The following article was originally published in the printed programme for the Mousehole v Malvern match on 24th August 2024. To purchase back issues of Mousehole matchday programmes, visit our club shop.

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“Annoying. Definitely annoying” 

It’s not a word most of us would land on when asked to describe our best characteristic. But Mousehole forward Jack Symons sees it as his secret weapon.

“I try to get my body in the right places and go down, so I get a lot of free kicks. So I am probably quite annoying to play against. So yeah – I think it is definitely my secret weapon. Always has been, even in kids’ football. But yeah, I do quite like it.”

It’s a hot September afternoon and we’re sitting in the air conditioned Starbucks in Penryn, just down the hill from Jack’s home in Mabe. He’s nursing a hamstring niggle that has kept him out of action for a couple of weeks. One of many injuries causing the Mousehole coaching staff headaches at the moment.  But as ever Jack – known to his team mates as Symo – is bursting to get back involved. He tells me he’s lobbying to start back in warm-up the next evening and then hopefully get game time in the next match.

Now 19, Jack has, to use his words, been terrorizing defences in Cornwall since the age of four or five. 

“I think my earliest proper memory is playing in a tournament, I think it was down at Illogan. I remember having this tussle with another kid who was about my height. And we had this real game for however long it was. I think I scored a goal but what I do remember is taking him out. He annoyed me.”

Jack is not the tallest of players and has a youthful face that hides the mature football brain underneath. 

“I’ve had it so many times. Teams always look at me and think I’m a small player. I’m not physically strong and that I’m going to be terrible or just easy to play against. And they would just kick me, basically. But, yeah, I think I do surprise them when I get them one v one and just beat them”

Throughout his life football has been a constant. Playing six days a week with teams, friends or more recently at Cornwall College. Sundays he spends watching football – Liverpool are his team and he cites Fernando Torres as having a major influence on him. And not just as a player. 

“I used to love him, and then I did love Gerard as well, but I just I adored Torres as a kid. I had loads of Torres shirts. I used to copy his haircut. Whenever he got one, I had to get the same one”

Jack’s journey to the Mousehole first team has taken him via spells at Falmouth United, where his dad Drew was manager, and the Plymouth Argyle Academy where he was for five years up until he was 14. 

His dad has been his coach since he was five, both as a parent and as manager of Falmouth United and Mousehole Development. The journey has taken the family through the highs and lows of football academy realities.

“At five, when I started coaching with him, they were just a group of young players just learning their craft. And you know, they will develop differently. But if you look at him back then, he was quite an aggressive football player at that age. And then he was picked up by Argyle, so obviously he listened and learned and took everything on as a young lad. But he had to put up with an awful lot really. He wasn’t allowed to do play with his local team when he was taken on by Argyle. But he still came and trained every week with his friends even though he was travelling to Ivybridge twice a week.  But when it all ended rather brutally for him with Argyle, I think it made him stronger with a stronger mindset to deal with things.”

It was soon after that that he was picked up by Jake Ash at Penryn College where Jack was at school. He began training with Mousehole as a sixteen-year-old and immediately loved it. Playing “with a smile on his face again” as his dad describes it. He spent a couple of seasons with the development squad while also spending time with the first team, albeit often on the bench or on for brief appearances – a period Jack describes as “frustrating”. But it’s also taught him some life skills. 

“Probably mostly patience, to be honest. You have have to be really patient to get the chances. And then it’s just sort of taking those chances whenever they come up, whether that’s a start now and again, or 20 minutes here and there. Yeah, I think patience has been the most important thing I’ve learned to be honest.”

This season however has seen him a regular starter for the firsts in the Southern League, something Charlie Davis – Jake’s Assistant Manager at Mousehole and also a former PE teacher at Penryn, says is well-warranted:

“Jack’s technical ability is second to none and his versatility is a real strength. I think it’s clear to see how he has matured over time and at just 19 years old his game awareness is brilliant. I truly believe Symo is amongst the very best in young talent within the Southwest, and it’s great to see him flying the flag for young Cornish footballers in the Southern league”. 

It’s a sentiment echoed by fellow striker Hayden Turner, last season’s top scorer in the league:

“Symo’s a great lad, he’s been so patient during his time with us in terms of game time and that has paid off. For his age he is performing at a great level and he offers us as a team so much with the quality he has. He will definitely go far in the game.”

