We’re proud to confirm the return of the following players for the new season:

🔒 Aaron Ibbetson
🔒 Hayden Black
🔒 Hayden Turner
🔒 Jack Calver
🔒 Jack Symons
🔒 Jacob Kevern
🔒 James Ward
🔒 Lewis Moyle
🔒 Mark Goldsworthy
🔒 Ollie Chenoweth
🔒 Oscar Massey
🔒 Paulo Ranalli
🔒 Ryan Barrett
🔒 Tallan Mitchell
🔒 Tim Nixon

Also rejoining the group is Josh Otto, who is hopeful of making his return after the injury that has kept him out since last pre-season.

Jake Ash:
“Every summer, the main priority is to ensure we retain the core of the team. These boys best understand what this club stands for and our culture – and that’s so important. We’re really pleased they’ve all committed to the journey next season. It gives us a brilliant platform to build the squad.”

“With some trialists lined up and at least three new additions expected, there’s still more to come. But as always — they’ll need to fit what we’re about and what we want to achieve”

Mousehole AFC have secured the signing of Liam Prynn from Tavistock in a move that reunites the striker with his former PE teacher and now manager, Jake Ash.

Prynn, 28, brings a proven goal threat to Trungle Parc as Mousehole prepare for their third season at Step 4.

“I came to Penryn College in Year 7 and left in Year 11” said the forward.. “I ended up signing for Torquay United and working with Jake Ash very closely.”

Prynn was a student at Penryn during Ash’s early years as a teacher, and credits that period as a turning point in his football development.

“Jake kind of revolutionised what football was about at school. The coaching sessions were always first class, set a real precedent and a real professionalism around school football — which I think was a first. That ultimately led to our team going far in the National Cup, and eventually me signing for Torquay.”

After signing as a scholar at 16, Prynn spent two years with Torquay United and earned a one-year professional contract. He went on to play for St Austell, Launceston, and then spent eight years at Tavistock.

“I think my USP is a natural instinct for goal,” he said. “If I get chances, more often than not they’re going to end up in goals. I think I’ve got a little bit of everything. I can be a bit of a target man if I need to, and I’m quite clever, so I can also play in a good footballing side. Ultimately, I love scoring goals.”

“I want to play at the highest level possible. I think at Mousehole we’ve got the best chance. I want to win this league, go up to the league above and push on from there.”

Ash, who has kept a close eye on Prynn’s progress since school, said the striker will add both quality and experience to the squad.

“We know exactly what we will get from Liam. He’s a player who has been top scorer in this league. He has the ability to create a goal out of nothing, and that’s a special skill.”

“But the thing that’s impressed me most, having watched him over the past few years, is his game intelligence — he is such a clever player. I love that and know how much our other boys will learn from him.”

The move also made sense logistically for Prynn, who lives locally and now works alongside Ash in the PE department at Penryn College.

“Despite working with him, we’ve never properly spoken about it,” said Ash. “But knowing he is working on his house, and how much less travelling it would be for him to come to us, it felt like the right time for us, and I’m so pleased he felt it was for him too.”

Prynn had a final message for the Mousehole supporters:

“It’ll be nice to meet you all down at Trungle, and also to start making some memories. We’re going to go on some good away days, score some goals and have a lot of fun along the way.”

Email Nicola to reserve your tickets

Seagulls Fall at the Final Hurdle

For forty two matches Mousehole were in the play offs spots for almost the whole season but sadly they missed out on the final day. Last season they nipped into the top five at the same moment that this year they dropped out. This is football, tiny margins make big differences and context is everything. On any other day of the season a two two draw away at Melksham would be seen as a good result but when you needed to win two nil it feels like a defeat.

The game itself was a close affair in which Mousehole went behind after thirteen minutes as a result of a season long failure to defend throw ins. Two players were left unmarked on the Melksham left, one of them was in acres of space and had time to swing in a dangerous cross. It wasn’t cleared and fell to another unmarked player to prod home.

Mousehole had chances in that first half but their finishing was maybe a little rushed due to the pressure of the day. As half time approached news reached the ground that Exmouth were four nil up. This meant the Seagulls need three goals without conceding in the second half to stay in the play off.

They approached the task with a good element of calmness and got one back when Hayden Turner set up Josh Bernard for his first Mousehole goal. Game on!

