FALMOUTH TOWN joined the old Cornwall Senior League in 1950 before becoming founder members of the South Western League in 1951/52. Until this time, it was near neighbours Falmouth Docks who provided the only senior football in the town. The club has played under the banner of Falmouth Town F.C. on and off since the turn of the century and after the Second World War were playing junior football in a mid-week Wednesday League.
The new Falmouth Town has had a number of grounds over the years. The first friendly games were played on the Recreation Ground, loaned whilst negotiating for a more permanent home. Eventually a home was obtained at Union Corner, where Falmouth Town’s first ever S.W.L. game was played. The game against St Austell, played on Saturday 18th August 1951 finished 3-3 and was played in front of a crowd of over 1,200. Cedric Martin had the honour of scoring Falmouth’s first S.W.L. goal. Bickland Park became home in 1957 after the Ashfield Ground was sold to Shell-Mex BP for £20,000 – a small fortune in the mid 1950’s. The deal also saw the ground on Bickland Water Road being built for the club but another season at Union Corner was needed before Town moved in for good and Newquay were the first visitors in August 1957. In the early 1960s, Cornwall played a match at Bickland Park and Falmouth were forced to play Bugle ‘up the road’ at Falmouth Docks’ Leggo Park Ground – the only time Town have been forced to play a ‘home’ game away from Bickland Park.
It was former Birmingham City goalkeeper Ken Tewkesbury who was responsible for the introduction of senior football in Falmouth. His knowledge and experience were to be the essential link in the formation of Falmouth Town F.C. By the late 1950s, professionalism was introduced on a large scale, one of the first Cornish clubs to do so.
The first major trophy was won in 1957/58 when Newquay were defeated 1-0 in the SWL Cup final at Truro, winning the trophy without conceding a goal on the way. The cup was retained the following year when Truro City were beaten 6-3, a score-line which stands as a record today. Falmouth Town completed the first domestic Cornish treble in 1961/62 when they won their first ever SWL Championship, the SWL Cup and their first Cornwall Senior Cup. It was Town’s first appearance in the Easter Monday showpiece and the 7—1 win over St Blazey is also a record score in the final. The following season saw Town’s place established in Cornish football history when they secured a place in the First Round proper of the F.A. Cup, a feat that only Truro City managed as recently as 2017/18 . Having overcome the challenge of Barnstaple Town, St Blazey, Bideford and Bath City to reach this stage, Town put up a brave fight against Football League newcomers Oxford United. In front of the ground record 8,000 crowd, Town finally went down 1-2. This feat was repeated in 1967, when Town lost 2-5 away to Peterborough United, and in 1969 when the same team came to Bickland and emerged 4-1 victors.
The Cornwall Senior Cup was won again in 1964/65 along with the runners up spot in the SWL. The following season the league was won and the Senior Cup was retained. Falmouth Town had become a dominant force in South Western football, a title the team uphold to this day. Season 1967/68 saw a second domestic treble, which was repeated some three years later in 1970/71. This third treble was unique, until St. Blazey’s efforts in 2001/02, as Town had achieved it without losing a single match in all three competitions. In fact, out of 49 matches, only 3 were drawn. A remarkable achievement that involved a squad of only 13 players.
The SWL title of 1970/71 marked the first of four successive SWL titles; during this period 553 goals were scored with 101 conceded from 130 matches. After the fourth consecutive title and winning the Senior Cup and the Pratten Cup (overcoming Cinderford Town in a two-legged final) in 1973/74, Falmouth successfully applied to join the Rothmans Western League in search of a higher challenge. Making an incredible transition, they completed the League and Cup double in their first season without losing a single game.