For now, Symo is enjoying his football more than at any time in his 19 years. He describes Mousehole as “the best in the business – for coaching, training, matchday experience. It’s fun as well”.

And as for Dad, the coach who’s been there throughout not just on the pitch but at home and on those long car journeys, this stage of his career is putting a smile on his face as well.

“We always knew he had the talent. He’s just needed that opportunity and someone to believe in him and the talent would always come out. So that’s kind of where we are. I just hope he develops, keeps working hard –  which I’m sure he will. And you never know where it might take him. He’s still young, still lots to develop, still lots of things to learn. So yeah, really exciting times”

For the second year in a row, Mousehole AFC has been shortlisted for the prestigious National Football Content Awards. The club’s media operation including website, social media, video and photography, are competing for the category Best Football Club – Non-League.

Dubbed the “Oscars of the football world”, the Football Content Awards are the awards ceremony celebrating the best in online football media. They recognise and reward all content creators and online media companies in football. From the independent creators to the media organisations, small and large, they congratulate the best in class for the football content we see day to day online.

The awards ceremony is being held on November 21st at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mousehole will be represented by Kevin Bishop, Dan Tatarsky, Jasmyn Richardson and Ed Varcoe. Our entry this year highlighted the work the club is doing to give young people a break in the world of sports media.

To vote for Mousehole AFC follow this link and search for Best Football Club Non League https://footballcontentawards.com/voting/

Mousehole are up against these clubs for the award:

AFC Welwyn
Baiteze Squad
Dorking Wanderers
Erith Town
Farnham Town
Goalacticos
Ilkeston Town
Punjab United
SE Dons
Southend United

Last year the event was at Anfield – here’s a few photos from the evening:

We caught up with Jasmyn who’s become a familiar face around Trungle in her role as media assistant.

Tell us a bit about yourself: Where are you from, what do you do back at home, and how did you end up working with us here?

My name is Jasmyn Richardson. I am 17 years old and have been an intern at Mousehole AFC for the past five months. I currently live in the Netherlands, but I was born here in England. My dad, Jeff Richardson, is English, and my mum, Linda van den Berg, is Dutch. I moved back to the Netherlands when I was three but have visited many times for holidays.

At home, I am studying to become a Media Designer, which requires 1200 internship hours. When it was time for me to find an internship, my parents suggested doing it at Mousehole AFC and staying with my grandparents. I loved the idea since I always wondered what my life would have been like if I still lived here. It was a great opportunity to grow personally and professionally. I also liked the idea of spending time with my family here in England and getting closer to them.

When I asked my school about the internship, they said the football club had to become a certified internship company. Kevin kindly arranged for Mousehole AFC to make it all possible.

What have your duties been here at the club?

At Mousehole AFC, I created the Mousehole Youth website from scratch using WordPress, which was a new platform for me. I also designed graphics for social media and posters for the town and club.

Towards the end of the season, I started with sports photography. Steve, one of the groundsmen, kindly lent me his camera for a few matches, and later, my uncle Tim lent me his. I am very grateful to both of them because I really enjoyed doing that.

On match days, I helped with the gate and the 50/50 draw. During the game, I sent pictures to my dad for the half-time and full-time posts and updated the Instagram Story and WhatsApp Channel.

What has been the highlight of your time here?

This is a hard question because I genuinely loved every single second of it. However, one highlight was spending time with my grandparents. Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible, and being with them has been amazing. I am so grateful for every second with them.

I also loved match days. The environment and energy were amazing, making it the highlight of my week. Helping out was great, and I absolutely loved it. Creating original graphics and posters and receiving positive feedback was also a wonderful feeling.

What have you found most difficult to adapt to?

When I first arrived, my dad stayed for 10 days to help me settle in, which I am very grateful for. It was difficult when he left because I had never been away from my family for more than a week. But that feeling quickly went away, and I started to love it.

I still speak to my family every day on the phone, so it eventually didn’t feel like I was gone. Working closely with my dad also really helped.

What skills do you think you’ve acquired by being with us?

I have significantly improved my graphic design skills, especially using Canva. I had used Canva before but never fully explored its potential, and I am still learning its capabilities.

