Willand Vs Helston
As another new year approaches, people from all around the world will take a moment to raise a glass, reflect on their antics from the year past, and commit to a fresh start. It’s the time of year when people set New Year’s resolutions, only to break them long before Valentine’s Day arrives.
Resolutions are a tradition that have endured for much longer than their festive counterparts, tracing back nearly 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. The Babylonians, who celebrated their new year in mid-March during a 12-day festival called Akitu, made promises to their gods to repay debts and return borrowed items, although it’s not clear why they wouldn’t do this during the rest of the year.
The tradition carried over to ancient Rome, particularly under Julius Caesar, who established January 1 as the start of the new year in 46 BCE. The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, depicted with two faces—one looking forward and one looking back—and Romans made sacrifices to Janus, pledging to live virtuously in the year to come.
In the mediaeval era, New Year’s resolutions took a chivalric turn. During a ceremony known as the “Peacock Vow,” knights would renew their oaths of honour, reaffirming their commitment to courage, loyalty, and service. Later, with the rise of Christianity, the focus shifted to introspection and moral improvement, while the 19th and 20th centuries saw the practice evolve into a secular tradition with modern resolutions often focused on self-improvement, such as getting fit, saving money, or learning a new skill.
In footballing circles, New Year’s resolutions come in many guises but always come down to a single element: improvement. Whether it’s an increase in goals or clean sheets, wins or revenue, hops or attendance, human nature will always drive us to improve.
And so it is with Willand Rovers. The 2023/24 season marked a significant improvement over the previous campaign, during which the spectre of relegation haunted us until the final kick, and the management team and committee will be striving to continue as we approach the mid-decade.
With games coming fast and furious during the festive period, David Steele switched some of his personnel, with Rooke and Camilo occupying starting positions, replacing Dorothy and Mendonca, who were rested with future games in mind.
Visitors Helston, who had not won a game since early November, made the long trip up the A30 in hopes of improving their form as they enter the new year. The game began in surprisingly mild conditions in front of an impressive crowd of 300.
The game itself somehow meanders along the tightrope between mundane and magnificent and can be summarized in five key moments of heroism and head loss, leaving fans somehow unsure if they’d seen a masterpiece or a Mrs. Brown’s Boys rerun.
Willand made the breakthrough in the 16th minute; a shot fired across goal by Allen was inexplicably controlled perfectly by the Helston defender before hesitation allowed a grateful Rooke to fire the ball beyond Moore.
The home team extended the lead in the 33rd minute when Rooke scored his second, running clear down the right flank before placing the ball well in the opposite corner.
Half time – Willand 2 – Helston 0
On any other Saturday, Searles goal in the 48th minute would have taken the weekend plaudits, the ball played in well from Camilo on the right flank with the Willand fullback sweeping the ball past Moore with power and precision.
When Sullivan received a straight red card minutes later, the game effectively ended as a contest, but there was still time for the home team to close out the match and the year in style.
In the 62nd minute a ball was played in from the left wing that was misjudged by Moore, who allowed the ball to somehow bounce behind him, along with Rooke, who had been hunting for a header. Undeterred by the simple notion of facing away from goal, the Willand forward executed what I’m going to describe as an overhead scissor kick, reminiscent of Pele in perennial Christmas favourite ‘Escape to Victory,’ to secure his hat trick and 3 points for his team.
In truth, the remainder of the game, in which David Steele used all of his available subs with future fixtures in mind, felt a bit flat after the highs of the first hour’s play. Thankfully, the media team got all of today’s action on film as a reminder of a most excellent end to 2024.
Full Time – Willand 4 – Helston 0
