Saltash Utd 0, Falmouth Town 3

THIS was not the type of game that the Saltash management wanted to go into without four of their first team regulars and two players starting for the first time in a month.

A midfield without Darren Hicks, Johnny Morris and Ross Saint and in form striker Marc Thorne left the Ashes with just full-backs Steve Sargison and Matt Budd on the substitutes bench, while Aaron Cusack and Dan Bennett were starting after long lay-offs.

Ashes joint manager Kevin Hendy refused to use this as an excuse, though. He said: "The better team won on the day and we could not have any complaints at the result.

"Our second half display was a lot better but it was a case of starting to play after the game was lost."

Hendy added: "Last season we knocked them out of three cups and lost twice in the league but this time around it is Falmouth who have the upper hand in the cups as we have done the double over them in the league."

Alan Carey's side had already triumphed 5-3 at Kimberley in the Throgmorton Cup, before reaching the last four of the Senior Cup with this impressive victory that was even more comfortable than the January 2 meeting.

The Ashes were the first to show with Aaron Cusack's 20-yarder cleared off the line by Ross Pope in the first minute but the visitors went on to dominate the game.

Several chances had been spurned before Falmouth finally broke the deadlock on 32 minutes when Joe Lugg's right-wing cross found Ian Hodges calmly firing the ball across Ashes keeper Ben Elphick at the far post.

Elphick had made two fine saves before Karl Turner's free-kick, from the angle of the box, found Stuart Clark slicing his attempted clearance into the far corner of his own net on 40 minutes.

Falmouth had just the start to the second half that they required as Turner's free-kick found Hodges diving full length to head past Elphick to complete the scoring.