Mousehole 3-1 Helston Athletic

Emirates FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round

Saturday 7^th August 2021

At Trungle Parc

Mousehole capped a first-ever appearance in the 150^th anniversary season of the FA Cup with a well-earned victory in a thrilling contest against ‘old foes’ Helston Athletic in front of a huge crowd of 469 – the largest home attendance in living memory for a competitive fixture and the third-highest of the weekend’s 174 Extra-Preliminary Round ties.

The scoring:  1-0 Hayden Turner 32’, 2-0 Andy Elcock 53’, 2-1 Stuart Bowker 63’, Hayden Turner 3-1 85’

Match details:

Preview points:

• It’s a dry, sunny, breezy afternoon – weather fit for this momentous occasion
• There’s a great turn-out of boys and girls from Mousehole Youth Academy – wearing the shirt numbers of the players, they accompany the team on to the pitch, conduct themselves impeccably and clearly enjoy their role in the introductory fist-bumps with match officials and Helston players
• Mousehole are without Kyle Fraser from the League win at Millbrook on Tuesday, but ex-Helston striker Mark Goldsworthy has sufficiently recovered from his pre-season head injury to be named as a substitute. 
• Helston have former Seagull Tom Hands in defence, but are missing local lad Josh Storey from their midweek home draw with Saltash United.

The action:

1 minute: Helston have the wind at their back. They’re instantly on the attack – Kai Cornish whips in a low cross from the left just ahead of Billy Tucker in front of goal

6 minutes: An identical move at the other end – Hayden Turner’s cross just evading Josh Magin

8 minutes:  Play is held up as a dog wants to get in the action at the Solomon Browne end

10 minutes:  The visitors have a dangerous-looking free kick 25 yards out and central, but Cory Harvey punches out Billy Tucker’s fierce drive

11 minutes: Helston are pressing hard all over the pitch – Mousehole haven’t yet been able to put together any pattern of play

12 minutes: Mousehole defence blocks a goal-bound shot after a pull-back from the bye-line

13 minutes:  Tallan Mitchell slides in a low cross for Mousehole but keeper Marko Radovanovic dives on the ball to snuff out the danger

14 minutes:  Dramatic moment as Stu Bowker chases a typical long ball and chips the ball past the onrushing Cory Harvey towards an open goal before a huge collision 20 yards out.  The ball goes wide of the far post but both players are lying flat out on the turf.  Memories of a similar incident in a previous Mousehole v Helston clash which was abandoned with Harvey then hospitalised

19 minutes:  With both casualties fit to continue, Cory Harvey is yellow-carded for his part in the incident and a free kick has been awarded in a great position for the visitors – but Billy Ticker’s lobbed attempt clears the bar by some distance

20 minutes:  Bowker is still up for it and fires past the far post from 18 yards

Half way through the first period – Helston are creating quite a momentum and  winning a good proportion of 50/50 challenges

23 minutes:  Half chance for Mousehole – Tallan Mitchell robs Lewis Tonkin deep into Helston territory on the left but his cross is too close to Radovanovic

24 minutes:  Another Helston long ball puts Bowker in with a chance but Cory Harvey is both quick and brave to get there first

25 minutes: Tallan Mitchell’s jinking run gives him a sight of goal but Radovanovic again reads the cross-shot well

26 minutes:  Signs of Mousehole beginning to get a better grip on the game.  Helston commit a series of fouls in the space of a couple of minutes and receive a warning from Referee James Long as they complain loudly about his decisions.

29 minutes:  Great chance for Mousehole:  Tallan Mitchell again engineers space on the left of the box and lifts a cross into the middle for the unmarked Josh Magin, but he heads straight into Radovanovic’s arms from six yards

30 minutes:  Contrasting styles – Helston are pumping long wind-assisted balls down the middle and Mousehole are gaining confidence in possession

32 minutes:  GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE.  Mousehole 1-0 Helston Athletic.  Billy Curtis provides a low cross from the right which wrong-foots the defenders in the box, leaving HAYDEN TURNER to strike right-footed low inside the post from ten yards. 

36 minutes: Ryan Turner’s shot from an angle is well covered by Cory Harvey, but the Helston man has injured himself in the process and needs treatment

38 minutes: Helston’s Archie Reay is fortunate to get only a yellow card for a dubious tackle on Tallan Mitchell

43 minutes:  The alert Cory Harvey dives on the ball, with Ryan Turner falling over the prostrate keeper and claiming a penalty – Referee Long is not impressed! 

45+3:  A quietish period of play as Mousehole look to see out the half and preserve their lead.  Helston are being loudly encouraged from the sidelines.

