WORDS: DANIEL TATARSKY

Mousehole 0 – 2 Tavistock

Due to a laundry malfunction Tavistock arrived at this match with their kit still damp but they did not let the extra weight hold them back as they cruised to a relatively easy victory. Matches between these two always feel like a local derby in spite of the physical distance between them and emotions were already running high before the game.

On this occasion there was not just a geographical distance between the sides, this gap was replicated in the league standings; with Tavistock having had a slow start to the season they began the game in the relegation zone. This might explain why the men in red and black came out of the traps with more energy than the home team.

The early chances all fell to the visitors as they laid siege to Oliver Chenoweth’s goal. To the neutral observer it may well have seemed that Tavi were at home so dominant were they in the early exchanges. In spite of superior possession Mousehole were unable to convert their hold of the ball in to chances and regularly fell foul of the quick transition from the Devonians. Luckily for the men in white and green whilst they gave up chances none really threatened to breach the man in yellow’s goal.

Tavistock’s eagerness to record a second successive victory at Interiora Trungle Parc translated into some juicy challenges resulting in two yellow cards in quick succession in the middle of the half. The goal, when it came, after forty-one minutes, was straight out of the 1970s. A long punt from the Tavistock keeper avoided the two Mousehole centre halves and found Jack Crago in splendid isolation about forty yards from goal. He advanced at pace and whilst Chenoweth did well to push him wide of the goal, the Tavistock forward was able to roll it in from an acute angle.

Having come back from a goal down against Larkhall there was little concern amongst the home crowd as the teams emerged for the second half. This feeling of calm was mistaken as the game continued in very much the same vein with Tavistock able to soak up much of the home pressure without concern. The best chances fell to Gene Price, ten yards out on the right, and Oscar Massey a little closer on the left. Both screwed their shots wide when it looked likely that they would score.

Surviving these early scares gave Tavistock hope that they could hold out and they settled their nerves further when they doubled the lead just after the hour. A slick move down the right ended with a cross that seemed to have been over hit as it sailed above the head of the centre forward. Your reporter was not the only person not to see Crago advancing, unmarked, from the left. The ball reached him in space and, unchallenged, he scored nonchalantly with the outside of his right boot.

We’ve seen Mousehole come back from holes like this but something in the air suggested that it was not to be on this night. Chances did come but there was always a Tavistock body in the way and when a defender missed the block Daniel Holman was there to keep his sheet clean. Even going down to ten men with five minutes still on the clock did not weaken the visitors’ resolve and in the end they held out relatively comfortably for a memorable win.

As for Mousehole, it was a major disappointment. Having won two on the spin at home and coming off a last-minute winner against Larkhall this should have been another step up the division but instead it’s back to the drawing board as they head out on the road for a trip to Westbury. If ever there was a time to register an away win, it’s Saturday. Fingers will be crossed all over West Cornwall.