I am also learning sports photography, which is challenging because you have to do a lot at once: follow the game, look through the camera, keep it focused, and get good shots.

When I started, I didn’t even know WordPress existed, but I eventually learned how much you can do with it. I loved trying out new plugins and designs.

This internship has also helped me with my communication skills. I was never great at communicating with people I am not close to, but this internship has really challenged me and improved my skills. Helping out on match days contributed to this growth, and I will forever be grateful for that.

How does life in Cornwall differ from life in the Netherlands? What has been your favorite thing you’ve done or experienced here in Cornwall?

In the Netherlands, I live in a very small village with a small population. I enjoy the peace and quiet.

In Cornwall, I love how busy it is—not too crazy, just right for me. My grandparents live close to the sea, so the house overlooks the bay with amazing views. My grandad loves boats, and being able to see the harbor and sea has sparked my interest in boats. I am still learning about them.

My family has also taken me to some amazing places in Cornwall with stunning views. I am grateful for those experiences.

I can’t choose a favorite thing because I have done and experienced so much here. These are memories I will never forget and will be eternally grateful for.

How would you describe the club if you were talking to friends back home?

Everyone welcomed me with open arms, and I immediately felt at home. I would describe it as a loving and friendly football club where everyone is welcome to join the journey and help the club progress.

What are your ambitions for the future?

I love what I am doing for Mousehole, partly because I am part of something I love so much. Working in football has definitely made me consider a career in this direction.

For now I am focusing on my studies and hopefully getting my diploma next year.

England played the Netherlands in the semi-final of the Euros. How was that experience for you in an English household?

Being half Dutch and half English put me in a bit of a dilemma because I wanted both teams to do well. However, I have a special place in my heart for the Dutch national team, so I decided to support them.

My uncle Tim and auntie Nicola were in Germany at the stadium and sent me pictures and videos of their day. They even got Dutch people to say hi to me on camera, which was hilarious.

I watched the game with my grandparents and my cousin. I had red, white, and blue stripes on my face, hoping the Netherlands would win. Everyone else was hoping for a different outcome, of course.

In the last minute, England scored the winning goal, and my grandparents were jumping up and down. But my grandma also felt bad for me. Holland was out, and it was a sad evening, but I quickly got over it and looked forward to the final.

The following article was originally published in the printed programme for the Mousehole v Malvern match on 24th August 2024. To purchase back issues of Mousehole matchday programmes, visit our club shop.

When Pablo Woolls-Blanco left Mousehole for warmer climes at Barcelona, we knew his shoes would be hard to fill. So…up stepped up Ed Varcoe. You can see Ed’s reports on our YouTube channel. He’s also behind the new Insta reels and TikTok videos that we’re producing with the players. But Who is Ed Varcoe? We caught up with him on the team bus on the way to Cribbs.

NAME: Ed Varcoe

DOB: 3/8/2008

SCHOOL: Truro

A LEVELS: DT, Geology and Biology

FAVOURITE TEAM: Liverpool. My dad supports them so I followed him. My earliest memory is the Salah hat-trick against Bournemouth in December 2018.

FAVOURITE LIVERPOOPL PLAYER: All-time it has to be Salah. Currently it’s MacAllister.

BEST ENGLAND MEMORY: Luke Shaw scoring in the second minute of Euro 2020 final. 

FAVOURITE MUSIC: James Arthur or Mumford and Sons

VIDEO GAME: FIFA

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED AT MOUSEHOLE: I played for the under 16 team, and one of my friends was doing journalism, and I quite like the idea of it. So I contacted Pablo, who was the reporter before me, and he put me in touch with Kevin, and it sort of went from there.

FAVOURITE THING YOU DO AT THE CLUB: Instagram

HOW COME YOU ENDED UP AS A GOALIE? I think I was about nine, and my dad bought me a goal to put in the garden, and he went in goal at first, and I kicked it so hard he hurt his hurt his arm. He got a bruise on his arm. So he said how about you getting in there and I’ll kick some balls at you. And I quite liked it, so I stayed there.

WHAT IMPRESSES YOU MOST ABOUT MOUSEHOLE FIRST TEAM? Probably the real togetherness between all of them, like they all know each other. They’re all good chemistry between them all on the pitch.

