Words Daniel Tatarsky

Westbury 2 – 1 Mousehole

With the Seagulls’ one hundred per cent home record having been torn apart by Tavistock the trip to Westbury took on even more importance for Jake Ash’s team. The knowledge that away matches had brought no joy so far this season would have given the travelling fans little hope for optimism and as it turned out their fears were well grounded.

The early chances all fell to the home men in green with Mousehole surviving two close scares before Westbury took the lead. The goal came from a turnover of play in the centre circle; with Mitchell being dispossessed the ball was quickly shifted to the right wing from where, under no pressure, the number nine was able to cross to the far post to allow an onrushing, unmarked Josh Jenkins to slide it home after eleven minutes.

The only surprise when Westbury doubled their lead was that it had taken so long. Ollie Chenoweth’s net had lived a charmed life in the intervening twenty-five minutes but eventually Mousehole’s luck ran out. It again came from a Seagull being disposed, this time it was in their own box and the dagger was driven home quicker although in a very similar manner. A dinked pass from right to left was once more met by Jenkins to slide home. If not a carbon copy of the first goal it had all the same elements so Mousehole could not say they hadn’t been warned.

All that the visiting fans could celebrate after forty-five minutes was that the score was only two nil. They have seen Mousehole come back from such dire situations so there was still hope. The second half started in a slightly more even fashion but it looked more likely that Westbury would increase the lead rather than Mousehole reduce it and this nearly came to pass when the home side worked a nice move ending with a miscued shot going over.

Westbury failing to put the game to bed at that point seemed to galvanise the men in navy blue and a couple of minutes later the deficit was reduced. When Jack Symons won the ball near the centre circle it rolled to Goldsworthy. Using the outside of his right foot he played in the returning Hayden Turner galloping down the left. His pass into the corridor of uncertainty was met by a cantering Liam Prynn to force home between two defenders.

With their dander up the Seagulls pushed for an equaliser. The best chance was a reverse of their goal with Prynn playing Turner in with a neat pass that left him one on one with the keeper. Nine times out of ten the hitman hits home in these situations but maybe it was ring rust that led to him skewing his shot wide.

There were a number of goalmouth melees in the closing minutes but never a clear-cut chance and so another day on the road ended with Mousehole coming home empty handed. The defeat leaves them in mid table, closer in points to the bottom than the top and means that the home game with Hartpury is this season’s first must win.

That match, on the 11th of October at Interior Trungle Parc is Pay What You Want for all spectators so if ever there was a chance to get out and support your Seagulls this is it.