Ian Pethick

Made my thoughts clear in a thread at the end of last season . Unless something changes pretty soon and both players and clubs get real , I can see more clubs going to the wall this season . When I hear the figures that are needed just to keep a club going at the moment (rates,gas/electric,cleaning,insurance,ground maintenance etc,etc) before players "expenses" are factored in ,then I don't know how some clubs are surviving . Especially when you consider that incomes from gates,food and drink,sponsorship and raffles/draws are only going one way with people's incomes shrinking/disappearing . Really hoping that a bit of local pride kicks in and that the football people and players of the area get behind this famous old club .

Picked this up from the excellent When Saturday Comes website . Well worth reading for people who read this forum . http://thetwounfortunates.com/geographies-of-football-will-cornwall-ever-host-a-football-league-club/

One of the best posts of the season . I would love to see a new sense of realism break out in this league , but there are already rumours knocking about who has ( and hasn't ) got money next season , and the expected migration of players in that direction .

Dane Bunney ???

That is what Parkway do not need..If you get in bed with the Devil don't complain when he wants to shaft you. What Parkway need is lots of minor sponsors who collectively form a decent pot, if one decides to pull out then its a lot easier to cope with or replace than a single benefactor suddenly pulling the plug. Agree with this . Non League football in the South West and the whole country is littered with examples of sugar daddies coming in with lots of cash , but also short attention spans and ulterior motives , who end up wrecking clubs . What Gary Doel has done for Parkway has been magnificent , but the club now has to learn to stand on its own feet and not rely on one benefactor . Even if that means a backward step for a season or two .Buckland is a superb example in this respect of developing superb off the field revenue streams and incomes ,but this takes a lot of time and a lot of money . I am constantly thinking of how much difference an extra 100 through the gates each week would make at Parkway ,this is surely achievable in a city of around 200,000 people and 10's of 1000's living within walking distance . How many "passionate football fans" will pack into pubs to watch Premier League matches this afternoon , but would never dream of watching a real game just down the road ? When does the term "use it or lose it " become applicable in local football ? Is it viable for semi-professional clubs to carry on running for the benefit of a hand full of supporters and as a large contributor to the Saturday night drinking fund for a group of players ? I really do fear that we are reaching some sort of tipping point in local football . A lot of clubs and players need to get real pretty quickly .

Fair enough report . Parkway had a lot of the play , especially in opening 20 minutes of the second half , but didn't really create many chances . When Marc Bonney missed the chance to equalise with a free header from close in , it felt like that was the chance gone .Bodmin went up a gear or two after that and put the game to bed . Probably the difference between Bodmin and the rest of the league ( execepting Buckland) is that they have the squad quality,know how and experience to be able to see matches through .Being able to bring a fifty goal striker off the bench for the last 15 minutes is a good illustration of this . The referee did seem to be wanting to get away from the last match of the season without any paperwork to do . Was interesting that he booked Will Stringer for dissent , but didn't see anything wrong with some of the challenges flying in (from both sides). One or two players were probably lucky to see the game out . He was also an interested observer when Wayne Hillson and Darren Gilbert had their heated debate .I would imagine that it was probably about the respective merits of the various parties attempting to form a coalition government in Greece .

Interesting that this news comes through only a few months after Falmouth applied for promotion , perhaps this helps to vindicate the stance of Bodmin Town ? This comes only days after the programme notes at the last Parkway home game of the season talked of the pressure the club is under from the escalating cost of matchday travel,match fees,licences,ground upkeep,utilities and many other outgoings . This is in the face of increasing pressure on sponsorship ( or the lack of it),commercial incomes,gate receipts and bar takings as a result of the recession . More clubs are going to have to be brave and say no to the ridiculous level of player "expenses" that are being paid out and cut their cloth accordingly .I said back in February that I would rather see Parkway field a side of youngsters and supposedly "lesser" local players on a reduced budget who wanted to be there . This is far preferrable to no club at all I really do fear that one or more Peninsula League clubs could go to the wall in this next year .

Any idea if this is on tonight ?

The game has to be in some doubt , hasn't it ?

Parkway goalscorers were Marc Bonney,Gavin Coulton og ( I think),Paul Heveran,John Heveran Anything but a timid end of season affair . Real local derby with tasty challenges , lots of afters and back chat to an overworked referee .Was surprised it finished eleven a side at the end . Some cracking goals from Saltash ( who were worthy winners and paid us back for a smash and grab win at their place back in August ) , some resilient "never say die" attacking from Parkway and some panic stations defending from both sides when the ball went in the air through their defence . Couple of quality goals from Saltash and a Beckham-esque free kick from Paul Heveran were the goalscoring highlights . Worth a mention as well for John Heveran getting his tenth of the season towards the end of the game to give us a glimmer of hope . A notable achievement for a player who has been immense at both ends of the pitch all season . Last nights result leaves third out of reach , but in a way it summed up the season . Bit of a rollercoaster , and never dull . Oh .... and no fifty fifty win for the second consecutive season !!!

