Yes readers, it is time for one of the special dates in the local football calendar when clubs lower down the pecking order take centre stage - the Cornwall Junior Cup area final.

The competition is contested, in the west of Cornwall, by sides mainly from the Trelawny League. It gives villages, and some reserve teams from the bigger clubs, an opportunity to steal the back page headlines.

Mawnan, St Buryan, St Agnes Reserves, Falmouth Athletic DC and Constantine are just some of the sides who have tasted the big match atmosphere in recent seasons, playing in front of hundreds of spectators in a floodlight match.

This year the area final, to be played tonight (Wednesday) at Gala Parc, has given Helston Athletic Reserves their first opportunity to shine.

And while many are predicting they will face a tough evening, against last season’s winners Illogan RBL Reserves, I’m predicting the match will be a lot closer than most people think.

This is because, despite the fact that Helston play in the Trelawny League division two - two promotions below Illogan - they are a lot better than their league standing suggests.

The Trelawny League was only formed at the start of this season, when they Mining League merged with the Falmouth-Helston Football League. It means some sides, through no fault of anybody’s, have ended up in divisions they are far too strong for - and that’s certainly the case for Helston.

They have won 13 of their 15 games this campaign, scoring 81 times and conceding just 19. That is an average of 5.4 goals scored per match. It is a record that is only beaten, in the Trelawny League, by Four Lanes - a side that currently top the free-scoring division six.

The Junior Cup has also had its fair share of upsets this season. Division two side Stithians, who Helston beat 4-1 in the semi-final, knocked out premier division sides Falmouth Albion and Carharrack in previous rounds.

Helston’s own record shows they also have nothing to fear after they beat premier division sides Ludgvan and Threemilestone by scorelines 4-0 on their way to the final. And when you consider that Ludgvan currently sit eight points clear of Illogan, you begin to sense it isn’t as much of a miss-match as you think.

I will concede that Illogan do have four games in hand over Ludgvan, and that when Helston Athletic Reserves played the Penzance-based side they weren’t as in good as form as they are now. However, 4-0 is still an impressive scoreline for a side to produce against a team two divisions above them. And saying that the game will be a ‘lot closer’ than people predict, is not doing a disservice to Illogan. They are a well-established team, who have the added bonus of knowing what it takes to win a final having beaten St Agnes Reserves at this stage last season.

Illogan are favourites, there isn’t a doubt about that. But as any winning underdog will tell you, simple maths can’t be applied to sport. What the odds don’t know is - sometimes the results just don’t add up. Many of the Illogan players will be able to vouch for that themselves as they went on an incredible run with the first team two seasons ago to reach the Cornwall Senior Cup semi-final. If Helston can get a bit of luck, show a bit more desire and get off to a good start - then Illogan will have a game on their hands. And with the match being played so close to the Blues’ home ground, at Porthleven’s Gala Parc, it should create quite an atmosphere if an upset suddenly looks on the cards.

Match to catch - Helston RFC v Saltash , Saturday, March 17, 2pm: Helston entertain Saltash in the semi-final of the Cornwall Club’s Cup this Saturday. Saltash have had the edge in the league games this year but, with home advantage, can Helston book a place in the final?

Performance of the week - Porthleven FC: Port bounced back from their Cornwall Senior Cup defeat to Saltash, by beating Wadebridge 3-1 at home. The goals came from new signing Reg Pearson, Jordan Adlard and Ed Timmons.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here