Mousehole AFC is the most westerly football clubintheEnglish National League system. Over the past few years The Seagulls have been making waves in Cornish football, with a rapid rise through the leagues to their current place in the prestigious Southern League.

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exciting journey as we continue to grow on and off the pitch.

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A week is a long time in politics so they say. Five days can be a lifetime in football. Where Mousehole were dominant on Tuesday night they were meek here, where they’d been energetic before they were diffident this afternoon. Lacklustre is an apt word to describe the first half hour and whilst there was a stirring comeback ultimately, they got what they deserved. 

Under a vibrant sun the visitors began in beach football mode. Slow of movement, hesitant of thought. The flip flops were on show. Was it over confidence after beating the same opponents on Tuesday or simply the ghost of poor away form that has dogged the white and greens for two seasons? 

Whatever the reason, with ten minutes of the first half left they already looked to be out of the cup at two nil down. The goals were sloppily conceded and greedily taken. Both the result of another consistent failing; defending set pieces. 

The first came from a corner. Swung in and not cleared in spite of several chances to do so, the melee ended with a Brixham body hitting the floor and the referee pointing to the spot. The ensuing penalty was dispatched with ease. 

Ten minutes later a long throw from the right led to a game of head tennis which Brixham won with a looped effort that went in at the far post.

It felt like game over but suddenly the Seagulls awoke, maybe realising they were plunging to earth. Chances developed, probably the best being a Harrison drive that just went over. Not long after, a Massey cross was handled in the box and Turner fired the penalty home. There was still time for Mousehole to hit the bar as Brixham welcomed half time like a long-lost friend. 

Mousehole started the second half like they’d started the game on Tuesday but the equaliser wouldn’t come. Brixham were happy to absorb the pressure, staying deep and then try to attack on the break. This worked half way through the half. The keeper sent a long ball forward which no one dealt with, leaving the Brixham forward to burst free. He controlled the ball and unleashed a Geoff Hurst-like rocket which went in off the underside of the bar. Game over?

No.

Mousehole showed proper fighting spirit and suddenly they were back in it. Two goals in less than three minutes and in an instant everyone was thinking about a replay. 

The goals were very similar:

Starting with Jack Calver coming out of defence, the ball was played forward and picked up by Liam Prynn (2^nd goal) /  Tallan Mitchell (3^rdgoal), he beat a man and played it into the box for Tallan Mitchell (2^nd goal) / Jack Symons (3^rd goal). Surrounded by defenders he found space and “rolled it past the keeper” (2^nd goal) / “smashed it past the keeper” (3^rd goal).

Only one team looked like winning this game at that point and it wasn’t Brixham but win it they did. Mousehole gave away a soft free kick twenty five yards out. The resulting shot looked to be heading for the top corner until Lewis Moyle arrived to tip it round the post. From the corner, yes you’ve guessed it, more head tennis, ending with a looped headed winner. 

With only a few minutes left Mousehole pushed for another equaliser but it never looked like coming.  Dumped out the cup before the first qualifying round left a morose squad with only thoughts of what could, some would say should, have been. And so dreams of Wembley died for another year. 

Text: Daniel Tararsky

Having started the league campaign with a disappointing defeat away at Malvern The Seagulls were eager to record a home win on a balmy Tuesday evening. Coming just three days after the trip up country this was a speedy chance to make amends against newly promoted opponents. 

Mousehole started with an energy and intensity that implied they’d been asked by boss Ash to turn up the heat maps. From back to front the Seagulls upped their game from the previous run out. Fifty fifties were won all over the pitch, one to one duels almost all went to the home team.

The result of all this effort meant that most of the match was played in the Brixham half. It was, at times, like a training match of defence versus attack but Mousehole couldn’t make the break through. Chances came and went but the finishing touch was never applied. In the end it took a bit of Jack Symons trickery to unlock the door.

In his usual fashion he burst into the box, ball glued to his foot with defenders diving in to dispossess him but failing.  As often happens one of those legs eventually took the midget maestro’s feet from under him ad the penalty was rightly awarded. The culprit was dismissed somewhat harshly. 

Hayden Turner placed the ball on the spot and dispatched it calmly, sending the keeper the wrong way. 

Ten minutes later and Symons repeated the feat, tumbling under another challenge in the box. Turner again did the business, this time down the middle. Two nil at half time, having had 75% possession was probably less than deserved. 

