Match Preview
Helston Athletic v Yate Town
Southern League Division One South
Saturday 5th April 2025 - Kick-off 3.00pm
Yate Town travel to Cornwall for their first ever visit to Helston Athletic following on from their 1-1 draw against Bemerton last weekend. With just 5 games to go and the Bluebells still at the top of the table, a point ahead of second placed Evesham United, and with 15 points on offer, Bluebells fans are in for an exciting end of the season as the club looks to hopefully secure promotion.
Form Guide
When the two teams met in December the Bluebells were at the top of the table and with Helston sitting in 7th place, the Cornish side, in their first season at this level, must have been hoping for a play-off place come the end of the season. However, since the turn of the year, 2025 has proved to be a difficult time for them, seeing the side slip down the table and they are now in a relegation place, sitting in 19th position. Heavy defeats, losing 0-9 at Bishops Cleeve on 22nd February plus a 2-8 reversal at home to Cinderford Town on a Tuesday night last month - plus losing top scorer, Jack Crago to Tavistock, have not helped their situation. Helston’s last win was back on 25th January when trailing 0 -1 at home to Cribbs they scored two stoppage time goals through Oliver Redd and Jack Crago to secure the three points. Since then, despite the two heavy losses mentioned above and further defeats at home to Bemerton (0-1), Melksham (1-3) and Didcot (0-3), Helston have shown that they can gain points as shown by an excellent 1-1 draw at home to Evesham United on 1st March and after being 0 -2 down at Bashley two weeks later, managed to salvage a point with two goals in the last ten minutes of the game. Their last home game saw a 1-1 draw with Larkhall Athletic and last Saturday saw them lose 0-3 at also relegation threatened Thatcham Town. Having now played 37 league games so far this season, winning 9, drawing 10 and losing 18, scoring 50 goals and conceding 86, (the most in the division) the Cornish side will be fighting for their survival when Yate Town visit them.
Previous meetings
Helston Athletic, who won promotion from the Western League last season, saw the teams play each other for the first time in a league match, just prior to Christmas, when two late goals from substitute Ross Stearn secured the points in a 2-0 win for the Bluebells, at the South West Interiors Stadium.
Action from the game in December with (top) - a Marlon Jackson header and below, Lucas Tomlinson going close.
Getting there:
Helston play at the Kellaway Park ground, Helston based in Clodgey Lane, Helston TR13 8PJ and the 193-mile journey should take about three and a half hours driving time from Yate, if you are planning to drive there – and possibly make it a weekend in Cornwall.
Next up
Next weekend Yate Town travel to Cornwall again to play play-off hopefuls Mousehole and then Cinderford Town who are to visitors to the South West Interiors Stadium on Good Friday 18th April with a 3pm kick-off.