Parkway need a point to claim Southern One title
PLYMOUTH Parkway stand on the brink of back-to=-back league tites after making light work of Barnstaple Town on Monday to leave them needing a point to be crowned Southern League Division One South champions.
Just 12 months after landing the Western League title, Lee Hobbs and his men need to just avoid defeat in Saturday’s home clash with Cinderford Town, although such is the margin of their goal difference, it would take a miracle for the trophy to not head to Bolitho Park now.
Around 120 Parkway fans made the trip to north Devon and they saw Mikey Williams nod home the opening goal on 23 minutes.
Parkway made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time through Jack Crago and Barnstaple then had Callum Laird sent off for petulantly bundling Crago into the advertising hoardings in an off the ball incident.
With the man advantage, Parkway went on to win at a canter with further goals from Callum Hall and a second for Crago.
With Frome Town winning 2-1, Parkway maintain their three-point advantage at the top of the table but with an improved goal difference of plus eight.
It would surely take an implosion of biblical proportions if Parkway were not to clinch back-to-back titles and gain promotion for a second successive season, while the season cannot end soon enough for Barum, who are relegated.
Bideford preserved their lace in the division with a 2-1 Devon Derby win at Willand Rovers.
Charlie Hanson opened the scoring before Ben Griffiths equalised, but Craig Duff ’s goal 15 minutes form time won the points and secured their safety.
In the Premier Division, Paul Wotton was again left unimpressed with certain players as the White Tigers lost 4-0 at home to Westpn-SuperMare.
James Dodd opened the scoring inside two minutes and further goals followed from Marlon Jackson and two from Dayle Grubb.
A furious Wotton said afterwards: “It’s the same things, but it will change. It will change next year, 100 per-cent.
“Our season was done after Saturday’s result. But when you are playing a game of football, at any level on any pitch, anywhere in the world, if you don’t want to win then don’t come to the game. Don’t turn up if you don’t want to win.
“They need to play (in the final game at Beaconsfield) for some pride. They can’t serve that up. People have paid to come and watch and they’ve served that up. It doesn’t sit right with me.
“I can’t change anything at the moment. But when I have the power to change things, there will be changes.”
A crowd of 1,546 were in attendance to see Taunton Town take another step towards the league title with a narrow 1-0 win at Tiverton Town thanks to Jay Foulson’s early ree kick.