With Brixham down to ten men the second half shaped up to be tough for the visiting team.  As it turned out the game was effectively over just before the hour. A nice corner routine ended with the ball at Liam Prynn’s feet on the edge of the box. He took a touch to steady himself then rifled the ball into the roof of the net beyond a fully stretched keeper.

From then on it was a case of how many could Mousehole score. The answer being: no more. Lots of chances were created but Brixham held firm. 

Mousehole will face better teams this season and those missed chances will be costly but against a team struggling to create this performance was enough and a good start to home league campaign. 

Next match? Brixham, FA Cup on Saturday. 

The first day of the season always arrives full of optimism and infinite possibilities. Anything can happen, there are no limits and so after six hours on the road the coach pulled into the under-renovation car park full of joy and hope. Four hours later the travelling Seagulls; players, staff and fans trudged back on with heavy hearts and a fully signed reality cheque in their back pockets.

Last season saw a thrilling last minute winner from Hayden Turner but the tale of this game was told well before the end. The first half was a tight affair with Mousehole getting into lots of good positions without being able to convert those moments into clear cut chances.

At the other end, the home side kept getting half chances from which they were more able to strike at goal. The shot count fell in their favour 9 to 2 from just forty percent possession.

The first chance of the second half fell to last season’s hero, but on this occasion the Hitman did not hit the mark and fired over. This was the match’s sliding doors moment because a few moments later Malvern took the lead. A long throw was flicked on, that flick was in turn flicked on again by an outstretched toe and Malvern had broken through. A neat pass inside found the substitute Harry Clark who had just entered the fray. His first touch was to roll the ball past a despairing Lewis Moyle dive.

Mousehole heads seemed to go down and even if they weren’t out it was pretty much all over less than ten minutes later. A melee on the edge of the box saw the ball break free. Legs were flying from all quarters and one found a Malvern ankle and down he went. Ryan Brunt sent Moyle the wrong way and the whole ground knew it was game over with twenty minutes left.

The coffin was nailed shut with ten minutes to go. Another scruffy exchange ended as too often with Malvern possession. They found a free man on the right, a marauding full back who took the pass in his stride and planted beyond the keeper.

After a promising FA Cup win last week the Seagulls had their wings clipped and fell to earth. The good news is that the next game is only a few days away. It’s a long season. Forty one games to go.

In any game but maybe especially in the first game of the season an early goal is very welcome and so it proved in this FA Cup tie, Mousehole’s first competitive game of a new term. With only four pre-season friendlies behind them and four new faces in the starting line-up there was a little trepidation about how the match would go.

Those fears disappeared after just one minute when one new boy, Max Cook, curled a cross in to the box. It eventually fell to the returning Tallan Mitchell. He surged towards goal only to be brought down by an waggling defensive leg. We’ll never know if the referee would have awarded the penalty this deserved because within sixty of his debut Liam Prynn had scored when the ball ran loose.

Chances came a plenty over the next forty four minutes but the lead refused to extend. Indeed, there were a few scares as the visitors threatened to draw level. None of their chances would have scored high on the Xg charts but they enough to remind Mousehole that this was not a friendly.

Too often it felt like the Seagulls’ build up was a little slow so that by the time the chance came the Bridgwater defence were all behind the ball squeezing the gaps. One nil up at half time was probably just about deserved but both sides knew, as it so often the case, that the next goal was vital.

The second half carried on in much the same vein as the first with Mousehole having most of the possession, about seventy percent, and most of the chances but not being able to deliver the killer blow. Bridgwater were still getting enough of a sniff of goal to keep the home fans on the edge of their seats.

With only twenty minutes left the game was still in the balance and Jake Ash had just made two changes with Hayden Black and Tim Nixon coming on for Massey and Mitchell. This change produced the extra energy needed on a hot day to push Mousehole over the line and after seventy two minutes the lead was doubled. Ed Harrison, another debutant, played the ball out to Hayden Turner on the left. He surged towards the box, cut in, and curled a shot above the keeper in to the top of the net.

