Falmouth Town can confirm that first-team coach Charlie Davis and striker Jack Bray-Evans have left the club.
Davis ends his seven-year association with Town after deciding to take a break from football, while Bray-Evans has opted to join Western League rivals Mousehole.
Former Wendron United manager Davis arrived at Town in 2016, shortly after guiding the Underlane outfit to a Walter C Parson League Cup victory over Andrew Westgarth’s side.
He joined the coaching team at Bickland Park soon after and went on to play a pivotal role in the transformation of the club’s fortunes in the years that followed as Town lifted the League Cup in 2018 and Cornwall Senior Cup in 2019 before their sensational treble in 2022.
“I remember first having a chat with Westy about the idea of me coming down [to Falmouth] and that point it was a bit of a step up to see what I could achieve, but at that stage I didn’t think that we would get anywhere near the success that we’ve had,” Davis said.
“I’ll look back on it really fondly and at the minute it’s probably one of the hardest bits [about leaving] because of the cup finals that we’ve been to and the league title and promotion, that probably makes it a little bit harder to step away.
“It’s been awesome and I’ve made some great friends along the way, it’s just purely the time and effort that you’re putting in during the week off the pitch that’s starting to become a strain at the moment. I don’t think it’s something you can do if you’re struggling for time or motivation, whatever it may be, it’s not just something you can plod along with and I wouldn’t want to.
“The best compliment I can give Westy is that I came in as a coach for him and I’m leaving with a really close friend and someone that I spend a lot of time speaking to and I think an awful lot of. It’s been class, and I have some great memories, not just with Westy but with a lot of the boys that I’m really close to in the team as well.”
Westgarth paid tribute to his departing right-hand man, saying: “[Charlie’s had] seven fantastic seasons and the club’s unrecognisable now from where it was when he joined – he’s been such an integral part of that and someone who has been with me all the way.
“He’s someone I’ve grown massively close to over the years as you’d expect. I knew Charlie [when he joined] but I didn’t know him that well, and now he’s someone that I call my football wife – I speak to him more than I speak to my missus sometimes!
“People like Charlie don’t come around very often and they’re hard to replace. He’ll be massively missed.”
While Bray-Evans’ time at Town was comparatively shorter, having joined from Newquay in September 2021, he still walks away from Bickland Park having achieved a huge amount in his spell at the club.
The free-scoring striker scored 32 goals in just 29 games for Town as they claimed the South West Peninsula League Premier West title and won the Senior Cup during a memorable 2021/22 campaign, with Bray-Evans collecting the division’s golden boot award in doing so.
“I leave only with fond memories and on good terms with everyone at the club,” Bray-Evans said. “It’s been a fantastic experience playing at Falmouth Town and one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I’m really proud of what we managed to achieve last year on the pitch and I’ve made some great memories and friends along the way.
“I have already sent a message to the fantastic F-Troop thanking them for their amazing support across the past year, it’s not something myself or any of the players that have been involved take for granted. They’ve been superb since I joined and that’s something I’ll never forget and something I’m grateful for.”
“I’m bitterly disappointed to lose Jack given what he’s done for the club and his status in the team as well,” Westgarth said. “You never like to see any player go, but what I would say is, from his time at Falmouth Town I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“What he brought to the team, his goals last year, he gave us a massive lift last year and was integral to a lot of the good things we did.
“From a manager’s point of view, there are some players you’re naturally closer to and Jack was definitely someone I was close to. I had such a good rapport with him and got on well with him.
“He’s ambitious and he feels he wants to move on and test himself and unfortunately he thinks he can’t do that at Falmouth, but we wish him all the best.”