The clock ticked down and calm was replaced with anxiety. PLayers were thrown forward searching for the two goals needed but this left gaps at the back and Melksham are a good enough team to take advantage. A break down their left with a long mazy run avoiding any tackles ended with the ball squirming across the box to a home player in splendid isolation. If the finish was simple, a tap in, the celebration was extravangant, a flick-flack back flip worthy of a Champions League win. The home fans celebrated a win against the best footballing team in the league but hold on! The ref indicated five minutes to be added.

Was there time?

Mousehole came again, wave after wave of attack. These men in green and white never give up and they got their reward when the ball dropped to Jack Symons on the edge of the box. He controlled it and whalloped it in to the roof of the net. A lovely finish full of style and power, it very much represented what this teams gives its fans. Sadly for the travelling hordes it turned out to be too little too late. It was a finished worthy of winning promotion but had to suffice as a consolation for a hard fought season which ultimately ended in disappointment.

The season had begun with a patched-up squad and injuries already biting deep so whilst missing out on the pay offs on the last is a pain that will linger over the summer it shouldn’t be ignored that just to be this close was a marvellous achievement. There’s a Cornish summer to lick wounds and heal limbs then, like Arnie, we’ll be back. And this time we’ll….who knows but don’t miss it.

Sunday 27th April

12:00KO – U9 Merlins v St Teath (League Cup semi-final @ St Buryan)

11:00KO – U15 Marvels v Porthleven (County Cup semi-final @ St Buryan)

Sunday 4th May

10:00KO – U13 Gliders v Culdrose (League Cup FINAL @ Clijah Croft, Redruth)

Sunday 11th May

13:00KO – U15 Marvels v Culdrose (League Cup FINAL @ Wendron)

Mousehole 2 – 1 Yate

Better Yate Than Never!

Top of the table clashes don’t come more important than this one. With Yate leading the division and Mousehole coming off the back of two disappointing results this was a classic six pointer which could have gone either way.

Yate have lead from the front since day one of this season. At the turn of the year they were ten points clear and looked locked in for automatic promotion but since the days have started lengthening their lead has been shortening and they entered this match just three points ahead of Evesham. A run of just two wins in ten games meant that it was a must-win for the visitors. With Mousehole having gained one point from the previous two matches it meant it was must-win for the Seagulls too. Which way would it go?

The opening exchanges were cagey and very even with neither side creating much but that changed just before ten minutes were up. Jack Symons won a free kick about twenty five yards out. It was a classic piece of Simmo-ness, nipping in ahead of the defender and winning the foul.

Hayden Turner’s shot was straight and true but was aimed directly at the keeper. He bent down to catch it but it bounced in front of him and he spilled it in Onana-esque fashion. When something spills you need a mopper-upper and luckily for the home fans we have the best in the business. Starting three feet behind the defender Tim Nixon exploded past a statuesque backline to poke the ball home.

With chances being few and far between it seemed that Mousehole would go in ahead at half time. The play was fast and furious but there simply were no openings at either end. The closet Yate came to drawing level was a shot from the edge of the box which Ollie Chenoweth pushed round the post. It was going to take a piece of magic or a slight drop in concentration for this change and unfortunately it was the latter and it was at the home end.

Yate had a throw in on the left deep inside their own half. It reached Marlon Jackson on the half way line. He chested it, turned and played it forward to Tomlinson. With Hill and Konte either side of him it looked a lost cause but the number seven is quick and he pounced when Medo missed his kick. Taking it wide, he waited for Ollie Chenoweth to commit and sent it in to the net. This turned out to be Medo’s best performance in a Mousehole shirt but when you play in defence one mistake is all it takes to ruin your day.

For one of the only times this season Mousehole were having the minority of the possession but chances were evenly split and when the teams emerged for the second half it was impossible to predict who might win, if anyone.

The second forty-five proved to be as tight as the first with defences on top. There wasn’t a clear-cut chance until the eighty fifth minute. Yate had a free kick on the right wing. It was swung in to a packed penalty box and found its way to the far post where a desperate Yate foot reached out and slammed it against the post.

Relief turned to joy less than two minutes later when Simmo won a free kick on the right wing. In this instance he was scythed down like harvest corn. The crowd bayed for a red card but the referee chose yellow. Tempers were still running high as Jack Calver stood over the free kick and swung his left boot. Max Hill, six foot four of towering Yorkshire oak, threw himself at the ball and headed it home. The crowd erupted, the players gathered to celebrate as the visitors fell to their haunches. From near victory to almost certain defeat in the blink of an eye.

