Mousehole 2 – 1 Yate
Better Yate Than Never!
Top of the table clashes don’t come more important than this one. With Yate leading the division and Mousehole coming off the back of two disappointing results this was a classic six pointer which could have gone either way.
Yate have lead from the front since day one of this season. At the turn of the year they were ten points clear and looked locked in for automatic promotion but since the days have started lengthening their lead has been shortening and they entered this match just three points ahead of Evesham. A run of just two wins in ten games meant that it was a must-win for the visitors. With Mousehole having gained one point from the previous two matches it meant it was must-win for the Seagulls too. Which way would it go?
The opening exchanges were cagey and very even with neither side creating much but that changed just before ten minutes were up. Jack Symons won a free kick about twenty five yards out. It was a classic piece of Simmo-ness, nipping in ahead of the defender and winning the foul.
Hayden Turner’s shot was straight and true but was aimed directly at the keeper. He bent down to catch it but it bounced in front of him and he spilled it in Onana-esque fashion. When something spills you need a mopper-upper and luckily for the home fans we have the best in the business. Starting three feet behind the defender Tim Nixon exploded past a statuesque backline to poke the ball home.
With chances being few and far between it seemed that Mousehole would go in ahead at half time. The play was fast and furious but there simply were no openings at either end. The closet Yate came to drawing level was a shot from the edge of the box which Ollie Chenoweth pushed round the post. It was going to take a piece of magic or a slight drop in concentration for this change and unfortunately it was the latter and it was at the home end.
Yate had a throw in on the left deep inside their own half. It reached Marlon Jackson on the half way line. He chested it, turned and played it forward to Tomlinson. With Hill and Konte either side of him it looked a lost cause but the number seven is quick and he pounced when Medo missed his kick. Taking it wide, he waited for Ollie Chenoweth to commit and sent it in to the net. This turned out to be Medo’s best performance in a Mousehole shirt but when you play in defence one mistake is all it takes to ruin your day.
For one of the only times this season Mousehole were having the minority of the possession but chances were evenly split and when the teams emerged for the second half it was impossible to predict who might win, if anyone.
The second forty-five proved to be as tight as the first with defences on top. There wasn’t a clear-cut chance until the eighty fifth minute. Yate had a free kick on the right wing. It was swung in to a packed penalty box and found its way to the far post where a desperate Yate foot reached out and slammed it against the post.
Relief turned to joy less than two minutes later when Simmo won a free kick on the right wing. In this instance he was scythed down like harvest corn. The crowd bayed for a red card but the referee chose yellow. Tempers were still running high as Jack Calver stood over the free kick and swung his left boot. Max Hill, six foot four of towering Yorkshire oak, threw himself at the ball and headed it home. The crowd erupted, the players gathered to celebrate as the visitors fell to their haunches. From near victory to almost certain defeat in the blink of an eye.
If you’ve just read the report on the Bashley game you’ll know that holding on to a late lead had not been possible for Mousehole the week before so the home fans were taking nothing for granted. Josh Baxter came on for the free-kicking-winning maestro Symons to shore up the defence. With four minutes added there were nails being bitten all over West Cornwall but Yate were unable to find a way through and the final whistle brought a mixture euphoria and relief as the push for promotion was back on the rails.
