Clevedon Town 1-1 Mousehole
Western League Premier Division
Saturday 12th February 2022
At the EveryoneActive Stadium
Mousehole scorer: Hayden Turner (pen, 34’)
Mousehole returned from Somerset with a valuable point after one of the toughest contests of their inaugural Western League season, to maintain their challenge among the leading group of teams in the Premier Division.
Pre-match points
Although Clevedon Town lie in a mid-table position they have recently struck a rich vein of form, being undefeated in their last five games including, in their last two matches, an impressive 2-1 mid-week win at fifth place Bridgwater United followed by a convincing 3-1 home win against fourth place Ilfracombe Town last Saturday. So they’ll be looking to go one better today with success against third-place Mousehole.
The Seagulls had a very narrow 3-2 win against today’s hosts at Trungle Parc in mid-October with goals by Mark Goldsworthy, Hayden Turner and a late winner by Callam Mconie. Young goalkeeper Luca Smith was the star performer for the visitors that day, with a superb display of shot-stopping, including from a first-half Hayden Turner penalty.
Mousehole are currently level on points with second-place Exmouth Town but with two games in hand, and ten points behind leaders Tavistock who have played four games more. Jake Ash’s squad face a particularly difficult series of games – starting today – and will have to be at their best over the last ten weeks of the season if they are to finish in the top two places.
Clevedon Town spent 22 seasons in the Southern League, including four in the Premier Division, before returning to the Western League just seven years ago. In the 1990s they moved from their town-centre location to a purpose-built modern stadium on the rural east side of the M5 motorway, next to the county training centre for Police dogs and horses. Originally named after the Hand family, it now bears the name of a major sponsor and has a ground grading suitable for a much higher level.
This fixture was postponed in early January after persistent heavy rain had left the pitch unplayable. Today it’s cold and drizzly, and the pitch surface is on the soft side.
The match as it happened
The opening minutes are lively, with both teams having goalbound shots blocked by good defending
7 minutes: Clevedon come close. Captain Archie Ferris seizes on lost possession in the danger zone and drives in a low left-footed shot from 18 yards and it goes just wide
10 minutes: Mousehole put together a smooth move from left to right, Callam Mconie brings the ball on to his left foot but his low 18-yard shot is comfortably gathered by keeper Luca Smith
14 minutes: Hayden Turner tears down the left past two defenders and his low cross is cut out with Callam Mconie ready to pounce
15 minutes: Mark Richards makes a superb clearance from close to Mousehole’s goal after Archie Ferris’s header gives Ethan Feltham the chance for a whipped-in cross from the right
25 minutes: Great Clevedon defending thwarts a threatening Mousehole attack, Mark Richards, Josh Otto and Tallan Mitchell combining to give Callam Mconie and Mark Goldsworthy the chance to put Hayden Turner in with a clear chance from just inside the box – Callum Eastwood gets his body in the way of the shot
26 minutes: Mark Richards repeats his earlier heroics inside the six-yard box by hacking away a danger-laden low cross from the right
28 minutes: Mitch Osmond swerves in a 25-yard free kick for Clevedon but Keeper Ollie Chenoweth shows good anticipation to catch the ball cleanly under the crossbar
31 minutes: GOAL FOR CLEVEDON TOWN. Mousehole concede possession just inside their own half, the ball is worked quickly down the left by Ferris and Feltham with defenders caught out of position, and the low cross to the far post is side-footed in by CAM SALMON. 1-0 to the hosts.
32 minutes: Clevedon look buoyant. Alex Camm has a shot but it’s straight at Ollie Chenoweth.
34 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. Tallan Mitchell tricks his way past Glen Hayer into the area near the byeline but is then upended by the tall defender and injured in the process. Referee Adam Wilson signals a penalty and is immediately surrounded by protesting Clevedon players. There’s a delay and a yellow card for Hayer, either for the foul or the protests (or perhaps both?). It’s HAYDEN TURNER versus Luca Smith from the spot and this time the keeper guesses the wrong way while the ball zooms into the opposite corner. Mousehole get back on equal terms after just three minutes.
38 minutes: Luca Smith has to be alert to keep out a near-own goal after Josh Otto crosses from the right
41 minutes: At the other end, Ollie Chenoweth makes a diving save to keep out Sam Iles’ drive
42 minutes: Dramatic moment as Glen Hayer is dismissed after charging unnecessarily into the back of Mark Goldsworthy as the Seagulls striker gets ready to receive a pass near the half-way line. It’s a second yellow card, only eight minutes after receiving the first one.
45 minutes: Mousehole create a chance against the ten men, Callam Mconie’s left-foot drive cannoning off Callum Eastwood before it can trouble the keeper
45+2 minutes: At the interval it’s Clevedon Town 1-1 Mousehole. Plenty of incident. In theory, Mousehole should have the advantage in the second half, but what will be the home side’s tactics as they face 45 minutes with a man down?