If you’ve just read the report on the Bashley game you’ll know that holding on to a late lead had not been possible for Mousehole the week before so the home fans were taking nothing for granted. Josh Baxter came on for the free-kicking-winning maestro Symons to shore up the defence. With four minutes added there were nails being bitten all over West Cornwall but Yate were unable to find a way through and the final whistle brought a mixture euphoria and relief as the push for promotion was back on the rails.

First Ever Mousehole Fans Forum

Wednesday 2^nd April in the clubhouse at Interiora Trungle Parc saw the first ever Mousehole Fans Forum. A well-attended event allowed fans and volunteers to ask questions regarding the future of the club to chair Billy Jacka, manager Jake Ash, head of men’s football Adam Fletcher and first team coach Andy Graham.

A wide-ranging discussion saw various topics covered from the player pathway to community engagement. One topic which was a theme throughout the evening was a need for more volunteers. This is true of all clubs in grassroots football. With that in mind we would urge anyone reading this who wants to help in any way, just an hour a week will make a big difference, to send your details to Daniel Tasker: secretary@mouseholeafc.co.uk Thanks to all who came along on the night and who sent in questions. The first team is in an amazing position competing at a level we could only dream about a few years ago so please come along to Interiora Trungle Parc to support them in any way you can. The club has a Women’s team and six youth teams who also need your support, please don’t be shy.

Mousehole 1 – 1 Bashley

Promotion push takes a Bashing!

Mousehole records all its matches using a system called VEO. This camera stands at the half way line and follows the ball. When the images are put through the computer magic you get to see the whole match and also you are given a line along the bottom of the screen where white dots represent moments of action: shots and goals. Normally this line is filled. After the Bashley game there were a mere five dots. This was a match that most observers would agree was not just a must-win but a should-win. We know that no games in this division are easy and whilst the opposition were not to be under-estimated, after beating them at home by four goals in the FA Trophy, a win was on the cards.

Bashley came with a strong game plan: don’t concede and wait for an error at the other end. They were almost perfect in the first part of that and took ruthless advantage of the second part. A first half saw only two chances and both fell to Mousehole’s hitman Hayden Turner. The first had him latching on to a long through ball and firing towards the top corner only for the keeper to tip it wide. The second had him out wide on the right and lashing a shot just inside the post. Again, the visiting keeper was able to repel it. That was it. Nothing else to report.

Bashley had shown little going forward but with the first real chance of the second half they should have taken the lead. That it came with fifteen minutes left illustrates how difficult conditions were and how on top the defences had been. Faced with only Ollie Chenoweth to beat from ten yards out the Bashley forward panicked as the red blur hurled himself at the ball. The shot was rushed and blocked by Ollie much to the relief of the home fans. It looked very much like this was going to be a no score draw until with four minutes left on the clock Ryan Barrett took matters into his own hands. Well feet, you know what I mean. He stole the ball from a dawdling Bashley midfielder near the half way line and burst forward. A couple of touches and then he released the pass of the match, if not the pass of the season. It took three defenders out of contention and rolled perfectly into the path of Turner. The weight of pass was so good that he did not need a touch, he just sprang into action and rolled it under the keeper. The celebrations lasted forty seconds.

This was a smash and grab victory to set Mousehole up for the run-in.

Life is not like that and football has a way of kicking you when you’re up. Within thirty seconds of the restart the ball was in the Mousehole net. To quote Shakespeare and call it a Comedy of Errors would hide the pain that the concession caused but do it we must. A hopeful Bashley punt upfield was knocked down to Hill. His clearance didn’t cross the halfway line, where Sullivan was beaten to the header by the yellow-shirted centre half. This header was met by Ward but the ball went more up than away and landed on a Bashley head which sent it forward again. Derham was beaten to it where it fell between Barrett and a forward, the forward won it but sent it spinning into the air. When it landed Fresneda was beaten to it by the player who’d sliced it. He pushed it to the right, beat a Derham challenge and then smashed it home. The finish itself was great but what led to it was hard to watch. There was no time left to mount a serious effort to retake the lead and so two points were dropped.

It’s happened before this season and the Seagulls have bounced back and taken flight again. They need to find the resolve and the reserves of energy to do so again. The season may only have four matches left but there is still everything to play for.