ACTION REPLAY: Wort bags hat-trick as Town thrash Cullompton

FALMOUTH Town put last week’s defeat to Witheridge behind them as they thrashed struggling Cullompton 6-1 to maintain their Carlsberg South West Peninsula premier division title bid.

Luke Wort was the hero of the day as he blasted in a debut hat-trick, having been called up from the reserves for the game.

Falmouth started the match quickly putting together a good passing move to draw an early save from the Cullompton goalkeeper, Joe Moore.

The pressure continued as Town won corner after corner, one of which saw Liam Eddy’s near post header cleared from under the bar by Sam Butler.

However, a mistake by Town’s Ryan Bushby almost let in Aaron Doble, but Jason Chapman pulled off a good save and pushed the shot around the post for a corner.

Town took the lead on 20 minutes, with one of the best moves of the game. Karl Turner went on a mazy run before curling the ball into the middle of the box, where it was met by the strong head of Nigel Thwaites, who spun the ball into the right top-hand corner of the goal.

Falmouth then grew in confidence and doubled their lead three minutes later as Richard Kellow fired an inch perfect cross into Dan Green and he unselfishly played the ball to Wort, who blasted the ball past Moore for his first goal in the South West Peninsula League.

The home side looked hungry for more, but were frustrated by a combination of bad luck and good defending as both Thwaites and Eddy were denied.

Eddy was then stopped from scoring by the Collumpton keeper Moore as he won two one-on-one situations.

At the other end, Doble hit a shot from 25 yards that took a wicked deflection, but Chapman twisted in mid-air and managed to turn the ball around the post for the save of the match.

Cullompton started the second half in a far more positive mood and launched several attacks, in which Doble and Justin Bolt both had efforts at goal blocked by the Town defenders. Chapman also kept Town in control by making a good save from a Max Oliver.

Falmouth got stronger as the half went on and on 61 minutes they, all but, finished the visitors’ chances when Wort got his second of the match, by curling the ball into the bottom corner of the opposition’s goal.

A minute later James Miller made it 4-1 as he scooped the ball into an open net from 15 yards out. Cullompton scraped a goal back with a fantastic 30-yard free kick from Brett Worbey, but it was mere consolation as a now dominant Town attacked again.

New signing Adam Trudgian, on his return to the club, played a good ball through from midfield to Wort, who was denied by an alert Moore rushing off his line.

However, Wort was not to be denied his hat-trick as in the 86th minute Thwaites was brought down in the box, allowing him to claim his third goal from the penalty spot.

The final score of the match came two minutes later as Vercesi stabbed home a low cross from Josh Sims to make it 6-1.

This result and scoreline will give Town encouragement as they head into difficult December, in which they face matches against Saltash and local rivals Penzance. As for Cullompton, the result means they have now conceded more than three times the amount of goals as Town, and a winter of discontent looms for the Devon side.

Falmouth: Jason Chapman, Nigel Thwaites, Richard Kellow (Josh Sims), Ryan Bushby, Jamie Dirrane, Ross Pope (Adam Trudgian), Mark Vercesi, Dan Green, Liam Eddy, Luke Wort, Karl Turner. Subs not used: Tom Barwell, Mark Hollands.