Helston Athletic 0, Plymouth Parkway 1

Helston Athletic came close to upsetting SWPL Premier champions Plymouth Parkway but eventually succumbed to the Devon club at Kellaway Park on Saturday.

Charlie Johansen’s penalty was the difference between the two sides as Parkway move past the 100-point mark in their final away game before moving up to the Western League next season.

Despite early possession from the visitors, the first effort on goal came from Helston debutant Al Williams, who sent a volley straight at Parkway goalkeeper Kyle Moore.

The next 15 minutes had an end-of-season feel to them as neither side threatened the other’s penalty area, apart from Parkway’s Sam Hillson’s tame shot at Barrie Wyatt.

But the champions fund themselves in front on the half-hour mark, when Johansen sent Wyatt the wrong way from the spot after referee Derek Hughes penalised Tyler Oliver for handball.

Parkway took their single-goal lead into half-time and came close to doubling it five minutes into the second half when Christian Pople’s low header was cleared off the line.

Young winger Kai Cornish came on midway through the second half and began to tip the balance of the play towards the hosts, firing over on the spin after controlling a high ball.

Cornish then seized upon a Parkway defender’s slip and surged into the visitors' box before squaring to Williams, but the striker couldn’t get a shot away first time which allowed Parkway to hack it clear.

Helston were buoyed by Cornish’s involvement, with the youngster first setting up Harrison Jewell to fire over the bar, before winning a free-kick from which Marks tested Moore.

Parkway frontmen Johansen and Connor McCouley both had chances to put the game to bed, with the pair each firing wide of Wyatt’s post in the final 20 minutes.

Manager Steve Massey sent centre-back Hugh Howlett on up front in injury-time in an attempt to rescue an equaliser, and he was inches from connecting with Kirk Davies’ sublime cross but a Parkway head managed to reach it first.

Helston: B Wyatt, K Davies (c), G Roberts, T Oliver (S Kellow 43), R Beattie, H Jewell (H Howlett 90), K Marks, C Young (K Cornish 55), S Beattie, A Williams, J Thirkle.

  • Helston visit Exmouth Town on Wednesday night (7.45pm), before travelling to Tavistock on Saturday (3pm) and then finishing the season at Ivybridge Town on Bank Holiday Monday (12pm).