Preview: Falmouth Town v Millbrook

Falmouth Town will be hoping to end a run of three successive Western League defeats when they welcome Millbrook to Bickland Park on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

An excellent run of games saw Andrew Westgarth’s side lose just once in 11 league outings over the tail end of 2022 and start of 2023, but that has come to a halt following a pair of defeats to Buckland Athletic last week and a 2-0 reverse at home to Saltash United on Wednesday night.

That has seen Town drop to ninth position in the league, but a win on Saturday could see them move above Ashton & Backwell United should the Stags lose at Mousehole. A win for Millbrook, meanwhile, would put them just four points behind Town and see them rise as many as three places to tenth.

Opposition view

Millbrook, who are managed by Mackenzie Brown, are enjoying their second season in the Western League since the east Cornwall outfit were one of four Cornish sides to be elevated from the South West Peninsula League in 2021.

The Brook finished a respectable 12th in their debut season at Step 5 – which included a run of seven games without conceding a goal – and are on course to do similar this time around, with Brown’s charges sitting in 13th with 26 points from 24 games.

Millbrook have scored 41 goals in all competitions this season, with Sean Thomson leading the way with nine strikes in 22 games, with Josh Touslon next with eight goals from 23 matches.

Westy’s words

“We’ll be in the same situation [as we were against Saltash] with personnel missing which is a difficult one for us. Millbrook gave us one of our biggest hidings this year away from home [in August], I was really impressed with them. 

“It was probably one of our heaviest defeats. I know we lost 3-1 and we only conceded three goals but it was a real eye-opener into the Western League. 

“We know that they’re having a bit of a bad run themselves, so it’ll be a tough game all round. We’re in a bad run now, I can’t think of many times in my managerial career where we haven’t scored for three games.”

Last five games – Falmouth Town:
Feb 15: Falmouth Town 0-2 Saltash United (League)
Feb 11: Falmouth Town 0-2 Buckland Athletic (League)
Feb 7: Buckland Athletic 2-0 Falmouth Town (League)
Feb 4: Clevedon Town 0-3 Falmouth Town (League)
Feb 1: Falmouth Town 3-1 Barnstaple Town (Les Phillips Cup)

Last five games – Millbrook:
Feb 11: Millbrook 2-0 Keynsham Town (League)
Feb 4: Barnstaple Town 4-2 Millbrook (League)
Jan 31: Millbrook 0-1 Wellington (League)
Jan 28: Millbrook HWO Liskeard Athletic (Cornwall Senior Cup)
Jan 18: Wellington 0-0 Millbrook (League)

Stadium address

Bickland Park, Bickland Water Road, Falmouth TR11 4PB

Tickets

Adults: £6

Under-16s and concessions: £3

We advise that supporters arrive in plenty of time to avoid queues at the gate shortly before kick-off.

Matchday programme

Limited copies of our matchday programme will be available on entry to the ground for £1.

50:50 draw

A collection for the 50:50 draw will be made during the first half, with the winning ticket announced over the PA system at half-time. Each entry to the draw costs £1.

Refreshments and facilities

Once inside Bickland Park, food and beverages can be purchased from the serving hatch immediately to your left upon entering the ground.

Toilets can be found inside the clubhouse and in the hut at the far end of the ground.

Seating is available in the grandstand, with disabled access provided via a separate entrance at the top of the steps alongside the back row.

We look forward to seeing you at Bickland Park on Saturday and hope you enjoy your afternoon. 

Up The Town ??