Mousehole 3-1 Helston Athletic
Western League Premier Division
Good Friday, 15th April 2022
At Trungle Parc
Scorers:
Mousehole – Callam Mconie 5’ (1-0), Max Hill 73’ (2-1), Mark Goldsworthy 85’ (3-1)
Helston – Tyler Elliott 44’ (1-1)
Summary
The Seagulls extended their unbeaten home record to nearly eight months with an exceptional team performance to keep them in contention at the top of the Western League Premier Division in their first season after promotion, with their last home game coming up on Bank Holiday Monday and a final away game next Saturday
Pre-match points
This is the fourth ‘local derby’ encounter this season between the two most westerly teams in the League. Mousehole won 3-1 at Trungle Parc in their first-ever FA Cup tie in early August. Helston won in the Les Phillips Cup at Kellaway Park via a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 score at full time, and at the same venue the two teams battled out a 0-0 draw in the League at the end of March.
Helston are seventh in the Division, while Mousehole, undefeated in their last six games, lie in second place after being awarded the three points following Keynsham Town’s failure to fulfil their away fixture earlier this month.
Manager Jake Ash is without the injured Steve Burt and Mark Richards, who have made 65 appearances between them this season, while Paulo Sousa, Jamie Devine and Andy Elcock return to the starting line-up.
The weather is cool and at kick-off the earlier damp mist has lifted. There’s a large Good Friday crowd inside Trungle Parc for this much-anticipated fixture.
The key moments of the match
Mousehole are kicking towards the Cricket Club End in the first half
30 seconds: Helston make a strong start, putting the home defence under immediate pressure to win a left-sided corner. Aaron Bentley powers a header goalwards from the flag kick and Ollie Chenoweth makes a fine reflex save to keep the ball out. What a dramatic opening minute!
4 minutes: At last, Mousehole get going and Hayden Turner fires in a low shot requiring keeper Mike Searle to make a sprawling save
5 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. Jamie Devine brings the ball forward out of defence and slides a perfect through ball between the last line of defenders for CALLAM MCONIE to plant a fierce left-foot drive on the run past the keeper from 18 yards – the wingman’s 20th goal in his first season with The Seagulls. Mousehole 1-0 Helston Athletic.
15 minutes: Hayden Turner easily beats the central defenders in a chase down the middle but keeper Searle shows good judgement to win the 50/50 ball – just!
18 minutes: Callam Mconie sends in a low cross from the right byeline, Hayden Turner scoops it goalwards at the near post and Searle gets down quickly to gather
20 minutes: Mousehole are clearly in positive mood, and a frustrated Stuart Bowker is sent to the sin bin for expressing his feelings about the officials’ decisions
24 minutes: More alert goalkeeping at the Helston end – Callam Mconie drives in a free kick, it’s deflected and Searle grabs the ball in the nick of time with Tallan Mitchell ready to pounce
28 minutes: This time Searle is fortunate – he miskicks a through ball, it spins backwards towards the left side of the unguarded goal and the speeding Paulo Sousa hooks the ball into the outside netting from an awkward angle
31 minutes: Helston are restored to a full eleven, but it’s still Mousehole dictating play, with Jack Calver making a powerful run from midfield and shooting left-footed wide of the far post
32 minutes: Josh Otto makes a superb interception and runs deep into the visitors’ territory to slide a cross towards the near post where keeper Searle again wins the battle with Hayden Turner, at the expense of a corner
35 minutes: Helston mount their first threatening attack for some time – Ollie Chenoweth races out of his goal to dive on the ball at the feet of danger-man Tyler Elliot
37 minutes: That shows the threat that Helston could pose – Mousehole need another goal to capitalise on their dominance. Hayden Turner has a go from inside the area but Mike Searle goes down full length to make the save
39 minutes: Yet again Searle thwarts Hayden Turner, parrying his low angled shot after a great set-up by Tallan Mitchell
42 minutes: Callam Mconie races on to a through ball and round the keeper at pace, but the touch is too strong and it goes out for a goal kick
44 minutes: GOAL FOR HELSTON ATHLETIC. An attempted defensive clearance bounces down and spins conveniently for TYLER ELLIOTT to convert from 8 yards past an exposed Ollie Chenoweth. That’s the first chance for the visitors since the opening few seconds, and they’ve taken it well. Mousehole 1-1 Helston Athletic.
