Mousehole 2-2 Ilfracombe Town
Toolstation Western League Premier Division
Saturday 8th October 2022
At Trungle Parc
SUMMARY
Mousehole grabbed an injury-time equaliser against resilient opponents to extend their recent run of form to five wins and three draws in the last eight games, the point keeping them in sixth place in the League table
MATCH PREVIEW
It’s almost exactly 100 years since Mousehole played their first ever football match and their history is superbly illustrated at today’s Centenary Exhibition at the Solomon Browne Hall organised by the Mousehole Archive.
This afternoon’s match – Seagulls versus Bluebirds – would be a great opportunity to celebrate the occasion on the pitch, but visitors Ilfracombe Town will undoubtedly be out to prove they are not there just to make up the numbers.
Mousehole’s two League matches against the North Devon side last season proved to be tough affairs, with a 2-0 loss at Marlborough Park at the end of August redeemed by a hard-fought 3-0 home win later.
Ilfracombe, who have yet to record an away win in the League this season, are currently in 14th place, whereas The Seagulls are in sixth, thanks to an unbeaten run of seven games including five wins.
From the starting X1 on Mousehole’s team sheet it looks like a new formation, with a back line of three defenders and no wing-backs, but with an otherwise attacking line-up
KEY POINTS OF THE MATCH
There’s bright warm sunshine at the start and Mousehole are kicking towards the Cricket Club End
19 minutes: GOAL FOR ILFRACOMBE TOWN. Nothing significant has happened so far, but Mousehole lose the ball deep into visitors’ territory, winger John Downing carries the ball at speed into a huge space on the left and finds HARRY STEVENS, who’s done well to keep up with the swift break and he twists and turns to create a shooting chance low into the corner from the edge of the six yard box. 1-0 to the visitors.
22 minutes: Downing again poses a threat with a run and shot from 20 yards which Lewis Moyle anticipates well to save
Half-way through the first half: Mousehole have so far lacked cohesion and any penetration, and the visitors have successfully stifled a lot of forward movement
31 minutes: The hosts threaten at last – Louis Price’s low cross from the right is well cut out at the last moment by Sam Wright in front of goal
34 minutes; Louis Price and Callam Mconie break through to create a shooting chance on the 18-yard line but stumble over the ball and it’s cleared
37 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. A quick passing pattern by Louis Price, Tallan Mitchell and Steve Burt draws the defence out of position and HAYDEN TURNER has the space to fire past the advancing Adam Seedhouse-Evans into the far corner of his net from 15 yards. The home side’s first attempt on goal makes it 1-1.
45+1 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Mark Richards has a painful injury and is replaced by Paulo Sousa
45+4 minutes: At half time the score is 1-1. The match has been quite low key – which the visitors will be pleased about.
The second half – Mousehole have reverted to a more familiar formation, with Steve Burt and Paulo Sousa occupying the two full back positions
53 minutes: Hayden Turner’s run on the left is followed by a searching cross to the far post that Louis Price can’t quite turn over the line
56 minutes: Mousehole penalty! Mark Goldsworthy collects the ball on the 18 yard line, goes past two defenders and goes to ground after a challenge by a third. Hayden Turner drives the spot kick hard and low, but keeper Seedhouse-Evans gets to it and holds on
57 minutes: GOAL FOR ILFRACOMBE TOWN. The keeper immediately dispatches a long ball down the middle where a moment of indecision allows HARRY STEVENS to get in a shot on goal from just inside the box that ricochets off Lewis Moyle into the net. A costly 60 seconds for The Seagulls!
58 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Louis Price is replaced by Jack Symons
59 minutes: The young substitute makes an instant impact with a turn and pass putting Hayden Turner through on goal, but the keeper is out quickly to smother the chance
60 minutes: A replica move results in the same outcome!
63 minutes: Hayden Turner is inches away from an equaliser with a whipped shot from 25 yards that swerves past the angle with the keeper beaten
Half-way through the second half: Ilfracombe signal their intentions – keeper Seedhouse-Evans takes ages over a goal kick and is show a yellow card for timewasting
72 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Callam Mconie is replaced by Jack Calver, returning after an injury lay-off
15 minutes left: The visitors are holding on to their lead with some deep and determined defending, and stealing the ball often when Mousehole’s passing is too intricate
78 minutes: Mousehole substitutes – Tallan Mitchell and Steve Burt are replaced by Reece Thomson and Andy Watkins
85 minutes: The Seagulls have upped the tempo – Max Hill has a goal-bound shot blocked by a defender
86 minutes: Jack Calver’s free kick from 20 yards is palmed over by the keeper
87 minutes: Mousehole get three corners in a row, all well defended
90+1 minutes: Going into added time, Jack Symons has a shot blocked for yet another corner, again cleared
90+2 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. Hayden Turner curls a knee-high cross towards the far post where MAX HILL races in to side-foot home the equaliser – the centre-back’s second important goal of the season after his opener at Falmouth Town a couple of weeks ago
90+5 minutes: At the full-time whistle, Ilfracombe are denied their first away win of the season, while Mousehole stretch their run to eight games undefeated, thanks to a period of higher intensity in the later stages of the match
MOUSEHOLE (with used substitutes):
Lewis Moyle (GK), Adel Gafaiti, Mark Richards (Paulo Sousa), Max Hill, Steve Burt (Reece Thomson), Tallan Mitchell (Andy Watkins), Andy Elcock, Callam Mconie (Jack Calver), Louis Price (Jack Symons), Mark Goldsworthy, Hayden Turner
MATCH OFFICIALS
Neil Lane (Referee) with Ken Swift and Stuart Bowden (Assistant Referees)
ATTENDANCE: 141
NEXT FOR MOUSEHOLE
This Saturday, 15th October, 3pm
HOME v Buckland Athletic, WLP
Saturday 22nd October, 3pm
Away v Lydney Town, FAV-1R
Saturday 29th October, 3pm
Away v Barnstaple Town, WLP
Tuesday 1st November, 7.45pm
HOME v Torpoint Athletic, WLP