It was in January 1976 that Town’s first defeat at this level was inflicted upon them after a mammoth 58 match unbeaten run. Three more consecutive Western League titles were won, making it eight in a row for legendary manager Richard Gray, establishing an English semi-professional record that is unparalleled in English football history. Along with the manager, special mention must be made of central defenders Mervyn Rich and Keith Manley (who holds the club appearance record of 580 games) for competing in all eight of those seasons. In 1976, ace goal scorer Tony Kellow was transferred to Exeter City for a club record fee of £12,000 and the previous season Roy Carter departed for a long and illustrious career in the Football League. Club record goal scorer Joe Scott departed in 1978 for Bournemouth, having netted 204 goals in just 267 games.
During Falmouth’s stay in the Western League, four consecutive Cornwall Senior Cups were won between 1975/76 and 1978/79. However, increased travelling expenses forced Town to withdraw from the Western League after nine seasons.
Upon their return to Cornish football, Town found their application to rejoin the South Western League refused by member clubs. The club had to settle for Cornwall Combination football, but it was the beginning of a new successful era under manager Dave Wadd. The Combination League was duly won and Town’s application to re-join the S.W. League was granted. During Town’s one and only season in the Combination, they made history by being the only Combination League side to compete in the F.A. Cup. With the League not being of sufficient stature in the eyes of the F.A., Falmouth had to apply for special dispensation to play in the competition. Town finished sixth in their first season back in the SWL, but in the following season (1985/86), the League and Cup double was achieved and in 1986/87, the club achieved national recognition by reaching the quarter final of the F.A. Vase. Following a 1-1 draw at St Helens Town, Falmouth bowed out in the replay 0-1 to the eventual winners in front of a 1,500 crowd at Bickland.
Further SWL championships were added in 1986/87, 1988/89 and 1989/90 taking their total to eleven. Between September 1985 and April 1988, Falmouth played 52 SWL games at Bickland Park without defeat.
With Trevor Mewton in charge, Falmouth triumphed over favourites St Blazey, 1-0 in the SWL Cup in 1990/91 and the following season won their twelfth championship. The double was completed with a 5-0 win over the Devon & Cornwall Police in the SWL Cup Final. After two seasons without a trophy, former player Ray Nicholls was appointed as manager. With an almost new team, the SWL Cup was won in the first season with a 2-1 win over holders Bodmin Town. This was Town’s tenth League Cup success.
David Ball took over the managerial post vacated by Nicholls in the summer of 1996. Finding himself with less than half of the previous season’s players, he set about rebuilding the team with dramatic results. In his fairy tail first season of management, he secured Town’s fourth domestic treble. The League Championship was won on the last day of the season by a fluke own goal in a 2-1 win against Bodmin. Surprise finalists Nanpean Rovers were defeated 2-1 in a replay following a 1-1 draw in the Cornwall Senior Cup. Truro City were beaten 3-2 after extra time in the League Cup Final. Further success followed in 1998/99 when a first half Luke Hodge hat trick saw in-form Porthleven beaten 3-0 in the SWL Cup final at Truro. The following season saw Falmouth win the first title of the new Millennium – a record fourteenth time. Town also won the Durning Lawrence Cornwall Charity Cup for the first time since their 1959/60 victory over Launceston. This time, a late winner from Dominic Pullen saw Porthleven beaten 1-0. 2001 saw Falmouth Town achieve another record. This time it was for the furthest distance travelled to undertake an F.A. competition tie. This happened when Town had to travel some 500 miles to meet Bedlington Terriers in the fourth round of the F.A. Vase. Unfortunately, the result did not match the team’s efforts as Town lost 1-4 in extra time, with the home side’s equaliser coming four minutes from the end of normal time.
Neil Phillips took over the reins at Bickland just prior to the 2001/02 season gaining a very creditable 7th placing on a very limited budget. The following season started promisingly but a poor late season run aggravated by injuries produced a mid table final position. The bright spot from the season was the winning of the Charity Cup for the third time, beating Truro City 1-0 at Porthleven. Following a poor start to the 2003/04 season and a humiliating 2-9 defeat at St Austell, a change in management saw former Cornwall manager Steve Massey take over the reins. With Steve’s brother, Stuart and Neil Phillips in his managerial team, their first season saw a finish of 13th place achieved.