45+ 3 minutes: It’s 1-1 at the interval, Mousehole having much more possession and more goal attempts, but Helston capitalising on one mistake to set up an interesting second period
The second half:
48 minutes: Amid the returning drizzle, Callam Mconie takes aim from fully 35 yards and Searle makes the save look comfortable as he takes the ball under the crossbar in front of the Solomon Browne Stand
60 minutes: Jack Calver latches on to a half-cleared corner on the edge of the box and drives the ball towards the far post where Searle sees it late but still manages to keep the ball out at full stretch
61 minutes: Louis Price is prominent in the next Seagulls’ attack, his low cross into the six-yard box superbly cleared by Josh Storey in front of goal
65 minutes: Reece Shanley is the next to make an important clearance from close in
66 minutes: Mousehole substitute: Andy Elcock is replaced in midfield by Jared Sims
Half-way through the second period: Mousehole are making most of the running in search of a second goal, while Helston look as though they’re content to defend and hit on the break
72 minutes: Keeper Searle saves his side again as Louis Price cuts inside from the right for an angled left-foot shot pushed out at the near post for a corner
73 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. Callam Mconie swings the right-sided corner over towards the far post where MAX HILL heads down past the keeper and into the net – the young defender’s first-ever Seagulls’ goal in 22 appearances this season and 42 in total. Mousehole 2-1 Helston Athletic. A deserved lead on the balance of play, but what will the visitors’ response be?
75 minutes: And here comes the response. Max Hill has to clear a dangerous low cross in front of his near post and from the corner an almighty scramble in a crowded six-yard box ends with Ollie Chenoweth grabbing the ball safely.
77 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Callam Mconie is replaced by Mark Goldsworthy in The Seagulls’ attack. What can the ex-Helston striker come up with in the closing stages?
83 minutes: Mark Goldsworthy has a half-chance inside the area but his shot is blocked
84 minutes: Jack Calver shoots from distance, Searle spills, and he and Mark Goldsworthy collide as they both go for the loose ball – Referee Hunnisett waves the protests away
85 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. A speedy passing movement involving Jared Sims rips open the Helston defence, leaving Hayden Turner to advance on goal and he unselfishly squares the ball for MARK GOLDSWORTHY to poke into the net for his 17th goal of the season. Mousehole 3-1 Helton Athletic – the same scoreline as in the FA Cup tie near the start of the season. But, there’s still probably ten minutes of playing time left and you can’t discount Helston’s determination to come back from this deficit.
90 minutes: Mark Goldsworthy is sin-binned after disputing a throw-in and then commenting on a bad foul, so Mousehole will have to play through added-on time with ten men.
90+1 minutes: Paulo Sousa was injured after a 50/50 collision and after prolonged on-field treatment he is replaced by Kyle Fraser
90+6 minutes: Helston have a great chance at least to reduce the arrears with a free-kick in a central position just outside the ‘D’, but Ollie Chenoweth remains un-tested as Reece Shanley shoots harmlessly over the bar
90+7 minutes: At the full-time whistle it’s Mousehole 3-1 Helston Athletic, a deserved result for Mousehole’s persistence and intensity. That makes it 14 wins out of 17 home matches this season, with one defeat to Tavistock and draws against Wellington and Exmouth Town – and one home fixture left, on Easter Monday, against third-bottom Ashton & Backwell United.
What this result means:
Mousehole lie in second place with two games remaining, one point behind Tavistock and two ahead of Exmouth Town with both having three games to play. Mousehole play Ashton & Backwell at home and Keynsham Town away. Tavistock play already-relegated Bridport at home, Exmouth away and Ashton & Backwell at home. Exmouth play Millbrook and Tavistock at home, and Shepton Mallet away. The team finishing first will be automatically promoted, and the runners up could be promoted either through their points-per-game compared with all other step 5 runners-up, or by winning a single play-off match away at a second-bottom step 4 side on 30th April.
Mousehole v Helston (with used substitutes):
Ollie Chenoweth (GK), Josh Otto, Max Hill, Jamie Devine, Paulo Sousa (Kyle Fraser), Tallan Mitchel (C)l, Andy Elcock (Jared Sims), Jack Calver, Callam Mconie (Mark Goldsworthy), Louis Price, Hayden Turner
Other substitutes: Jack Symons, Billy Curtis
Match officials:
Neil Hunnisett (Referee) with Alan Hoon & Adam Price (Assistants)
Attendance: 355
Mousehole’s remaining fixtures
Easter Monday, 18th April: HOME v Ashton & Backwell United, 3pm
Next Saturday 23rd April: Away v Keynsham Town, 3pm