The second half
The opening five minutes: It’s all action from Clevedon as they surge forward with menace – a 25-yard shot deflected just wide, a corner headed narrowly over, and a well-executed volley by Cam Salmon kept out by a flying Ollie Chenoweth save, who also gets down to divert a Callum Eastwood shot inches past the post. Archie Ferris then turns inside the box and shoots towards goal into a crowded six-yard box and Chenoweth shows great handling to capture the ball. The ten men are well on top but Mousehole have an assured keeper.
51 minutes: At last the visitors venture into home territory, Hayden Turner’s left-wing cross dealt with by Sam Iles at the far post
53 minutes: Hayden Turner again makes inroads but his cross drifts past the angle of post and bar
63 minutes: Mousehole’s passing is off-key against relentlessly pressing opponents who are re-gaining possession with alarming frequency. Cam Salmon lets fly from 20 yards and Ollie Chenoweth goes full-length to touch it past the post.
64 minutes: Tallan Mitchell shows his displeasure at the assistant referee’s decision over a throw-in near the half-way line, and is sent to the sin-bin. Now it’s ten v ten for ten minutes.
67 minutes: Hayden Turner floats a corner to Jack Calver just outside the box and his goalbound volley is caught by the well-positioned keeper
70 minutes: At the other end, Archie Ferris sends in a fierce shot from fully 30 yards, it takes a slight deflection and is gathered safely by Ollie Chenoweth
71 minutes: A straight red card for Callam Mconie. He goes in for a 50:50 challenge on Mousehole’s right hand side with Callum Eastwood but it’s with too much force on the slippery surface. Eastwood is injured, the Clevedon players are aggrieved, the referee consults the nearby assistant, and The Seagulls are down to nine men for a few minutes.
74 minutes: Mousehole do well in the few minutes with their numerical disadvantage. Tallan Mitchell returns from the sin-bin and so it’s now ten v ten.
76 minutes: Luca Smith in the home side’s goal has been by far the less busy of the two keepers, but he has to react quickly at his near post as Mark Goldsworthy closes in on a low cross from the right
78 minutes: Mousehole so close. A well-worked left-sided attack involving Jack Calver creates an opening for Steve Burt to fire in a low drive from 15 yards which beats Luca Smith but is cleared off the line by Oli Babington
79 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Steve Burt is replaced by Jared Sims
80 minutes: Clevedon midfielder Callum Kingdon meets a half-cleared corner with great technique and his first-time drive from 25 yards whistles past the post
81 minutes: Mitch Osmond lobs a long right-sided cross towards the lurking Archie Ferris but Ollie Chenoweth shows great composure to take the ball under the crossbar
83 minutes: Alex Twiggs maintains Clevedon’s pressure with a searching cross into the box which is superbly defended
85 minutes: Mousehole substitute: Mark Goldsworthy is replaced by Sean Roberts
86 minutes: The Seagulls are looking to attack with quick breaks. For that reason, Clevedon are having to be more cautious than they’d like to be as they search for a winner.
89 minutes: A Mousehole corner is headed out to the edge of the box where Tallan Mitchell slices the loose ball well wide
90 minutes: Mousehole are on the front foot but can’t quite find the killer final pass
90+4 minutes: At full-time it’s Clevedon Town 1-1 Mousehole. A very competitive match, with plenty of incident, twists-and-turns and attacking play. In the circumstances, a good away point for Mousehole against a team showing strength and spirit all over the field – they look better than their mid-table position and are now unbeaten in their last six games.
What this result means
Mousehole remain third in the table, two points and two games behind Exmouth Town, who they have yet to play both home and away, and 12 points behind Tavistock with four games in hand. There are 13 League games left, of which seven are at home and six away. See also ‘Promotion criteria’ below.
Mousehole (with used substitutes):
Ollie Chenoweth (GK), Josh Otto, Max Hill, Mark Richards, Paulo Sousa, Tallan Mitchell, Steve Burt (Jared Sims), Jack Calver, Callam Mconie, Mark Goldsworthy (Sean Roberts), Hayden Turner. Other substitutes: Billy Curtis, Jamie Devine, Kyle Fraser
Match officials:
Adam Wilson (Referee) with Dave Jones & Billy Wilde (Assistants)
Attendance: 105
Next fixtures for Mousehole:
This Saturday, 19th February, Home v Keynsham Town, 3pm (League fixture)
Tuesday 22nd February, Away at Helston Athletic, 7.45pm (Les Phillips Cup (WL Cup), First Round)
Saturday 26th February, Away at Brislington, 3pm (League fixture)
Saturday 5th March, Home v Ilfracombe Town, 3pm (League fixture)
Promotion criteria
Details of the FA’s arrangements for promotion this season from the Western League Premier (Step 5 to Step 4) have become clearer. In summary, for Step 5 clubs:
- Finishing in top spot means automatic promotion
- If finishing as runners-up:
– The ten teams across the 16 Step 5 leagues with the best points-per-game are automatically promoted
– The remaining six teams each play a promotion/relegation decider away against a bottom-but-one team at Step 4
In addition:
- Clubs must be eligible for promotion to Step 4 by meeting the ground grading requirements at Step 5
- Clubs declining promotion are liable to be relegated
