Mousehole 0-1 Yate Town

Written by: Pablo Woolls-Blanco

In a game masked by wet and windy weather conditions, Nick McCootie’s 6th minute penalty was enough for an impressive Yate Town side to pick up an invaluable three points away to Mousehole.

Mousehole started brightly, but after conceding to an early penalty, found life difficult in the opening 45 minutes. Goal scorer McCootie and the man who won the spot kick, Calum English-Brown, caused huge issues for the Seagulls’ defence all afternoon.

Jake Ash’s side huffed and puffed in the second half, largely keeping Yate at bay, and had by far the two best chances of the second period falling once again to Micthell, who failed to convert. On a very rainy and windy afternoon at Trungle Parc, it was the impressive away side who secured all three points.

Star Man: Calum English-Brown: Yate Town

Entertainment Value: 3/5

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.

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

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.”

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.