Category: Latest News

By Jeff Richardson

JAYLAN WILDBORE JOINS MOUSEHOLE AFC

Mousehole AFC are delighted to announce the signing of 19-year-old forward Jaylan Wildbore.

Wildbore joins Mousehole having recently played for Southern League Premier Central side Stratford Town at Step 3, and before that two years at Fulham’s academy.

He has also benefited from having an early football education at Leicester City before bursting into a fantastic spell at Burton Albion, attracting the interest of Fulham. Wildbore is described as having a tremendous character and desire at such a young age and is a tall and strong forward with an eye for goal.

He will join two other former pro-club Academy players who arrived at Trungle Parc and took up residence locally in the summer – defenders Ryan Barrett (ex-Newcastle United) and Morgan Lewis (from Cardiff City). They will work together within the club’s unique technical coaching programme under the expert guidance of vastly experienced Head Coach, Andy Graham, supplemented by the remaining part-time players’ twice-weekly training sessions.

The Seagulls’ latest addition to the group shared his first thoughts as a Mousehole player after training on Thursday night:

“I want to get back to full-time football and training every day to keep sharp. I’ve been looking at a lot of the games and I just think, we get in great areas and keep possession well, we’re just lacking that final product and hopefully I can come in and score some goals. I’ve settled in really well – there’s a great attitude from the boys and you can see they really want to win.”

On what the coaching staff have asked of him during early conversations and his skillset as a forward:

“I think they just want a bit of energy upfront, someone that’s always looking to help the team secure the ball but also someone who can get in behind as well and score some goals. I’m very quick off the line – I love to play off a centre-back’s shoulder – constantly threatening, running in behind and being in and around the box looking for goals.”

On his excitement at getting started and potentially debuting this weekend:

“Honestly, I can’t wait. It’s been a while since I’ve had a flow of games and I’m really looking forward to seeing the fans and getting started.”

Manager Jake Ash expressed his delight at Wildbore’s signing:

“We are really excited Jaylan is here. Having seen a lot of footage of him, he has been everything we expected this week. His movement is excellent. He’s one of those strikers I used to hate marking in that he’s always on the move, looking for the next pass or action. He’s added a real energy and voice into the sessions this week and I love his genuine enthusiasm and hunger to be better.”

Ash continued: “He’s still got lots of areas of his game to develop and I’m confident he will do that here and be a great addition to the squad.

Mousehole’s Head of Football Adam Fletcher shares Ash’s optimism with Wildbore’s addition to the squad:

“Jaylan is a really exciting addition to an already strong group of forward players. We have been looking for a striker who enjoys scoring all sorts of goals for some time now and Jaylan is that type of number 9. After speaking to him it was obvious he was going to be a good fit for the group. He’s ambitious, confident, and raring to go.”

Jaylan Wildbore will be sponsored by Gary Hocking. The newcomer will be available for Mousehole’s next home game this Saturday (20th January, 3pm) against Yate Town in the Southern League Division One South.

By Kevin Bishop

MOUSEHOLE AFC PROUD TO SUPPORT A BAND OF BROTHERS

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.

Kevin Bishop presented the cheque to A Band of Brothers at the Heartlands Ceremony

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.

The Homecoming Ceremony for recent mentees

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.

By Kevin Bishop

MOUSEHOLE SEEKS NEW CLUB SECRETARY

Hello everybody,

I am writing to you on behalf of the directors to let you know about a critical vacancy which has opened up within the match day management of the first team. This is a fantastic opportunity to put yourself at the heart of what we do at Mousehole and to ensure the smooth and compliant running of the club.

A few weeks ago Andrew Large, who has been club secretary now for several years as well as fixtures secretary for the last couple of seasons, let us know he has decided to step down at the end of this season. His contribution to this club has been immeasurable and remarkable, and his departure leaves a large hole to fill.

We urgently need somebody to step up to take over Andrew‘s duties beginning next season. The requirements of the role are set out below but it is quite possible that we will try to split some of these between two or three people.

If you are interested we’d be happy to chat over the details with you.

This club prides itself on our community spirit and the tireless contributions of our volunteers. If you know of anybody who might be suitable for this role, please do let me know on kevinbishop@mouseholeafc.co.uk or 07739 920 251.

FOOTBALL AND FIXTURES SECRETARY JOB DESCRIPTION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Liaise with visiting team prior to home games regarding playing colours, programme information, hospitality requirements, travel arrangements and pitch inspections

Liaise with match officials prior to home games regarding pitch inspections, travel arrangements and payment details

Liaise with host team prior to away games regarding playing colours, programme information, hospitality requirements and travel arrangements

Input team information into the Southern League’s Match Day System and present to referee (to be completed 45 minutes before kick-off at both home and away games) 

Operate the Southern League’s Match Day System during home matches 

Liaise with opponents and the League regarding fixture rearrangements

Act as first point of contact with the Southern League and the FA for all correspondence, incoming and outgoing, and attend both online and “in person” meetings as required 

Liaise with team management regarding players: notices of approach, registrations, disciplinary record, etc.

OTHER TASKS

Attend both home and away games in fulfilment of the responsibilities and tasks above, delegating when absent 

Maintain “player pen picture”, “club history” and “club information” files for use in (home and away) match programmes 

Maintain a fixtures and results summary for sharing within the Club 

Ensure that key information is shared with the Board and the broader volunteer community 

Participate in relevant discussions with the Chairman, Board and team management

Working with the Chairman and the Board, help to safeguard and promote the Club’s interests, image and reputation 

Ensure that everything possible is done to avoid costs and fines imposed by the League, FA and CCFA

By Kevin Bishop

EVANDER GRUBB MOVES TO TAUNTON

Forward Evander Grubb has joined Taunton after a brief spell with Mousehole. The forward joined on a dual-signing with the Somerset club in December. He made 3 appearances for Mousehole first team scoring 1 goal for the club.