Within seven more minutes the lead was doubled again with a brace from Ed Harrison to add to his assist. The came when he received the ball on the edge of the box and hammered it home beyond a despairing keeper. The final was a perfect example of simplicity combined with panache. A long ball out from Chenoweth was nodded on by Prynn to Tim Nixon. In the box, he back heeled it to Harrison who stroked it home. Five seconds from keeper at one end the back of the net at the other. Devastating.

All that was left now was for Mousehole to keep their clean sheet and as so often happens it fell to the brilliance of Ollie Chenoweth. With moments remaining a game Bridgwater put together their best move of the match and engineered a chance just a few yards out. Most keepers would have let the chance just happen but Chenoweth rushed out and blocked the shot. Still the best.

A strong start to the season and a cup run in the offing. The next round sees us away to today’s opponents meaning we play them twice in four days.

Words by Daniel Tatarsky; Photos Ed Varcoe

Buckland 0-2 Mousehole

With a depleted squad Mousehole ran out comfortable winners in a tricky friendly against a robust Buckland team.

With the heatwave gone conditions were great for the Seagulls to get more yards in their legs with just two weeks to go before the first competitive game of the season.

Chances were few and far between as both teams looked to find some rhythm but gradually Mousehole began to take control.

The deadlock was broken when the ball fell to one of Mousehole’s trialists in the box. He jinked past the keeper and smashed it into the roof of the net past two despairing defenders on the line.

Not long after, Lewis Moyle had to come sharply off his line to thwart a home attack but other than that the visiting goal faced little danger.

The second half saw the green and whites maintain control and Massey came close several times but the second wouldn’t come.

Buckland made a number of changes but it didn’t allow them to wrestle control away from the visitors.

With the ref on the verge of blowing for time Massey broke free once more and finally doubled the lead as he rolled it under the keeper.

A very solid win, a clean sheet and more match fitness gained. All in all a good day at the office.

Words by Daniel Tatarsky; Photography Jack Tyler and Max English

Unseasonal rain saw Mousehole welcome Penzance for the inaugural match for the Tony Claypole Trophy. Tony, a Cornish footballing legend, played for both clubs and this was a fitting encounter to celebrate his memory. You can read more about Tony Claypole and the story behind this new cup match here.

Members of Tony’s family were at the match and his son, Jonathan, presented the trophy to the winning captain. Jon said: “The whole family, we’re so incredibly proud to have my father’s football legacy remembered in this this amazing event, by the two clubs that he was synonymous with in local area. So, the whole family’s so proud of this event and of future ones. Every year for the next few years – we’ll be here without a doubt”

Mousehole’s squad featured five trialists and two summer signings as Jake Ash and his management team prepare for another assault on promotion but it was two of last season’s stalwarts who set up the opener when Oscar Massey put in Tim Nixon after just four minutes. The lead was doubled five minutes later when one of the trialists crossed for Liam Prynn, recently arrived from Tavistock, to head home.

The first silverware of the season was sewn up before half time when a lovely flowing move ended with Nixon returning the compliment to Massey to slot home.

The scoreline did not reflect the high quality of Penzance’s play. A number of times they played through and around the home defence but lacked the Seagulls’ cutting edge.

With it being a pre-season game, half time saw a number of substitutions and this led to the play becoming a little fragmented with neither side making clear cut chances.

The only goal came from one of the Mousehole trialists, the same one who had provided the assist in the first half. This time he picked the ball up in midfield, burst forward and unleashed a rocket from thirty yards which almost burst the roof of the net. It was a goal worthy of winning any game and it put this one to bed.

Mousehole Vice-Chairman Deryk Heywood said: “I thought the idea of two local teams coming together to compete in this pre season friendly cup game in celebration of local legend Tony is a brilliant idea . Tony who had connections with both clubs and held in high regard, it’s a great way of bringing the clubs closer together in the community. I would like to think the PSF is always played in good spirit.
One thing that stood out to me is how moved the family were , something I won’t forget.”

As the rain continued to fall Jack Calver was presented the trophy by Jonathan, Tony’s son. A game played hard and fair with quality from both sides was a fitting way to remember the ex-Cobblers’ ace.

Great progress is underway by the team building our new access road. The route is now cut through to the existing car park which will be expanded.

Here are some photos from the great Jack Tyler – j4cksphotography – who will be a regular at Interiora Trungle Parc this coming season.

BACKGROUND: The new access road will transform how players, fans, and the local community reach Mousehole AFC, thanks to the backing of HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchy of Cornwall. Read more here.