And so it begins again ..... :thumbsup:

Well done to Bodmin Town . A treble winning season is something to be proud of .

Plymouth Parkway End Of Season Report Overall Grade B+ for the season as a whole . A decent start , a calamity in the FA Vase away to Ifracombe , a well documented collective clocking out from a group of individuals in January and February which reached a low point away to Liskeard and home to Bovey , then a rebuilt side going on to win 10 out of the last 16 in the league to restore pride . Top Marks Jon Heveran . Plenty of strength and authority at the back ,and a threat in opposition boxes from set pieces .Barely had a bad game all season , especially when back in partnership with Marc Bonney . Mentions though for pertetual motion Lee Doel ,John Wyatt and a rejuvenated Lee Bevan . Bottom Of The Class A few contenders unfortunately . The award goes to Sam Stevens who resembled a ginger mannequin at times . Sorry Sam .(you only narrowly edged out Danny Zalick though ) Best Goal Glyn Hobbs' free kick against Saltash,John Wyatt's volley against the Marines,Shane Krac's lob against Blazey and a couple of Lee Doel and Paul Heveran screamers come to mind . But I'm going to go with Ryan Richards' lob that opened the scoring against Falmouth . Best Footballing Moment Thought about either winning four three away to Saltash on the opening evening after being three down down at half time or Lee Rundle's bizarre attempted scorpion kick home to Falmouth which put Ryan Richards in on goal . I have gone for the five nil away win at Witheridge . This was after a thoroughly miserable week when we were anxiously wondering if we would even get a side out . A few previously fringe players,who possibly would not even have played if the "big names" had stayed,stood up and set the tempo for the rest of the season. Best Non Footballing Moment The debut of the Parkway Poznan away at Tavistock,The Bald One being warned about his behaviour on entering the ground at Ilfracombe ,an individual with bad wind away at Falmouth or The Bald One winning the Fifty Fifty at Penzance ( and thanking the locals for their money). The winner though is the old woman in the bar at Blazey after the game who enquired "have you tried them new Wotsit crisp things?" , in a very random fashion . Worst Away Trip A few contenders again . The Ilfracombe away trip was a disaster from start to finish , one or two players were never the same after that . Elburton away on Boxing Day when several players looked , and played, like they had enjoyed a decent Christmas Day and Bodmin Town away in the League Cup . A bitterly cold afternoon in a dump of a ground with no pasties and a group of thoroughly unpleasant supporters , we surrendered the Cup with a pretty toothless display and saw the last of Dennis Mason in a fit of petulance . The "winner" though is the three-nil away defeat to Liskeard . An absolute low for the season , two sendings off ,and lots of bickering and infighting from a group of players who scarcely disguised how little they wanted to be there

Bald One , I was probably as sceptical as you were about the signing of Ryan Richards , especially with his record of continually switching clubs ( Parkway are his fourth this season ) . After a slow start ( when he was played out of position) , he has won me over . The guy has all the tools to be a top player in this league , he can finish well with both feet and can score with his head as well as being quick .The only downsides are his tendency to go off side a bit often and his head going down when things go against him , but both of these things will get better with experience and an arm round his shoulder every now and again . Staying at one club for a good length of time will also help . Him and Sam Cooper have got the game to complement each other and can be the classic little and large pairing .

Perhaps it was for idealogical reasons ? I would not willingly go into a Conservative Club either . . Shame to see Liskeard's decent season fizzle out in the last few weeks , good result for Parkway though as it guarantees that we keep up the record of never finishing outside the top six in the Peninsula Prem . Still a faint glimmer of hope that third place can be reached as well .

Was good to see Ryan Richards at the Torpoint v Parkway game on Friday . Especially as his season has been ended by injury .

I was only joking! Parkway was the better team throughout the entire goal. It could of been 7 or 8 hadn't Doel been deemed offside for more times than he was. Their keeper wasn't the best, gifted us 2 goals. Some good finishing and Parkway discovered quickly how to get the ball past the Torpoint defence. Games was effectively over after 20 minutes when Parkway made it two-nil . Torpoint were probably a bit grateful for some "questionable" offside decisions that spared the jittery Simon Zinn and their Russian Roulette- like offside trap from more punishment by the pacey and bright Parkway players . Five high quality goals from Sam Hillson(2) ,Lee Doel and John Wyatt (2) .