45+7:  Half-Time:  Mousehole 1-0 Helston Athletic.  A very energetic 50-odd minutes full of action and incident – you can’t take your eyes off it.  An amazing attendance of 469 is announced.  The prospects: you can bet on Helston coming out fired up for the second half.

53 minutes:  GOAL – MOUSEHOLE 2-0 HELSTON. Helston concede yet another free kick, this time Lewis Tonkin illegally halting Tallan Mitchells’ promising run 20 yards out and earning himself a yellow card.  ANDY ELCOCK’s direct shot beats the defensive wall and the keeper’s dive to zip low into the net for Mousehole’s second goal.

54 minutes:  Back come Helston and Bowker’s lofted attempt from 20 yards lands on the roof of the net with Cory Harvey covering

58 minutes:  RED CARD FOR HELSTON:  Lewis Tonkin brings down Hayden Turner in full flight and shows his displeasure at the Referee’s decision to award a free kick – an almost inevitable yellow card (his second in five minutes) sees the young defender dismissed.  Surely this is now an uphill battle for the visitors – two goals down and still 30+ minutes to play with ten men?

59 minutes:  Mousehole substitute – Sean Roberts is replaced by Mark Goldsworthy

63 minutes: GOAL FOR HELSTON.  Mousehole 2-1 Helston Athletic.  Improbably, the ten men are back in the game!  A misplaced Seagulls pass in midfield leads to STU BOWKER finding space 30 yards out with the back line exposed, and he instantly drives a superlative left-foot shot into the top right corner despite Cory Harvey’s best efforts

64 minutes:  Billy Curtis’ right wing cross is hacked away a few feet from the Helston goal line

70 minutes:  Helston have put in a powerful five-minute spell, causing Mousehole to back pedal

71 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Josh Magin is replaced by Callam Mconie

74 minutes:  Helston very close to an equaliser.  From a corner, Stu Bowker turns on the dropping ball and looks certain to score with his favoured left foot from inside the six-yard box, but Cory Harvey pulls off a defiant block to keep his side in the lead

75 minutes:  Helston are playing as well with ten men as they did earlier with eleven.  The Bowker goal has changed the complexion of the game more so than did the red card, but the visitors are undoing much of their good work by conceding too many unnecessary free kicks

82 minutes:  At last Mousehole regain the initiative and begin to stretch the Helston defence with attacks down the flanks.  Billy Curtis’ right wing cross in front of goal is just out of reach of his advanced team-mates

85 minutes:  GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE.  Mousehole 3-1 Helston Athletic.  Hayden Turner has just been announced as ‘Mousehole Man of the Match’ and he further justifies the award by driving a fierce dipping right-foot from the left corner of the penalty area inside the far post past a helpless Radovanovic.  Four great goals in the match so far.

88 minutes:  Helston substitute Jackson Penhallurick makes a good run into the Mousehole box but his low shot from 15 yards is beaten out by Cory Harvey – another very important save!

90 minutes:  Mousehole are slowing the game down and sensibly retaining possession, but the visitors still get forward and gain two corners in a row

90+2 minutes:  Mousehole substitute Callam Mconie has a good chance coming in from the right to create a better angle, but hits the side netting with his usually reliable left foot

90+3 minutes:  Full -Time Mousehole 3-1 Helston Athletic.  A pulsating end-to-end fiercely competitive and value-for-money FA Cup tie, with the debutant Seagulls progressing to the Preliminary Round and a home tie against Southern League Step 4 side Plymouth Parkway in two weeks’ time.

Mousehole starting XI (and used substitutes): Cory Harvey, Billy Curtis (captain), Mark Richards, Jamie Devine, Josh Otto, Steve Burt, Andy Elcock, Tallan Mitchell, Sean Roberts (Mark Goldsworthy), Josh Magin (Callam Mconie), Hayden Turner.

Other substitutes: Charlie Willis, Silas Sullivan, Piran Jones (GK)

Match officials:  James Long (Referee) and Mark Hosking & Dean Kitley (Assistants)

Attendance: 469

Next for Mousehole:

Tuesday 10^th August: Away v Tavistock, Western League Premier Division, 7.45

• Venue: Langsford Park, Crowndale Road, Tavistock PL19 8JR.
• Tavistock won their FA Cup tie on Saturday, 3-2 away at St Austell
• This is their first home game of the season. In WLP, they have won away at Ilfracombe (2-1) and lost away at Saltash (2-0).

Saturday 14^th August: Home v Street AFC, WLP, 3pm, Trungle Parc

• Street have lost both their home League games, v Brislington (3-1) and Exmouth (4-0)
• They lost 8-0 away at Step 5 Fareham Town in the FA Cup on Saturday