MOUSEHOLE 0-1 ELBURTON VILLA
SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE, DIVISION 1 WEST
SATURDAY 24TH MARCH 2018, AT TRUNGLE PARC
After their heroic mid-week exertions in the League Cup semi-final against Premier Division Tavistock, Mousehole returned to League action on Saturday against Elburton Villa with both sides in search of crucial points to maintain their challenge in the ‘mix’ at the top of the table. And just when the game looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw, it was the Plymouth-based visitors who grabbed the winner in the first minute of added time to make it five consecutive wins without conceding a goal and ruin The Seagulls’ 100% home record.
The run of form has seen The Villa side become the ‘dark horses’ of the promotion race in their second season since relegation from the Premier Division. Only seven points now separate the top seven teams, with Mousehole in the middle of the pack, but they all have a different number of games to play, including against each other, so the race is still wide open. The Seagulls have played more games than the rest, but with ten games left and six of those at home they are still in with a great chance, despite dropping points on Saturday.
Mousehole gave a debut to Torquay United’s 19-year old goalkeeper Neal Osborn, but in a game in which both teams’ defences were dominant, neither he nor Jack Dixon at the other end had a single shot to save. In fact, the match was notable for fewer goal chances than yellow cards, as both sides put in some determined challenges with the visitors in particular expressing overt displeasure at most of the refereeing decisions that went against them.
The Seagulls had slightly the better of the first half, a Paulo Sousa free kick from 25 yards spinning just past the angle on 18 minutes, Steven Ziboth poking a shot from the left past the far post after clever set-up play by Will Vouama on 20, and Jake Andrew scuffing a shot wide from 12 yards after 28 minutes.
Will Vouama continued to be Mousehole’s main man in the early stages of the second half, his weaving run from the halfway line being blocked illegally right on the 18-yard line in the 55th minute, and another penetrating run on 72 also earning a 20-yard free kick. But Elburton stood firm and started to fashion chances of their own. Captain Lewis Chrimes got in a great position from a threatening free kick but put his header into the side netting from close range on 73, and from that moment on the game opened up. Five minutes from the end The Villa withstood a flurry of attacks with Vouama again the creator and Calum Elliot up front to spearhead the attack, but on 90 minutes Villa’s 17-goal dangerman Nick Aplin came close with a 20-yard shot deflected just over the bar. From the inswinging corner the ball was only half cleared and Josh Tattersall was in space 15 yards out to volley a low shot through a crowd of players into the far corner.
Mousehole have the oppportunity to get back to winning ways with the Good Friday local derby against Penzance at Penlee Parc (11am), but Wayne Quinn’s side have gained some creditable results in recent weeks, lifting them up to 9th in the table, seven points below Mousehole with a game in hand, and will be looking to avenge their two defeats to The Seagulls at Trungle Parc this season – 2-0 in the League on Boxing Day and 4-0 in the Cornwall Charity Cup quarter-final in mid-February.
Mousehole v Elburton Villa: N Osborn, B Curtis (c), C Elliot, L Andrew, P Sousa, J Adlard, R Holland, W Vouama, L Johnson, J Andrew, S Ziboth
Substitutes: J Otto (for J Andrew, 85), K Lawrence (for R Holland, 86), J Thomson, C Davey
Scorer: Elburton Villa – J Tattersall, 90+1
Referee: Kevin Knowles. Attendance: 84.