Could well happen . Other clubs need to step up...... ( but not overspend into near extinction in the process )

Only two league matches lost , and the chance of a treble . No matter what you think of them being promotion refuseniks , you have to take your hat off to that . It's up to other teams to up their game and get closer to them . With Buckland going up there is a danger that it could become a procession next season .

Here we go again . Say what you want about the managership of Gez and Wayne , but the way they stabilised the ship after the dismal days of January and sent us on the run of form that we saw ,can only be applauded . In the days leading up to the Witheridge away game we were really concerned that we would not even get a side out . We won five-nil . A lot of other sides have slipped up at Witheridge ( notably Buckland last week) . With the two Heverans,Bonney,Bevan,Stringer,Doel,Wyatt,Sam Hillson,Richards and Cooper in the squad we have something to work with .Would be a shame if that all disappears in another spell of upheaval in the summer . One of the reasons I stopped following local non-league football in the early 2000's was that I got totally fed up of the constant managerial and player churn . Whole blocks of people making regular leaps from one club to another for no obvious reasons (other than a few extra quid) .

Good game played on a heavy pitch, both teams tried to play footy, some good football, tackles and attitude from both teams. We at Buckland Athletic would like to show great thanks to Plymouth Parkway for thier contribution to the Newton soccerbility day we had up homers today, where several disabled young football players were mascots for the game and all the Parkway Players and officials, lined up with them for the pre game handshake, it certainly made a few young people's day. And also the framed letter they gave us congratulating us on our promotion, this was something they didn't have to do, but was really appreciated. Hopefully we may see you in the next few seasons as you also look to go up the football pyramid. Apologies for the pitch, but it took me and a couple others 5 hours to get game on, but no complaints from your players, there was some good stuff played at times as well!! And hope the pasties and programme were to the bald ones liking? The way Buckland started today we were worried that we were going to take a real hiding . Parkway were at the proverbial "sixes and sevens" and Buckland cut us to shreds at times , we were grateful for some wayward finishing , a clearance off the line and some smart keeping from Martin Piper to keep it at two at half time . We never had a sniff . Parkway obviously had a strong cup of tea (and some strong words from a stern looking Wayne Hillson) at half time as a combination of us changing our game plan , upping our work rate ( and Buckland possibly lifting their foot off the gas) meant that we finally took the game to them .Sam Cooper in particular proving a handfull . Even a third Buckand goal didn't change the Parkway mood, the feeling was that Buckland were possibly wobbling . After Jon Heveran hitting the crossbar and Lee Doel having a one on one chance with the keeper well saved ,the goals finally came with Paul Heveran crashing in the first and Lee Doel slotting in a second soon after . Buckland showed their class soon after though by scoring a fourth and snuffing out the Parkway revival . The pattern of the first half was then resumed as Buckland dominated the play and created numerous excellent chances , before finally notching a fifth . Jon Wyatt showed what might have been by notching a well taken third for Parkway in the dying minutes . Despite the result though , we really enjoyed our visit to Homers Heath . The off the field set up,ground facilities,professionalism of the non-playing staff and matchday program contribute to the feeling of a very progressive club that is intent on moving forward .They clearly show what other clubs need to aspire to . Good luck in the Western League for next season ! ps Superb ham,egg and chips before the game . The Bald One did not indulge , but Bald One Jr tucked into the homemade sausage rolls with gusto .

Possibly not 100% faithfull to their positions , but the players who have impressed me both for and against Parkway ; Goalkeeper - Josh Oak (Ivybridge) Defenders - Jon Heveran (Parkway)Cameron Kelly (Buckland)Wayne Quinn (Penzance/Falmouth)Danny Gaze(Buckland) Midfield - Luke Doddridge (Saltash)Danny Lewis (Buckland)Shane Krac(Parkway/Bodmin)Mark Vercesi(Falmouth) Forwards- Chris Wright (Buckland) Dan Johns(Torpoint) subs- Steve Simmonds(Bodmin)Levi Landricome(Elburton)Glyn Hobbs (Parkway/Tavistock)Shane Jewell(Liskeard)Richard Maddison (Liskeard) This is purely personal, and based on what I have seen . These are players who have caught the eye in matches that I have watched .

Congratulations to Buckland Athletic . Looking forward to sampling your gammon,egg and chips for the first and last time ( unless we draw you in the Vase or Cup next season , or even join you in the Western League in a season or two) .

Not been to Buckland yet this season . But I would go ; 1. Bodmin 2 . Tavistock 3 .Dartmouth Mentions as well for the Falmouth and Liskeard programmes . As integral a part of the matchday "experience" as the pasty and pint in my opinion