BUCKLAND Athletic experienced something of a rollercoaster 2025/26 campaign in what was a very competitive Jewson Western League Premier Division.

They ultimately fell short of their goal of reaching the playoffs but many were left wondering how different the year could and would have looked if it weren’t for the injuries, manager Matt Cusack commenting that his side “were regularly on the wrong side of the luck factor.”

As Dan Hart’s tenure in the Buckland technical area drew to a close, the club turned to former Helston Athletic boss Matt Cusack to fill the void.

Not only was there a change at the helm but also, several players left and several arrived, which isn’t uncommon at this level.

Experienced centre-back Adam Hill joined Barnstaple Town, midfield duo Ben Fowles and Teigan Rosenquest went to Tavistock AFC, fullback Sam Morcom jumped up to play for Exmouth Town in the Southern League and goalkeeper Adam Seedhouse-Evans also departed.

In response, the Bucks then announced eight new signings in one go, although few lasted long.

They took advantage of the overhaul at Ivybridge Town by snapping up Harry Bell, Jordan Duffey, Jake Lane, Scott Pocock and Sean Thomson as well as adding Cam Sangster and Phil Mendonca, plus bringing Sammy Stayt back to the club. Shortly after this, centre-mid Ruben Kane became the ninth new player, joining from Tavistock.

Adding these players, all of whom had the necessary experience at step five, to an already strong core group, set Buckland up for a promising year.

That being said, Cieran Bridger and Owen Stockton moved on in the opening weeks of the campaign, the pair heading for Bovey Tracey AFC in search of more minutes.

Stayt’s injury in pre-season was a significant setback and he was quickly joined in the treatment room by Jared Lewington and Kane, both with pretty devastating ACL injuries.

We saw Stayt return to action in the final weeks of the season but the other two are still sidelined to this day and have been dealt with long roads to recovery.

On the injury crisis, Cusack said: “Everyone gets injuries, that’s not an issue at all, it’s just the nature of the injuries and the impact that that has had on the squad, at timely intervals as well.

“Losing one player in the spine of the team makes a difference but to lose three, and so early as well, it’s a real challenge.”

As if the issues brought about by injuries weren’t enough, players started to drop like flies in other ways.

Following Bridger and Stockton out of the door all before Christmas were Bell (work commitments), Duffey and Lane (stepping away from football) and Thomson (joined Liskeard Athletic) with Sangster being predominantly absent too.

There was a real sense of shock at Homers Heath with the levels of change, Cusack commenting: “I’ve never seen so much turnover of players in a season for one reason or another, it was unbelievable.”

At the turn of the year, Mendonca and Pocock were the only two new signings that the Bucks manager could choose from, from nine that originally signed on in the summer.

The club responded by re-entering the market; Andrew Sowden-Bird replaced Duffey in between the sticks, Charlie Madden was added to the defensive ranks and Toby Hard, Coby White, Isaac McCue and Jamie Simmonds put on the yellow shirt too.

Looking more at the results than the personnel though and Buckland were always there or there abouts in terms of the playoff positions.

They opened the Cusack reign with four consecutive wins in all competitions including a midweek league victory away at eventual champions Barnstaple.

By the end of August, they’d already had nine different scorers which is a manager’s dream really but as the squad thinned down, this theme wasn’t quite as prevalent.

The Bucks exited the FA Cup and St Luke’s Challenge Cup against Exmouth and Bovey respectively but they enjoyed a good run in the FA Vase.

After notching five against Ilfracombe Town in the first round, three penalty shootouts followed including the unforgettable 12-11 (2-2) home win over Millbrook. This journey then ended against Barum in the third of those shootouts on a day when Buckland effectively had a bare 11, one of whom was ill and another who got injured late on.

That defeat was part of a five-game winless streak but Buckland were able to bounce back quickly, a Boxing Day derby victory over Ivybridge kickstarting a period of 10 games with only one loss.

It was often the draws that held them back though- sharing the spoils with high-flyers Torpoint Athletic is one thing but they were also dropping points against the likes of Oldland Abbotonians and Bridgwater United.

