Statistics tend not to lie regardless of the phrase made famous by Mark Twain. Seven home league games this season, three wins and four losses. That’s the same number of home defeats as the whole of last season. Fortress Trungle has been breached and no longer offers the comforts of home.
It all started so differently when Liam Prynn rounded off a strong opening ten minutes with a very nicely worked goal. The returning Julio Fresneda Carrasco, JFC!, took a short pass in his own half from Ed Harrison. In his familiar casual style he turned, looked up and advanced a few steps before pinging a pass out to Hayden Turner. The Hitman turned provider; rolling a pass into the box, dissecting two defenders, to find a lurking Prynn. He took a touch to send a defender to the ground and pulled a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
This is the style of football that visitors to Interiora Trungle Parc have become used to. Quick, incisive, devastating. That it was the first home goal for over four hours didn’t matter as Prynn peeled away in delight. The home crowd settled down for what promised to be a lovely afternoon against a strong visiting side, but one who had not won since the end of September.
To the dismay of the home bench the lead lasted just eight minutes. There had been a couple of warning shots before the equaliser came but the home defence did not heed these. A promising attack broke down on the edge of the Winchester box and fifteen seconds later the ball was in the Mousehole net. Gaining possession in his own box the defender in blue had sent a hopeful punt upfield to a loan attacker. It looked like James Ward would get there first but the sprinting Brad Waters beat him to it.
At that moment the two centre halves of the home team out numbered the forwards but Dan Bradshaw was steaming in past a sluggish Mousehole midfield so that when Waters looked up he saw his team mate arriving in to the box in splendid isolation. The pass was accurate but Bradshaw still had work to do. Ward and Harrison blocked his path but he cut back to his left and slid the ball home, wrong-footing Chenoweth.
Mousehole had the better chances thereafter with Turner hitting the bar and stinging the keeper’s hands with long range efforts, while Prynn clipped one just over the bar. The half ended even and that was probably slightly unfair on the home team.
In days gone by, the fitness and panache of Mousehole at home tended to brush sides away in the second half but at the moment this doesn’t happen. The half opened a little like a basketball game with possession switching in turn and attacks petering out with no end product. Too often though Mousehole held on to the ball for too long and eventually this was their undoing.
Good possession was lost in midfield when passes where on and Winchester forced a throw in on the right. It was launched in to the box and Mousehole had two opportunities to clear but failed to do so allowing the visitors to lump it in again. It fell to a Winchester foot, and Thomas Bragg slammed it past some lunging defensive legs.
The game was effectively ended just two minutes later when Winchester doubled their lead. Once again Mousehole couldn’t maintain possession of the ball, allowing Winchester to attack down the right. Bradshaw turned provider, although there was much fortune to it, as his cross was hopeful at best. It bounced in the six yard box and should have been cleared but found its way to the back post where Tommy Wright stepped inside Cook and flicked it home.
With twenty five or so minutes remaining there should have been enough time for the Seagulls to get back into the game but the visitors looked more threatening and it was only Chenoweth heroics that kept the home side in it at all. Then with five minutes left on the clock Mousehole were handed a lifeline. JFC won the ball near the right corner flag. He managed to beat several defenders and advance into the area where he passed to Symons. Jack made space for a shot but the goal bound effort was brilliantly saved. Sadly for Winchester, it was not the goalkeeper using his hands and a penalty was awarded.
Up stepped Hayden Turner to take the kick. He hit is powerfully enough but it wasn’t wide enough or high enough to pass the keeper who pushed it away. Had that gone in, the momentum may have shifted sufficiently for Mousehole to nab an equaliser but in truth it would have been more than they deserved.
The Seagulls are now stuck in mid-table. That’s positionally, but in terms of points they are much further off the play-off spots (13) than they are to the relegation places (2). It could be said that the season is at a cross roads. There are ten league matches till the end of the year and these will decide whether a promotion is possible or if survival is the only target.