This long-awaited project will ease congestion through Paul village, improve safety, and create new opportunities for sport and community events at Trungle Parc and beyond. It’s been made possible through the incredible generosity and expertise of a dedicated group of partners working at no cost to the club.

A huge thank you to our project partners:

• ISC (part of the GRS Group) – Specialists in enabling works, earthworks and civil engineering across the UK.
• Maen Karne (part of the GRS Group) – Cornwall’s leading supplier of bagged and loose aggregates and waste removal services.
• Tarmac – The UK’s leading sustainable construction materials, road contracting and building products business.
• Griffiths – Major civil engineering contractor with a large-scale plant fleet and decades of experience.
• Holcim (Aggregate Industries) – Experts in asphalt and paving solutions with a strong focus on sustainability.
• Colas – Global leaders in transport infrastructure and highway maintenance, with local operations in Cornwall.
• Cormac – Cornwall-based contractors delivering road building, surfacing and civil engineering services.
• Keyline – National civils and drainage suppliers with a strong presence in Cornwall.

The new road is expected to be ready for the start of our 2025/26 season — a huge step forward for the club and our community!

A selection of photographs from the groundbreaking ceremony for the new road at Interiora Trungle Parc.

Many thanks to Oli Grove from GRS for the photography.

Mousehole AFC and Penzance FC are proud to announce the creation of a new annual fixture between the two clubs: the Tony Claypole Cup, a preseason match that will celebrate the enduring legacy of one of West Cornwall’s most respected football figures with strong links to both our clubs.

The inaugural match will take place on Tuesday, July 15th, at Interiora Trungle Park, home of Mousehole AFC. The fixture will then rotate annually between the two clubs’ home grounds, with the goal of establishing a competitive yet commemorative tradition that honours Tony’s lifelong contribution to football in the region.

Tony Claypole, who sadly passed away in 2022, was a well-known and much-loved figure in Cornish football. Born in Weldon in Northamptonshire in 1937, England Schoolboy International Claypole joined his local professional club Northampton Town as a Junior in 1953, making his first team debut in 1957. He chalked up over 125 appearances, most notably helping the Cobblers win promotion from the Fourth Division. He was comfortable at either left or right back until sustaining a broken leg against Coventry City during the 1961-62 season – just a fortnight after he got married.

Whilst that injury ended his time as a professional, Tony went on to enjoy a sterling career in the upper echelons of the non-League game with the likes of Cheltenham Town, Corby Town and Wellingborough Town. He helped the latter win the Metropolitan League title in 1969-70. After moving to Cornwall, Tony represented the Magpies, Mousehole, Marazion and Mullion with distinction. He continued playing the game locally into his late sixties.

His commitment to nurturing young talent, his passionate support for local football, and his no-nonsense approach to the game made him a respected figure across all levels of the sport in Cornwall. Sadly Tony’s latter years were dogged by both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. His daughter-in-law Joanne made a successful appeal for memorabilia from his playing days that yielded enough cuttings, programmes and photographs to enable the compilation of a memory book of his career that provided some solace.

Speaking for Penzance AFC, James Wright said that the club are delighted that Tony’s memory will be perpetuated by this new annual fixture.

Mousehole Vice-Chairman Deryk Heywood said: “The Club have asked me to say a few words about Tony which is an honour and probably one of the nicest things I’ve been asked to do. Tony was a massive influence on the lives of so many Young Cornish footballers, despite his experience and ability to play, coach and manage he always had time for you, a special human being, so humble, strong and competitive, I personally was lucky to play with him, for him and against him .This Club and others will never forget him.”

Tony’s widow Teresa welcomed the initiative, saying:
“I think this is a wonderful tribute to Tony. He would feel so very proud of this. Thank you so very much.”

Tony’s family will be present at the first match of the new cup. Speaking for the family, his son Jon said “For Tony to be recognised by both Mousehole and Penzance football clubs makes us, the family so proud and we know he would be proud too. Both clubs formed a huge part of his life and for his memory to live on via the Tony Claypole Cup is a truly amazing tribute.”

Both clubs expect the Tony Claypole Cup to become a key fixture in their preseason calendars, with the potential to grow into a wider community even.

Kickoff is 19:45 and tickets will be available at the gate.