The goals were spread around well in the early parts of the season as previously mentioned but this trend didn’t continue at the same level after Christmas.

Up stepped Ryan Bush though and his form in front of goal was crucial for the Bucks, also earning him the division’s golden boot.

He earned supporter’s and player’s player of the year as well, not to mention the praises of his manager.

“Bushy had a fantastic season, profiting from Jared’s injury undoubtedly and I was really impressed with how he took the mantle on.

“He had to become that focal point of the team in Jared’s absence and he’s done that really, really well. He deserves every accolade that he’s going to get.”

As alluded to there, Bush and Lewington had previously shared minutes and so with the pressure mounting on the former, he delivered and then some, surpassing 30 goals.

Bush himself spoke of being “very pleased to achieve this” tally, highlighting that “It was something I aimed to do at the start of the season.”

Cusack spotlighted one of Bush’s teammates as well: “Another that has done really well is Jack Baxter, he wasn’t in the squad in the very first game of the season, that’s how competitive it was back then.

“He got an injury in pre-season and just missed out on the first game and then by the last game of the season, JB was one of the first names on the team-sheet because of the great campaign that he had, always impacting the game in the final third. He also had a season’s best haul in terms of goals and assists.”

Those aforementioned draws in the final months of the season proved costly for the Yellows.

They still had their fate in their own hands until three ties in a week followed by a defeat to Paulton Rovers put them very much on the back foot, a position from which they were unable to recover.

This led to Cusack coining the phrase “capable but inconsistent” which was a fitting summation of his Buckland team.

Sidmouth Town used their games in hand to edge ahead of them and into fifth with Newquay AFC also moving in front of Buckland.

The selection issues weren’t letting up either, defensive duo Rafael Beadman and Scott Pocock picking up big injuries in the final few weeks but not before Phil Mendonca made the switch to promotion rivals Sidmouth.

As a result, having started the season with 21, they “were left with a five-a-side team to pick from, from the opening day of the season. Yes we made additions along the way but either way, that’s incredible.”

One of the few players who was consistently available for selection was captain Ben Carter and he labelled it as a “mixed season.”

Carter continued, “There were definitely some good moments where we showed what we’re capable of, but we probably weren’t as consistent as we’d have liked.

“Losing key players through injuries and then a few lads moving on makes it tough, especially when you’re trying to build momentum.”

He was a very dependable figure in the middle of the park, always leading by example and giving 100%.

Another who played regularly before succumbing to an unfortunate injury was centre-back Scott Pocock.

The former Ivybridge man said: “I absolutely loved my first season with Buckland. Everyone connected to the club and people behind the scenes are what makes it for me.”

He confirmed that “Next season looks over [for him] already. Ruptured ACL, torn meniscus and MCL in the second to last game of the season.

“I am looking at around 12 months recovery which is absolutely gutting, whether you come back the same player or not is always in the back of my mind but I’m hopeful to get back to playing again for Buckland. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, especially with all the support they gave me.”

Finally to the golden boot winner Ryan Bush who commented that: “Inconsistency in results has been costly and has outweighed the many good moments we’ve had.”

In the weeks since the season ended, Cusack has “had more time to reflect”- here is what he had to say.

“I’ve always been a firm believer that you can’t be successful with people who aren’t there. We had too much change and upheaval throughout the year.

“We have to get our recruitment and retention right for season two. We need people who are going to be there for the duration.”

He added, “When we’ve had these injuries and the upheaval, we’ve been leaning on the pathway a lot so that shows that we’ve got strength in depth.

“We’ve got some really promising youngsters coming through, those are lessons that you maybe don’t learn if you don’t have to use it and always have a fit and available squad.”

Cusack and Buckland are already gearing up for 2026/27 and whilst the departure of popular figure Myles James is a blow, they have re-signed Ben Carter, Ryan Bush and Jack Baxter as well as snapping up Toby Pullman, Mike Searle and Baga Mariko. It promises to be an exciting season ahead.

Click here to read about Buckland’s pre-season plans.