Evander described his spell with the Seagulls as a positive experience saying: “I really enjoyed my time down in Mousehole even though it was short. The club is full of great people and can’t thank them all enough for everything they done for me in this short period of time. They have a great environment for young players to get back into the professional game.”

Mousehole manager Jake Ash said: “We’re disappointed that Evander has left us but wish him well. We always knew our intention was to provide him with a platform at Mousehole to improve and progress up the ladder – maybe not this soon, but it’s testament to what we do here that this opportunity has presented itself already. The chance to play Step 2 football and be looked after at a club the size and with the resources of Taunton is an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. The fact that several players have left Taunton in recent weeks to play at professional clubs is obviously another factor in his decision making.

We wish him well and our attention turns to finding someone to fill the space that he leaves.”

By Kevin Bishop

CROWDFUNDER – A MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM THE CLUB

Mousehole AFC would like to thank everybody who so kindly donated to our crowdfunding campaign. The generous rewards and cash donations from our fans, local businesses and the wider community reminded us how lucky we are to be part of such a wonderful club.

Alas, our target was not met. Perhaps we were too ambitious; perhaps the climate is not right at the moment or perhaps the time of the year was against us. We will take on board the experience of running this campaign and learn lessons for the future.

For those of you who made a generous donation of a cash pledge to the crowdfunder, your money will be fully refunded by crowdfunder.co.uk, including all transaction charges.

For those businesses who pledged rewards, any vouchers or goods can be returned. If you would like us to do this please contact Kevinbishop@mouseholeafc.co.uk.

Thank you again for your support for Mousehole AFC. Our ambition does not stop with the closure of this campaign. If you’d like to be kept up-to-date with our future plans and other ways of supporting the club, please sign up to our newsletter at the top of this webpage.

By Jeff Richardson

EXCITING YOUNGSTER EVANDER GRUBB SIGNS FOR THE SEAGULLS

Mousehole AFC are delighted to announce the signing of 19-year old forward Evander Grubb.

The youngster joins Mousehole from fellow Southern League side Bristol Manor Farm, where he has been gaining experience of senior football, while also dual-registered with National League South club Taunton Town.

He has previously benefitted from an impressive early footballing education at Bristol Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Newport County, having being described by his managers and coaches as having huge potential by virtue of his game intelligence, technical ability, tenacity and pace.

As a 16-year old at Bristol Manor Farm, Evander hit the national headlines as the youngest ever player (at the time) to score a goal in the history of the FA Cup – in fact, on that occasion he made his debut and scored twice in a Preliminary Round tie.

He will join two other former pro-club Academy players who arrived at Trungle Parc and took up residence locally in the summer – defenders Ryan Barrett (ex-Newcastle United) and Morgan Lewis (from Cardiff City).  They will work together within the club’s unique technical coaching programme under the expert guidance of vastly experienced Head Coach Andy Graham, supplemented by the remaining part-time players’ twice-weekly training sessions.

Mousehole’s Head of Football Adam Fletcher explained the background to the signing: 

“Evander caught our eye earlier in the season when we played at Bristol Manor Farm.  Our ‘Player Trader’ contact Julian Joachim and his colleagues watched him in action a few weeks ago and recommended him as a player they believe has a huge future in the game and would benefit from the coaching regime at Mousehole.  Evander has all the attributes we look for, and together with his desire to help us kick on and at the same time take his own career to the next stage, it’s a win-win situation”.

Manager Jake Ash is keenly anticipating how Evander develops at Mousehole:  “He is a young man I first saw in the summer of 2022 and he instantly impressed as a bright and exciting player who you want to see have the ball: a proper ‘bums off seats’ type.  This opinion was further enhanced by watching him up close in our game at BMF in September, when he was an important part of probably the best front line we have come up against this season.” 

Jake Ash also wished to place on record the club’s full appreciation of the ready support of Bristol Manor Farm and their Manager Lee Lashenko in positively assisting with Evander’s departure and his best wishes for the next stage of his football career. “In all my dealings with Lee, he has shown the proper way for managers to go about their business.  He is someone I greatly respect and feel I can pick up good habits from.”

Seagulls’ Chairman Deryk Heywood added:  “We extend to Evander a very warm welcome to the Mousehole Family, and also applaud our management team who are working so hard to bring in the right calibre of player.  It must be said:  Evander has come here to further develop his game, and certainly not for the money on offer.  To set the record straight, and in complete contrast to what is repeatedly alleged – without any basis in fact – Mousehole operates within strict and sustainable financial limits.  It does not have a wealthy owner, benefactor or investor, nor any external financial support for the accommodation it rents for the three players who have recently arrived from further afield – nor for the substantial costs of operating at Step 4, including in our case this season’s 7,500 miles of away travel.  Apart from access to the same partial grant funding as other clubs, we earn our operating income by attracting sponsorship and advertising, running the adjacent campsite and providing a widely-appreciated match day experience – all thanks to the relentless work of our unpaid volunteers.”

The Chairman went on to say:  “We are immensely proud to be a Southern League club, with a squad that has probably one of the smallest playing budgets in the Division, and not one single player receiving anywhere near the impressive sums reportedly being paid out elsewhere in the region. We are delighted that Evander has come here solely for footballing reasons and that he and his family have recognised the benefits of the Mousehole approach.”

Evander will be sponsored by his sister Esther Dodd’s company, ‘Broadies Supplements’. The newcomer will be available for Mousehole’s next Home game this Saturday (16th December, 3pm) against Salisbury-based Bemerton Heath Harlequins, who were also promoted to the Southern League this season.