low crowds, few committee members and volunteers and very little in the way of off the field commercial activities. Darren has continually worked miracles keeping them whrer they are.

Had the pleasure of attending the Conifa final at Enfield.,great atmosphere for the final with around 2,000 attending. Admittedly it was London where there are supporter bases for all the 16 teams, ( living in a Turkish area I know the locals got right behind the Northern Cyprus team) but I still feel it would be a great (and lucratuve) thing for Cornwall to host. Not going to happen though.

Good to hear. Carter will always score goals, but there were always question marks about how much he contributes to the general play. Do you think the Parkway style of play will change without Hobbs, possibly more balsnced with others stepping up? Would Mikey Williams be the main man now?

Posted something about this on the non-Cornwall section back in June. Real shame about CCFA stance, not sure aboutany FA and FIFA ramifications, but what a showpiece occasion it could be if hosted in Cornwall. Could avoid any affiliation issues by fielding a Cornwall side featuring recently retired and non registered players. Could think of a few likely names.

Mike Howard (Ashes then chairman) what a guy he was (not sure if he is still with us). After losing to Liskeard in a Senior Cup semi-final in nineties at Priory Park (again, can't remember year), he went on to pitch at the end and offered all the Blues players to see him behind the stand.

How's Adam Carter looking fitness and mobility wise?

I remember a Senior Cup Final back in the Eighties (exact year fails me) between Liskeard and Saltash at Mount Wise. Nigel Menhenick and Terry Pooley flattened Steve Nute when he went to claim the ball from a corner, Steve got up bloodied, bruised, but holding the ball. Got a bit feisty in the corridor between the changing rooms at half time, and also a few "earnest opinions and gestures" in the crowd. Happy days.

Glyn Hobbs up against Nigel Menhenick. That would have been worth watching.

Interesting that people on here are not predicting a Bodmin challenge. Have seen very little on new arrivals at Priory Park over the summer, has Darren Gilbert been on a rebuilding job? Can't see him being happy with another also ran season.

Was interested to read that Tavistock are aiming for a top four finish in order to secure promotion to the Western League, and also have a longer term plan to aim for the Southern League. Read piece in Herald last season in which manager Stuart Henderson outlined reasons why they couldn't look to gain promotion, these being expense and players being unable to commit to the travelling. Was interested in what is behind this change of strategy.

Problem that is not exclusive to football. For example, my home town of Liskeard (where my parents and brother still live), used to be able to field three rugby fifteens on a Saturday, now they struggle to get one side out, and the cricket club is on the brink of folding all together due to a lack of numbers. Perfect storm of reasons including people now having to work Saturdays, their partner having to work so creating childcare responsibilities on weekends, people getting fed up with the poor facilities on offer (the changing rooms and pitches are continually getting worse on local authority park pitches)greater options of activities in their free time, the sheer expense of the travel and kit required for those playing for clubs that don't pay "expenses"and (a large factor) around 50% of young people moving away from the area to go to university and many never returning. I suspect this last reason has decimated the available numbers in rural areas.

You make the trip Bald One?

Gazza should have been a global superstar in the nineties. The reasons why he wasn't, were also contributors to his genius I guess .Grown man who was a small boy at heart, played and lived for the moment completely off the cuff without a thought for the consequences. Hope Gazza is in a good place mentally and physically on the night, would hate this to be a ghoulish freak show.

Certainly loads of goals in the Tavi team, will be interesting to see how they fit Hobbs into the line up and formation. Lambs must be early favourites for the league.

Extra brown envelopes needed.

Hearing rumours that Glyn Hobbs has signed for Tavistock, with Adam Carter going in the opposite direction. Feels like same old faces at Bolitho, should be out there looking for the next Rocky or Levi. What about Jordan Annear, or even Johnny Lorenz at Liskeard. They could be brought on under Stewart Yetton's tutelage.

Why would Levi want to come back? He is banging in the goals at Tivvy and has become a folk hero up there.

Get Sam Cooper back.

Shane Krac would probably been in the top group of players about 4/5 years ago, not so sure now. Glyn Hobbs? We won't know until he actually follows Levi Landricombe and Rocky Neal in making the step up. The stories circulating are that he won't.

You're probably right about Buckland going up if the fixture list hadn't piled up so badly,it has taken them a few seasons to adjust to the league. Would be interesting to hear from Buckland fans about how the step up went. Would not be surprised to see one or two Parkway players move on once the season is a month or two in. The reality of leaving at 10am on Saturday morning for a trip up the M5, followed by getting home after 9pm that evening, may be something they don't fancy. Especially if Peninsula League clubs show an interest.

Don't know the circumstances, and who was fit and available, but think it would have been a great opportunity for a couple of youth players to be given a go. You must be mellowing with age Sir, seem to regular remember you going various stages of red through shouting at players and refs . Remember Parkway v Elburton when Justin Crowley flattened Dan Griffiths right in front the stand? You nearly vaulted the railings in one go. 17 tight gits? Better than the paid attendances that some clubs get.