FAVOURITE MOUSEHOLE PLAYER: Jack Calver. Or Goldie. We just named our new dog after Goldie. 

It’s July 1998. In Paris, the French national team clinch their first ever World Cup with a win over Brazil. England have exited at their then customary early stage, this time in part thanks to a David Beckham red card. In Cornwall, Vindaloo by Fat Les is blaring out of every radio on the beach. And in Ashton, between Helston and Penzance, a six-year old Mark Goldsworthy is spending all day in the garden.

“I was quite shy and when I was finding my feet as a young boy my first memories are just of me, living in my garden, with about ten or twelve footballs lined up just peppering them at goal. We called it The Meadow – dad planted loads of bushes around so it was fully protected. And as I got older, dad, bless him, kept building goals to suit my size. So obviously, you can imagine, they started off very small.”

The 1998 World Cup is Mark’s earliest memory of football. His hero was Ronaldo – “the real one” – and it wasn’t long before he moved from the back garden to playing for the local team. But being nervous and lacking in a certain self-confidence, he needed a push. 

“To be honest, most of it is down to down to dad. He pushed me. He knew I was half decent at that age and at primary school in Germoe I started to realize that I was quite a lot better than the other lads around me. There weren’t that many of us so I didn’t have a massive amount of competition, but I always felt like I was ahead of them. I think that built my confidence and dad pushed me over the line to sign for Rosudgeon which was my first team. And from then on I never looked back.”

From there Mark moved to Wendron and after that to Helston where he went to secondary school. It’s a time he remembers fondly, moving  up with the boys he’d played with and against in the local villages. At school it was just “football, football, football” and the friendships grew stronger. Helston then formed an under 15s youth team which Mark joined and, in his words, “won everything”. 

But then it was time to move up to men’s football.

“Yeah, again, that was Dad, because I was a bit nervous to make that jump to the men’s game. Obviously, as you can imagine, back then in lower leagues of local football you would meet some characters that wouldn’t take kindly to a skinny 15-year-old running around. So, yeah, dad pushed me. He literally just said, right, get your boots on and jump in the car. And I think it was Mawgan or somewhere like that. I just turned up for Helston 3rds or 2nds and came on with half hour to go and scored a couple. And that was the end of boy’s football.  I was all in men’s football from that minute on”

Mark went on to have two spells with Helston Athletic either side of a stint with St Austell. He notched up over 300 goals in the South West Peninsular League and was made the Blues captain. In his last season he was well on his way to winning a fourth consecutive Golden Boot before COVID ended the campaign prematurely. As a proud Cornishman, he feels playing football here is special.

“Characters are formed in football down in Cornwall. Everyone seems to know you. And it’s all well and good being successful on the pitch but I think there has to be a part of it off the pitch as well where you have that fun and build those relationships with so many different people. And I think that’s what’s good about Cornish football – there’s a close-knit community. Maybe it’s a bit different for the likes of us that have rattled through the leagues and left behind a lot of local clubs –  but they’re still the heartbeat down there, aren’t they? The lower league sides where I go into the clubhouse and have a pint. I always know people there that over the years I’ve built  friendships with and they’re still there. And I think that is a vital part of Cornish football.”

Goldie signed for Mousehole in November 2020 and went on to become an integral part of the squad that won the Western League in April 2023.

“That day meant everything to me. I had thought that season was possibly the end of me, with the injuries I had with my head, my shoulder. I thought, No something’s telling me: ‘Just stop. You’ve had a great career down here in football. You’ve enjoyed it. Loved it. And I thought that that was the end. So it was really nice to cap that especially with people like Burty who’s now retired and barely kicked the ball since. At Mousehole it’s such a different culture to anything else I’ve seen. It’s so special in the fact you’re bringing these boys together as one, and we are so different. So to do it with so many different personalities and characters it was just such an amazing day. And obviously doing it on the last day – although it’s not nice before the game –  but after the game, that’s the best way to win a league.”

Goldie dislocated his shoulder in the first weeks of last season and through a stroke of luck was treated on the pitch by a leading German surgeon who happened to be staying at the club’s campsite. The injury has plagued him ever since and he’s finally getting it operated on this November. Coming on the pitch at 32 years old, strapped up by physio Beth Prouse and battling to keep his shoulder in its socket, he’s often asked why he carries on. 