In the 2004/05 season, despite early exits in the cup competitions, the club finished in a very creditable 4th position, the highest placing since 2000. The end of the season was blighted by the defection of Steve Massey to neighbours Truro City. His assistants Stuart and Neil took over the remaining games before being reunited with Steve at Truro.
Former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Garry Penhaligon did a fantastic job, leading Town to third position before opting to leave. Ex-boss Steve Massey returned, bringing his coaching team with him for the final season of South Western League football. A 10th place finish was enough to see Cornwall’s most successful club reach the Premier Division of the new South West Peninsula League and begin life amongst the top non-league clubs in Cornwall and Devon.
After spells with several different managers at the helm, Town have now made steady progress under manager Andy Westgarth, a Falmouth boy, who has steadily built a team that is once again a force to be reckoned with. Success eventually came in the 2017/18 season when Town won the South West Peninsula League Cup beating Tavistock by 4 goals to 2 after extra-time in an exciting final at Wadebridge. Scorers for Town were Luke Brabyn and a hat-trick from Golden Boot winner, Jordan Annear. This was followed up by beating league champions, Plymouth Parkway, who took promotion to the Western League, in the League’s Charity Bowl.
The following season Town had more success when they beat Saltash United 2-1 in the Cornwall Senior Cup final with goals from centre backs James Ward and Joe Cooper, but were unable to repeat the win when Saltash had their revenge shortly afterwards by beating Town 1-0 with an 89th minute winner in the League Cup final at Blaise Park, St. Blazey. Due to the “Covid Pandemic”, Falmouth Town retained the Cornwall Senior Cup for two more seasons, as the league and cups could not be played to a conclusion. However, with the FA determined to restructure the pyramid system, at the end of the 2020/21 season, Mousehole, Helston Athletic, Saltash United and Millbrook were promoted to the Toolstation Western League on a “points per game” basis. Falmouth Town then joined these Cornish clubs by being the first Cornish club to actually win promotion to the Western League from the South West Peninsula League West Division in Season 2012/22. To cap off a great season, Falmouth Town won the Cornwall Senior Cup at St. Austell’s Poltair Park with a one nil win over Wendron United and went on to beat Torpoint Athletic by 4 goals to 2 in the Champions Bowl at Bodmin Town’s Priory Park. Town striker, Jack Bray-Evans also scooped the “Golden Boot” award. Falmouth Town were then back in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division after an absence of almost 40 years.
The first season saw Falmouth Town finish in seventh place, one place below local rivals Helston Athletic and in that season, Mousehole finished as league champions and with it won automatic promotion to the Pitching In Southern League Division 1 South. The following season Falmouth were beaten to the League Championship by Helston, Town being left in second place by four points. In doing so, this gave Town home advantage in the first promotion play-off position against Barnstaple Town. Beating them by three goals to one resulted in the final play-off game against Clevedon Town and with two goals to nil win, Falmouth Town attained promotion to the Pitching In Southern League Division 1 South for the first time in their history. There was a magnificent eight-game run to the FA Vase Quarter-Finals taking in a trip to Jersey before finally going out away to Great Wakering Rovers 2-0 and a 14th Cornwall Senior Cup title beating St Austell 3-2 in an extra time thriller at Underlane with a Luke Barner 122nd minute winner.
The 2024/25 SLD1S season saw a six-game winning run from the Boxing Day 2-1 home win over Mousehole to rise out of the relegation places and also earn the January “Team of the Month” award. A five-game unbeaten streak in the last eight days of the season resulted in a well-deserved ninth place league finish along with a fifteenth Cornwall Senior Cup win beating St Austell once again in the final.
Our 2025/26 SLD1S season was once again disrupted by the weather like the season before but a fourteenth-place league finish was secured. At the end of the season, Andrew Westgarth stepped down as manager after eleven years in charge, replaced by John Fabby who had been acting as his assistant during the campaign.
