Moushole 2 – 1 Larkhall Athletic
Words by Daniel Tasker
Games between Mousehole and Larkhall are always close-run affairs regardless of their league positions and this game was no exception. Last season saw a one nil home win for the Seagulls, who gained a point away from home thanks to a late equaliser with five minutes to go. The result of this match was decided even later and made for a thrilling end to a proper football battle under grey skies.
Mousehole began the match boasting a one hundred percent home record so far this season and the ITP crowd could have been forgiven for thinking this would be a regulation win for the men in white. The visitors had other thoughts and, backed by a strong wind, they dominated the chances in the first forty-five. Whilst Mousehole had sixty percent possession Larkhall had an equivalent share of the chances. That it was goalless at the break was more of a relief to Mousehole than Larkhall but the whilst chances had been created there weren’t any that would register high on the Xg charts.
The biggest controversy of the first half was regarding a seeming kick in the head by Larkhall’s Jack (Goodall) on Mousehole’s Jack (Symons). The home bench were apoplectic but the referee and his assistant had missed any deliberate intent whilst watching the ball. It was maybe no coincidence that it was the two Jacks who picked up the half’s two yellow cards.
The second half should have begun with a Mousehole barrage on the Solomon Browne end but going against the wind it was Larkhall who made the break through. A slick counter attack saw the ball end up on the right wing. From there it was cut back across the box to an unseen Harvey Flippance who slid it home.
Mousehole heads dropped momentarily having conceded their first goal at home this season but the upset seemed to ignite a previously absent sense of urgency. Cheered on by an under-average sized but enthusiastic crowd the men in white and green began to make inroads and the chances began appearing. Few were clear cut with the blue shirted visitors happy to throw themselves in the way of anything that moved.
The game turned after seventy minutes when the aforementioned Jack Goodall received the red card many thought he should have seen in the first half. This was for a second bookable offence and came two minutes after the arrival of Mark Goldsworthy.
With Goodall gone, and Goldie on, the pressure going forward increased and the fair-haired veteran levelled the scores in typical fashion after seventy-three minutes. A corner from the right caused chaos in the box. The ball bounced around like a puppy in a field of squirrels but when it fell to the right foot of Goldsworthy the shenanigans ended as he placed it carefully between onrushing legs and into the net.
That strike was his fiftieth in a Mousehole shirt and was celebrated as such by him, his team mates and the crowd but this was a job only half done. The Seagulls had a one hundred percent record to maintain and so the waves of attacks continued as the home side sought the winner. It did make them liable to a counter-attack which meant that the neutral observer may have felt a winner could come at either end.
When the referee indicated five minutes of time added on it seemed like the sands of time would rush too quickly for a positive outcome in either team’s favour but finally the Larkhall resistance with only ten men took a toll on their physical resources. With only seconds left on the clock a Larkhall throw in from the left back only found Ed Harrison’s head. He nodded it to Gene Price who, first time, found Max Cook. The Cookie Monster rolled a pass forward to the half centurion Goldsworthy who played a one two with Price before playing a precise pass to Liam Prynn on the penalty spot. As the referee reached for his whistle to end the match, Predator-Prynn controlled the ball, spun and shot in one movement sending the ball in to the far corner of the goal and sending the crowd into delirium.
It would be hard not to feel sympathy for Larkhall. They deserved a point but in football you don’t always get what you deserve and as Prynn knee-slid into the corner in celebration the home fans didn’t care about fairness. They were simply delighted to see another home win for the Seagulls. There’s not long to enjoy these three points as Tavistock arrive on Tuesday but it made for a great evening.