“I don’t know. It’s a massive addiction, isn’t it – Football?

After the third dislocation up in Melksham when I broke all the bones in there, I remember saying to Ashy that I can’t do it. And he’s like, we need you back. But then I has a few months out and I barely watched the game. But I saw us when we lost at home in the rain – a flat performance with no fire. And I hate losing.  I was just looking thinking I can still improve us. I can still bring something.  There’s a hole in this team which is sort of my shape. The boys bring all the technical ability – they’re a joke you know. But I think I just help bring that winning mentality to us. So I just knew I wasn’t quite done, even though I was in so much pain, and even though my shoulder’s now gone nine times. I still can’t let it go. I still cannot let it go.”

Mark acknowledges that as the oldest squad member he’s something of a father figure to the younger players – although he admits that, as a Guinness drinker and pasty eater, he’s not a role model! He knows however that after his surgery he’ll struggle to regain his number 9 shirt but he’s leaving his options open until he has to make the decision on his future. But he’s sure of one thing -his focus going forward will be on his own family. Mark’s two sons were there at Trungle when Mousehole won the league and his eldest still talks about that day, running around the pitch in the green smoke of the flares. Although the future is unclear, Goldie knows until the last minute he’s going to give his all to the club. 

“I think I still offer something, because I know I’m helping the boys. And when the day comes and I know I stopped helping them, and I bring nothing, and I’m a negative effect on the pitch. That’s me done. But until then I want to be a leader. I want to lead the boys. I’m old-school. We don’t really have that old-school mentality or behaviour, straight talking. That’s not really a thing in modern football. But I just think that that’s what I bring and that is rubbing off on the boys. I’m at the stage where I don’t want to think about no football whatsoever in my future, but I do think when I stop playing, that will be me. And then hopefully one or both of my little boys will get into it, and I can just go and watch and have another pint.”

The following article was originally published in the printed programme for the Mousehole v Malvern match on 17th August 2024. To purchase back issues of Mousehole matchday programmes, visit our club shop.

It’s Sunday the 14^th July and Jack Calver is stretching his willpower to the limit. Two hours before England kick off in the Euro 2024 final against Spain. But Mousehole have a big game the next day – Exeter City at home and their captain knows where his priorities lie.

I ask him if he might be tempted to sneak out for a beer.

“No chance. One of my mates, Billy from Truro, just rang me saying  ‘I’m outside yours. Like, well, just around the corner picking someone up, I’ll get you’. I was like, No, do not come to my house.”

For Jack, football is life. He started playing for Plymouth Argyle when he was seven, nineteen years ago.

“There was I think eight of us from Looe, our nine aside team, eight of the lads were all asked to go up at the same time. So we’re all buzzing, obviously. Then a few of the lads sort of got to the age where you had to make a decision between your local team or Argyle, and a few of the boys knocked it on the head and said too much commitment. But I carried on.” 

The hours as an apprentice at Argyle were long. Two training sessions a day, staying behind to clean up after the first team.

“It was something of a drag, but then it all changed when you got that first year pro, you were obviously being able to train and then go when you wanted after training. So that was quite nice. But even that, I don’t know, it was a lot of commitment, obviously, but I suppose you do it if you want to try and make it in the game. So it was all worth it I think.”

After leaving Argyle, Jack had spells with Bideford and Plymouth Parkway. He came to Mousehole in the 21/22 season and was made captain for their second campaign in the Western League, following the departure of Billy Curtis. 

“Jake pulled me aside before the Tavistock friendly and said Billy’s going, I’d like you to step up and be captain for the season. And I was buzzing, to be honest. It just, I don’t know, I was very proud, because Mousehole is such a good club, and the fans love it down there. So to be captain of a big club like Mousehole… Yeah, I was very honoured.”

Throughout his footballing journey, Mum and Dad Les and Lynne have been there. 

“They’ve drove me a lot in the last few years as a well, since I joined Argyle, they were traveling up to the likes of Oxford, Swindon, Cheltenham, Portsmouth, all them sort of places on their own just to watch 11 o’clock kickoffs in the morning. They were leaving Looe at stupid o’clock just to get out there and make kickoff. Even now at Mousehole they’re there every game, home and away. On the coach with us. So yeah, they are a massive part of my footballing life.”

