Walter C Parson League Cup: Falmouth Town 1-0 Cullompton Rangers

Luke Brabyn's second-half strike was enough for Falmouth Town to see off Cullompton Rangers and book their place in the Walter C Parson League Cup final for the second season running.

Brabyn's goal five minutes into the second half at Saltash United's Kimberley Stadium ensured that defending champions Town will take their title defence right down to this season's showpiece on May 11, where they will meet Saltash United.

The two sides will also contest the Cornwall Senior Cup final, after Falmouth beat St Austell 4-1 in last week's semi-final.

The result may live long in the memory of the Falmouth players and coaches but the match itself is unlikely to do the same, which failed to match the excitement of last week’s Senior Cup semi. Tim Nixon headed Joe Cooper’s pass over at the back post in what was the only noteworthy attempt of the first quarter.

Those in attendance at Kimberley Stadium had to wait until the 29th minute for a shot on target, when Nixon stirred Cullompton ‘keeper Adam Seedhouse-Evans with a shot from distance.

The game slowly began to show signs of life with Brabyn missing a great chance to open the scoring on 34 minutes when he beat Seedhouse-Evans to the ball on the left and tried a lob, which bounced once before clearing the crossbar.

A good spell of pressure from Cullompton resulted in a fierce shot at goal from the corner of the box, with Ryan Barnes needing to be on top form to palm it away.

But he was beaten to the ‘save of the match’ award by Seedhouse-Evans, who did brilliantly to claw Cooper’s volley away from his top corner shortly before the break.

Barnes was called back into action on the stroke of half-time to turn Ash Donohue’s volley around his post before tipping Lewis White's header away from the resulting corner.

The decisive moment then arrived five minutes into the second half, with Brabyn nicking the ball off a Cullompton defender on the edge of the box before cutting in and firing past the helpless Seedhouse-Evans.

Rangers should have been level five minutes later when the Falmouth defence stood and watched as Dan Baily’s cross drifted into the box, with Adam Langabeer’s shot from six yards somehow being deflected over Barnes’ bar.

Broglino was next to profit from a defensive lapse in the 71st minute when he seized the ball from a Rangers man and strode down the right flank, but his cross had too much on it for Brabyn at the far post.

With time beginning to ebb away, Cullompton enjoyed a sustained period of pressure but failed to test Barnes, with Town almost making them pay for it on the counter when Brabyn drove a shot wide after latching onto Ollie Moody’s diagonal ball.

The Devonians somehow remained goalless after a six-yard scramble eventually went out for a corner, with Tom Beddow having a shot blocked by Cooper at the back post from the resulting kick.

Matt Buchan spurned a big chance to rubber-stamp Town’s place in the final with ten minutes to go when the striker, making a welcome return from injury as a second-half substitute, beat the offside trap but could not turn it past Seedhouse-Evans.

Rangers grew increasingly desperate as the game entered injury-time, launching countless balls into the box but failed to truly trouble the Falmouth defence, with Town holding on to set up their second cup final of the season and take their defence of their League Cup crown all the way to this year’s final.

Falmouth: R Barnes, D Blizzard, O Moody (M Buchan 76), R Martt (F Harris 82), J Cooper, J Ward, M Duff, D Broglino (A Westgarth 90), L Brabyn, J Webber, T Nixon. Subs (unused): S Pickup.

Cullompton: A Seedhouse-Evans, S Hill, I Reed, A Langabeer, L Beech, J Ansell, A Greening (C Stone 76), L White, T Beddow, D Baily, A Donohue. Subs (unused): R Parsons, L Raybould, M Scott.