Torpoint Athletic 3-2 Mousehole
Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round
Saturday 20th August 2022
At The Mill
SUMMARY
After their below-par start to the season, Mousehole had the prospect of a mouth-watering tie in the next Round clearly in sight, but a combination of missed chances and defensive lapses allowed the hard-working hosts to come from behind to win a place in the draw, which subsequently gave them a lucrative home game against Helston Athletic.
PRE-MATCH POINTS
Mousehole return today to the scene of their opening-day 5-1 League win three weeks ago, hoping to repeat that result and reach the highest FA Cup level in the club’s history – with all the excitement, prestige and prize money that go with it – in only their second season in the competition.
Torpoint reached the Preliminary Round with a 1-0 Replay win at local rivals Millbrook after a 1-1 draw at The Mill. Mousehole also required a Replay, a 1-1 draw at Barnstaple Town followed by a 3-2 extra-time win at Trungle Parc.
The winners of the tie will progress to the First Qualifying Round on Saturday 3rd September, when Step 3 teams enter the competition, including the likes of Truro City and Plymouth Parkway.
In the Western League Premier Division, Torpoint are in 18th place with no wins, one draw and two defeats, including a 3-1 loss at Falmouth Town in midweek. Mousehole are in 10th, with one win, two draws and one defeat, the latter being a 2-1 reverse at home against Millbrook on Tuesday.
In their previous visit three weeks ago, Mousehole started slowly and might have been two goals down but for a penalty save by Ollie Chenoweth, before finally making the most of their chances with goals from Tallan Mitchell (2), Louis Price (2) and Hayden Turner.
Today, a maximum of seven substitutes can be named, with three used. If it’s a draw at 90 minutes, the tie goes to a replay at Trungle Parc on Tuesday (23rd).
Mousehole’s team news is that Reece Thomson and Mark Goldsworthy are absent, centre-back Max Hill makes his 50th appearance for the club, and new signing Moussa Diallo is on the bench.
The weather is warm but a lot cooler than recently, with the recent rain likely to have benefitted the pitch – so a good FA Cup spectacle is expected.
The attendance looks a bit less than for the League match, which is surprising given the importance of the occasion.
THE KEY MOMENTS OF THE MATCH
3 minutes: Torpoint have the first attempt on goal, Lewis Pacey shooting way over from outside the box
4 minutes: The hosts are awarded a disputed throw-in, followed by a free kick in a central position 25 yards out, which is driven too high
5 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE: Callam Mconie’s diagonal ball from inside his own half enables HAYDEN TURNER to sprint past the two centre backs and plant a header past the advancing keeper and into the empty net. Torpoint Athletic 0-1 Mousehole.
15 minutes: Mousehole look to be in control and quite comfortable
16 minutes: Having said that, Ollie Chenoweth rescues the visitors with a very quick race out of goal to block Callam Thompson who’s clean through
26 minutes: Ollie Chenoweth repeats the manoeuvre, this time to thwart Owen Haslam
27 minutes: Steve Burt gets bravely in the way of a Torpoint free kick hammered towards goal from the edge of the ‘D’
28 minutes: GOAL FOR TORPOINT ATHLETIC: The hosts have been coming back into the game. Callam Thompson’s right-wing cross is deflected and DARREN HICKS is unmarked at the far post for a downward header from six yards. Score 1-1.
36 minutes: GOAL FOR MOUSEHOLE. CALLAM MCONIE has some space 30 yards out and drives a rising left-foot shot into the far top corner via the underside of the crossbar – spectacular, and no chance for keeper Jason Peters despite his best efforts. Score is now 1-2.
41 minutes: A big controversy. The hosts’ Matt Cotter fells Tallan Mitchell on the halfway line with a late two-footed tackle. Referee Kevin Hoare has to deal with a loud confrontation between the two management teams, before issuing a yellow card to the Torpoint player. Fortunately, Mitchell is not badly injured – otherwise that might have been a red-card offence.
45 minutes: Callam Mconie has a presentable left-foot chance inside the area after a penetrating run by Mark Richards, but shoots wildly over
45+3 minutes: Jared Sims has a great chance eight yards out to put The Seagulls further ahead at just the right time, but he’s hustled off the ball and keeper Peters collects
Half-time (45+5 minutes) – a feisty end to the first period, with the Torpoint staff continuing to argue with the officials and delaying their halftime cup of tea. It’s 2-1 to Mousehole, but it looks as though Torpoint will be fired up for the second half.
47 minutes: The home side immediately threaten, with the unmarked Curtis Damerell heading just wide from 12 yards. That looks like a foretaste of what’s to come.