Dad Les is a constant vocal presence on matchdays.

“Mum went for a stage few years ago when she actually used to stand away from him, because he’s just constant. He doesn’t shut up. He’s relentless, going at the refs. their management. I look over sometimes and he’s just sort of trying to gee me up. And I’m like, shut up. Leave me to it, let me do let me do it. But, yeah, he gets so into it. He loves it.”

Jack went on the lead the team to the Western League title in his first season. His memories of that rainy April day when he lifted the trophy will stick long in his memory. 

“That’s the best day of my football and career so far. 100%. It was nine months of graft.     A lot of people don’t see how much hard work we put into training, We travel and make an effort for the training Tuesdays and Thursdays, horrible weather, away days, long hours. I think people sort of take that for granted, but the lads, we all worked so hard that season, I think we finally got our awards. So yeah, I was over the moon that we could achieve what the club wanted to and what we deserved.”

Jack describes himself as a winner who hates losing – always miserable after a loss. He’s had one or two bouts of injury over the last two years but is a constant presence at every match. In the changing room or on the sidelines, being vocal and encouraging the team.  The low point last season in the late autumn when the team went on an extended losing streak was a real challenge, but he was determined to tough it out and it paid off with Mousehole eventually turning their season around in style. 

“Jeez, that was bad. we lost about five or six on the bounce. And you’re like, what? What’s going so wrong. But then I thought, Nah, you can’t just knock it on the head now, because that’s an easy way out. So you’ve got to sort of step up and try and, you know, prove that you are good enough and the team are good enough to get themselves out of this situation. And we did that obviously finishing in the playoffs. So it was a real testament to everyone.”

Jack has signed for his third season as captain and is relishing the challenge of – perhaps – a campaign that will end even better than the excitement of last May. For him though, the real driver is playing for a club he describes as having “such a good feeling”.

“I knew that I was always going to end up at Mousehole. I haven’t looked back, to be honest, this decision I’ve made.  I think joining the club because such good family club, a forward-thinking club, it’s amazing. They just want to go up and up and up. 

And I want to be part of that.”

Mousehole’s last match of the 2023/24 season was a disappointing loss in the Play-Off Semi Final away against Frome but the sun was out for the return to action for The Seagulls, the country’s most Westerly club.

The visitors, Evesham Utd, had been one of the few teams to take all three points away with them from Trungle Parc last season so it promised to be tough game. With several new faces in their line-up Mousehole started brightly and both sides had chances but Mousehole broke the deadlock. A great diagonal from Max Hill released new boy Jordan Hackett, his immediate control allowed him to cross for Goldsworthy to finish from close range.

There were few other chances and the half ended 1-0.

Evesham had the best of the first 20 mins of the second half creating a few good chances but their shooting was always off target.

Turner missed a penalty for Mousehole after 70 mins when Mitchell had been felled. A great save by Harris.

Near the end Aaron Heap was red carded for a foul on Mousehole’s Symons. The ensuing melee led to four bookings, two on each side!Evesham still pushed hard but couldn’t draw level. A delighted Trungle celebrated a first league win of the season.

MOM Ryan Barrett MAFC

Full Time 1-0

In the autumn of 2022, the players and staff of Mousehole Football Club were devastated to hear that former player Rheiss McLean died as a result of suicide. The tragic event served to highlight the importance of focusing on mental health in a club environment. In the following months, Mousehole renewed and updated our mental health awareness programme and appointed club officers to implement it.

We held a collection on a match day for the charity Band of Brothers, who give young men going through difficult times a mentorship experience that has seen remarkable results.

The donation from the club was presented to Band of Brothers in Redruth at Heartlands on Wednesday night at their Coming Home Ceremony, an event where the most recent mentees are blessed and honoured for their progress towards a better understanding of coping with their challenges.

The ceremony was a moving testament to the power of mentorship for young men and held in the presence of families and community leaders, as well as the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, the Kings representative in the Duchy. BBC Spotlight were also there to highlight the work that Band of Brothers do in the county.

You can find out more about the charity here: https://abandofbrothers.org.uk. There are branches in Penzance and Falmouth and plans to open in St Austell. If you know of a young man who could benefit from their mentorship, or an older man who might act as a mentor, do get in touch.