Falmouth progressed through to the Cornwall Senior Cup semi-finals with this fine all-round team effort and in doing so recorded their first ever victory in this competition at Kimberley Stadium.
The match started with rain sweeping across the pitch and Saltash went straight on to the attack when Aaron Cusack ran on to a Gavin Coulton pass and hit a twenty yard drive that saw Ross Pope clear the ball off the line. A few minutes later, Ashes striker Sam Hughes ran through from midfield and fed the ball to Dave Smith who hit a long shot that flew narrowly wide.
Falmouth hit back with Ian Hodges combining well with his strike partner, Matt Drummond, only to see the latter’s low shot blocked by the keepers’ outstretched foot. Joe Lugg, who had a busy game for Town in midfield, broke past the home sides defence and hit a 20 yard shot that Ben Elphick did well to tip around the post.
Matt Drummond slipped past his marker, Toby Clark, and hit a fine shot that Elphick again got an outstretched foot to, and the ball spun wide for a corner. Saltash were trying to get back at Town, but they could not find a way past Chris Menhenick and Lee Rundle in the middle of the Falmouth defence and Mitch O’Donnell playing at left-back was giving Matt Cusack no room to get the ball forward to the Ashes front line. Indeed, O’Donnell set up Town’s next attack with a fine ball in from the left flank which found Drummond who hit a shot on the turn from just inside the penalty area which Elphick just managed to finger tip over the bar.
Falmouth took the lead after half an hour and by this time the rain had stopped, but the surface was very slippery. Joe Lugg did well to control a pass from Mark Vercesi before putting over a long looping cross from the right that Ian Hodges took down on his chest at the far post before slamming the ball past Elphick and into the net.
Town pressed forward after this and Dan Green fed the ball through to Hodges who hit a first time shot that Elphick just managed to block.
Town doubled their lead five minutes before the interval. Karl Turner took a free-kick from 25 yards out on the right hand side and Ashes defender Stuart Clark sliced his attempted clearance into the corner of his own net past the stranded Elphick.
Saltash had a chance just before the break when Cusack’s cross found Sam Hughes, but Jason Chapman dealt comfortably with the threat.
The second half was only a minute old when Falmouth got their third goal. Karl Turner took a free-kick on the left and Ian Hodges dived full length to head home before anyone else could react. Saltash then made a couple of substitutions in an effort to get back into the game, but they struggled to create any clear cut chances as Town’s players battled to keep them out and in doing so prevented Saltash from scoring in a home game for the first time this season.
Falmouth’s new signing, Jamie Mudge, came on to replace the hard working Drummond for the last 20 minutes and he was unlucky to see a 20 yard shot dip just over the bar as Elphick raced out to close him down.  Jason Chapman made a couple of saves as Saltash failed to score in a game for only the second time this season.