Mousehole were unable to continue their recent good form as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Barnstaple Town at Trungle Parc, writes Pablo Woolls-Blanco.
Despite leading at the break and being largely in control of the Western League Premier Division encounter, Mousehole allowed Barnstaple back into the game, with the visitors equalising early in the second period.
Saturday’s results mean Mousehole drop to sixth, although they remain just two points off fourth-placed Buckland Athletic, whom they also have two games in hand on.
Mousehole started well, controlling early possession and putting Barnstaple on the back foot right from the early stages of the first half. Despite their control, Mousehole struggled to create any meaningful opportunities in the first period, with the visitors having the better chances come half-time.
Mousehole did however take a lead with them into the break, following a fantastic solo drive and strike by Hayden Turner, who fired into the top right corner from outside of the box, just minutes before the referee’s half-time whistle.
Jake Ash’s side struggled to keep up their feeling of control in the second half however, with Barnstaple equalising just five minutes after the restart through Callum Laird, who followed up Turner’s impressive first-half strike by rocketing a finish right into the far corner, hitting the underside of the bar on its way in.
For the remainder of the half, both sides had good chances and should have scored more than one goal each, but Mousehole will certainly feel frustrated with what will no doubt feel like two points dropped, especially when they looked set to win things in the dying stages, as debutant Adel Gafaiti had a brilliant header saved on the goal line with just moments to spare.
It wasn’t to be in the end for either team, with the spoils being shared in a highly contested clash towards the top of the Western League.
Next up for the Seagulls is a home tie against Callington Town in the Cornwall Senior Cup first round on Wednesday night, before they will be back in league action next Saturday, again at Trungle Parc, where they will face 14th-placed Ilfracombe Town.