49 minutes: Damerell has a shooting half-chance, but Ollie Chenoweth saves comfortably
50 minutes: Full back Paul Heveran is in lots of space on the right and his low cross is inches away from Darren Hicks’ outstretched boot at the far post. That’s three dangerous attacks in as many minutes – Mousehole are just about holding on here.
52 minutes: At last Mousehole get into the Torpoint half with a Hayden Turner run, ending with a shot past the near post from the edge of the box
54 minutes: Back come Torpoint and Lewis Pacey drives hurriedly over from a promising position
57 minutes: At the other end, John Heveran makes an important clearance from Jack Calver’s low cross with Andy Watkins ready to pounce on the edge of the six-yard box
60 minutes: You get the distinct feeling Mousehole need another goal, as Torpoint have a strong foothold in what has become a scrappy match
65 minutes: GOAL FOR TORPOINT ATHLETIC. Two minutes have elapsed since the Referee awarded the home side a free kick right on the 18-yard line, when the foul looked to be inside the box. Amid fierce protests from the Torpoint players the Referee consults his nearby Assistant, but sticks to his decision. He then marks out the ten paces for the Mousehole defensive wall, whereupon a Torpoint player repeats the distance with bigger strides, demanding the Referee move the wall back a few feet. JOHN HEVERAN then drives the ball into a huge gap into the corner of the net for an equaliser that’s been coming since the interval.
66 minutes: Two Mousehole substitutes – Andy Watkins replaced by Moussa Diallo, and Jared Sims by Andy Elcock
68 minutes: Torpoint have the momentum. Paul Heveran drives straight at Ollie Chenoweth from 20 yards.
71 minutes: Lewis Pacey fires high and wide from 18 yards as Torpoint press forward
75 minutes: Paul Heveran opts for a cross-shot which goes wide of the far post with a couple of team-mates well placed in the middle
76 minutes: Torpoint are well on top. What a transformation in the balance of play. A free kick into Mousehole’s penalty area is headed out for a corner.
77 minutes: GOAL FOR TORPOINT ATHLETIC. The corner is swung in from the right and CURTIS DAMERELL places an unchallenged header into the far corner of the net – the third such goal Mousehole have conceded in recent matches. Torpoint 3-2 Mousehole.
79 minutes: Mousehole substitute – Steve Burt is replaced by Louis Price
80 minutes: Very little has been seen of Mousehole’s forward play for a long time, but Moussa Diallo shows speed and trickery on the left to create space for a goal-bound right-foot shot which keeper Peters palms out at full stretch
88 minutes: Mousehole have the clearest chance of the match as Hayden Turner crosses from the left and the unmarked Louis Price heads over from six yards out
90 minutes: Moussa Diallo has injected some variety into Mousehole’s play but shoots hastily high and wide after a good run
90+2 minutes: Torpoint have been defending resolutely in these final stages and are doing everything they can to run the clock down. With Mousehole on the attack, the home bench roll a spare ball on to the pitch to try to get the game stopped. Moussa Diallo boots the extra ball into the stand – it’s lucky that didn’t hit any of the spectators.
90+3 minutes: Callam Mconie gets the ball on to his favoured left-foot on the edge of the box but scuffs his shot straight at the keeper.
Full-time (90+6 minutes): It ends in a 3-2 win for Torpoint, who have seized the initiative, nullified Mousehole’s style of play and dominated most of the second half. For The Seagulls, a disappointing and somewhat unexpected result, with plenty to contemplate and act upon after that performance.
Mousehole now have the opportunity to revive their season with three League games in a row at Home (see below) , including another encounter with today’s victors Torpoint Athletic in three weeks’ time.
MOUSEHOLE (with used substitutes)
Ollie Chenoweth (GK), Josh Otto, Mark Richards, Max Hill, Jack Calver (C), Jared Sims (Andy Elcock), Steve Burt (Louis Price), Tallan Mitchell, Callam Mconie, Andy Watkins (Moussa Diallo), Hayden Turner.
Other substitutes: Lewis Moyle (GK), Jamie Devine, Paulo Sousa, Charlie Willis
MATCH OFFICIALS
Kevin Hoare (Referee) with Bryan Holden and Matthew Petherbridge (Assistant Referees)
ATTENDANCE: 136
NEXT FOR MOUSEHOLE (all Western League premier Division fixtures)
Next Saturday (27th August):
The Away fixture at Millbrook has been POSTPONED by the Western League
(new date not yet arranged)
Bank Holiday Monday, 29th August, 3pm:
HOME v Street
Saturday 3rd September, 3pm:
HOME v Falmouth Town
(re-arranged League fixture brought forward from Tuesday 20th September)
Saturday 10th September, 3pm: HOME v Torpoint Athletic
