Ian Pethick

Michail Antonio is another one for the list. From Tooting & Mitcham, via Reading, to West Ham.

I'm not enthusiastic about pre season friendlies, and don't believe you can read too much into them, but yes, a good night for Buckland. My man at Homers Heath told me that the ex Parkway duo of Rob Farkins and Nick Milton were outstanding in defence for the Bucks. Having those two and an outstanding goalkeeper in Andy Collings, gives new boss Dan Hart a good foundation to build on.

More and more young players from Devon and Cornwall are also going down the route of soccer scholarships at colleges in the USA. A high quality of football playing alongside team mates from all around the world, a very professional training environment in world class facilities and the chance to get a good university degree (with the necessary funding provided and costs covered). At the end of it, if you have impressed, there is chance to enter the draft and get selected by an MLS side. Jamil Roberts, ex Ivybridge College and Plymouth Argyle, was one that followed this route through a US college and got a pro contract with Sporting Kansas via being drafted.

Would recommend going back through the CS Podcasts and listening to the Nigel Martyn and Kevin Miller interviews. Yes, two supremely talented footballers, but it gives an insight into the hard work, sacrifice and just plain old "go for it" attitude needed to make it in the pro game. Sometimes think it is easy for very gifted players in the South West to fall back on geography as a reason why they didn't get spotted or make it Both Martyn and Miller got off their arses,and did something about it.

In terms of postings and comments on here, is Orlando the new Waltz?🙄

No idea of Shane Krac's fitness levels, and if he is going to have a run out in pre season, but on ability alone he would walk into this Saltash side. Wonder if he will get the taste for it from the sidelines in time? Possibly why he has the strong looking (if unproven at management level) duo of Lee Bevan and Danny Lewis alongside him.

Can see a situation arising this season where you have a game between two of the cash rich clubs in the league in which you have ten named and used substitutes, but another match which is called off because a team cannot raise a starting eleven.

Of course, now that 5 named substitutes can be used from the start of the 2022/23 league season, you are going to see players "stockpiled" at some clubs, while others struggle to get a bare starting eleven. In the old days they would have moved when it was clear they weren't going to get on off the bench, but now you will see multiple substitutions made when games are effectively decided just to keep them interested,

Is Shane Krac planning to register as a player this season?

A bit of holding their own counsel is not necessarily a bad thing , contrasts with the ballyhoo and hype that has surrounded Helston in recent years.

Heard rumours that Craig Veal was also joining Barum. Bowker, Veal and possibly Billy Tucker in attack would certainly provide goals.

Torpoint to have a good season. Settled squad and management, with plenty of experience right through it. If you have a goalscorer you have a chance as well, and they have two very good goalscorers in Ryan Richards and Curtis Damerell.

Wonder how many players are training with multiple clubs, and appearing for them as the ubiquitous "A.Trialist" in friendlies. Something else that is as old as the hills

Spying mission, or Matt Cusack wanting him out of his way for the evening? Cusack is a top coach, but good luck in keeping Steve Massey's hands off the steering wheel.

The goals from Camelford v Helston are on Piran Film's Twitter. No details of line ups, no commentary or names of scorers. There is though dramatic background music which adds a heightened sense of drama to a meaningless friendly. Lot of clubs do like to play their cards very close to their chests with PSF's. No line ups announced and very minimal live updates and reports. Quite what is being hidden and the reason for the cloak and dagger stuff, I'm not sure.

That is really interesting. All feeds into the thoughts expressed by various people about how lifestyles and priorities have shifted in recent years.

Said it on here before, but a survey needs to done to get to the bottom of why players leave the game after under 18 football. Something the Cornish FA needs to think about digging in to, and I'm sure the results would be very revealing. Although they might make uncomfortable reading...

Read on their Twitter feed about concerns from BTFC supporters regarding a lack of a retained list, no news of any additions and no details of the line ups for the pre season games played so far. Doesn't look good. Notice a couple of their players have moved to Bideford, and will be watching with interest to see where the likes of Billy Tucker and Ryan Turner play next season.

And the demographics suggest that the player pool is only going to get smaller. The initial results from the 2021 census show that Cornwall's population is growing, but getting older. Up from 532k to 570k in 10 years, but people over 65 now at over 25% compared to 21% in 2011. Around 9% of the population is under 10, compared to 10% in 2011.

I'll alert Mrs WOTP, she enjoys a bit of Rappo & Deacs ("what can they possibly find to talk about every week?) 😁

Reports from yesterday of depleted sides and called off games. Just feeds into that, "too much pointless pre season football is played" feeling. Is it just a case of "everybody else is training in June and playing 7/8 friendlies,so we should as well?"

Danny Sullivan confirmed for Truro. Another really good signing, his joining had to be one of the worst kept secrets in local football. Would think that he couldn't be formally announced (or play) until he had served his four month suspension for sports betting infringements. In other new player news for City, see that Jordan McCarthy (at Dobwalls last season, I think), Ryan Downing (Camelford) and Finn Harrison (Callington) have appeared for them in pre season. Good that Paul Wotton is taking a look at Peninsula League players.

Don't remember what the turnover was in pre season 2013/14, but the big moment from last year was Rob Farkins being moved out after Parkway got a chasing at Mousehole. Controversial decision at the time, but since proven that Lee Hobbs got it right. This is what pre season is about, not the results.

With the amount of pre season games now being played, it feels like a 1st July start.

Only pre season, nothing to worry about. By all accounts Parkway were mediocre in pre season last summer (and that went OK), and I remember them being poor in pre-season 2013/14 (and that ended up in a treble).