By Kevin Marriott
WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (SATURDAY)
Saltash United 0 Wellington 2
SALTASH’S poor home form continued on Saturday when they fell to defeat despite dominating long spells.
The Ashes have won only one of their 10 league games at Kimberley Stadium this season, in stark contrast to their away fortunes which have seen them win five out of 10.
It was always going to be an uphill battle on Saturday after they conceded a goal inside three minutes from Mark Cornish and then allowed their visitors to go into half-time with a 2-0 lead with a second goal in time added on via Jake Quick.
Saltash dominated the second half but were out of luck in front of goal.
Ashes boss Macca Brown said: “It was a frustrating one, but it was what it was. We gifted two goals to Wellington, the first after just three minutes where we didn’t track a runner.
“And to be honest Wellington are probably the last team in the league you want to concede the first goal to because they’re very savvy, they sit in and defend and are good at that, and we didn’t have the answers.
“For the remaining 87 minutes plus we absolutely dominated, but when Tyler slipped in possession on the edge of our box and it gifted a free chance to their striker you do wonder whether it was going to be one of those days, and that’s how it turned out.
“Full credit to Wellington, we may have gifted them goals but they’ve done their bit by keeping us out and went home with a clean sheet so they deserve it.”
He went on: “That’s five games on the spin we’ve not scored at home and that’s is slightly concerning, but it wasn’t really an open game yesterday and our forward players do tend to thrive in space which just wasn’t there.
“Wellington parked on the edge of their own box with 11 behind the ball and fair play to them, we’ve all done that when we have a lead to hold onto so we struggled to hurt them.
“We had some good chances, but usually when our crosses were superb the movement or anticipation wasn’t quite there from our forwards, or when the strikers were there, the cross was poor.
“We’ve hit the woodwork twice and sometimes you need that bit of luck which we didn’t get, but you’re waiting for a moment of brilliance from someone when the game is like that or a great bit of combination play and it wasn’t quite there.
“There were positives though, we’ve completely dominated the whole game and Wellington are a team who had won five on the bounce before today, I can’t remember the last time we were so dominant to be honest.
“Alfie Wotton and Finley Wilkes made their first appearances and I thought they were both really good. Wilkesy came on for the last half hour and immediately gave us a bit of a spark of quality and it was his clever play that lead to us hitting the post with Kieran’s overhead kick.
“But we just became too desperate in the end and went forward too quickly instead of being patient, passing and probing, but you see it every week when one team has no come out and leave space and better teams than us struggle in that situation.”
SALTASH UNITED: Jordan Duffey, Jack Kelsey, Alfie Wotton, Tom Payne (capt), Tyler Yendle (Jake Curtis 85), Freddy Tolcher (Jack Jefford 53), Kieran O’Melia, Tom Huyton (Finley Wilkes 53), Rikki Shepherd, Aaron Goulty, Joe Preece (Deacon Thomson 61). Sub not used: Ben Goulty.