š¢ Mousehole AFCās crowd funder is just part of their vision for the future
Plus, we hear from St Dominick chief Simon Riddle amid the east Cornwall side's perfect start to the St Piran League Premier East campaign, and we round up the Cornwall Senior Cup second round action.
ā¬ļø In todayās newsletter ā¬ļø
ā½ Midweek round-up
š” Cornwall Senior Cup second round
š¢ Mousehole AFCās crowd funder is just part of their vision for the future
š” St Dominick enjoy stellar start to season in bid to shrug off St Piran League heartache
Enjoy. ćć
š” Cornwall Senior Cup second round
ā½ Bodmin Town 4-3 Bude Town
Bodmin Town fought back from three goals down to defeat South West Peninsula League Premier West rivals Bude Town by the odd goal in seven and clinch their place in the last eight.
Billy Hopcroft scored a hat-trick as the Seasiders cruised into a three-goal lead at Priory Park and seemingly had one foot in the quarter-final draw.
But the north Cornwall side knew that a three-goal lead is not always enough, having come from four goals down to draw at Wendron in ther previous game, and so it proved as Noah Crump (2), William Elliott and Joe Munday secured a remarkable victory for Bodmin.
ā½ Camelford 0-4 St Blazey
St Blazey struck three times in the final 15 minutes as the Green and Blacks eventually overcame SWPL outfit Camelford at their Trefrew Park home.
Ryan Downing put Andrew Moon and Brad Richardsonās side in front midway through the first half, but the Western League outfit had to wait until the 76th minute to double their advantage through skipper Luke Cloke.
That appeared to break the Camelsā resolve with Aaron Dilley soon adding a third before substitute Sam Clifton got in on the act in the dying embers in north Cornwall.
ā½ Dobwalls 1-6 Helston Athletic
Sam Carter scored a hat-trick as Helston Athletic continued the defence of their Senior Cup crown with a resounding six-goal victory at SWPL outfit Dobwalls.
A brace from Carter and Kai Cornishās strike within a ten-minute spell midway through the half put the Blues in complete control at the interval at Lantoom Park.
The Reds pulled one back through Cam Patterson early in the second half, but Dave Barkerās brace and Carterās third of the night saw Matt Cusackās side coast to victory.
ā½ Falmouth Town 2-0 Torpoint Athletic
Falmouth Town prevailed in the only all-Western League tie of the round as Andrew Westgarthās side saw off Torpoint Athletic at Bickland Park.
Goals from Luke Barner and Alex Wharton were enough to send the 2022 winners into the last eight.
ā½ Liskeard Athletic 6-3 Launceston
SWPL Premier West leaders Liskeard Athletic eventually overcame a stubborn Launceston side after prevailing in a nine-goal thriller at Lux Park.
An entertaining first half saw Liskeard go into the break with a 3-2 lead, courtesy of Dan Jenningsā brace and Max Gilbertās free-kick.
Launceston levelled early in the second half but an own goal and Mike Smithās brace saw Darren Gilbert and Lee Mannās side comfortably through in the end.
ā½ Penzance 5-1 Mullion
Penzance cruised into the quarter-finals for the second year running following a five-goal thrashing of ten-man Mullion at Penlee Park.
Jack Noy gave Rob Careyās side an early lead in west Cornwall but it was all downhill from there for the visitors as Charlie Willis and Rolandos Sumnauskas turned the tie on its head by the break.
Liam Andrew nodded in a third before Seagulls forward Harry Roberts was shown a straight red, with Silas Sullivan and Dylan Walter rounding off the scoring.
ā½ St Austell 1-0 Saltash United
SWPL high-flyers St Austell were the only side to defeat higher-division opposition as Chris Knightās team edged past Saltash United by a single goal at Poltair Park.
With neither side able to make the breakthrough after 88 minutes in mid-Cornwall, Matt Searleās free-kick two minutes from time was enough to send the Lillywhites into the quarter-finals.
ā½ Truro City reserves 1-5 Newquay
Louis Price plundered a four-timer as Newquay swatted aside SWPL colleagues Truro City reserves at Mount Wise.
Price scored either side of Harrie Tilstonās effort to give the Peppermints a three-goal cushion after little more than half an hour.
City soon pulled one back through Fin Harrison, but Price found the net twice more after the turnaround to seal an emphatic win.
š¢ Mousehole AFCās crowd funder is just part of their vision for the future
By Colin Bradbury
Mousehole AFC have just launched an ambitious bid to raise Ā£100,000 via a crowd funding campaign for a new access road to divert match day traffic away from the village of Paul. But thatās just the start of the clubās vision for the future.
Mouseholeās west Cornwall setting is one of the clubās defining features. The downside, as anybody who has visited Trungle Parc will know, is that the current access is via the narrow roads of Paul village. The lane down to the club itself is bumpy and full of potholes. Adding to the problems is that this is also the access point for the adjacent campsite, which is owned by the football club and is a vital source of income.
The club have already secured planning permission for the new access road that will connect the B3315 near Sheffield directly to the football ground and the campsite. The road will also enable the enlargement of the clubās car park, with capacity for another 40 cars and for three coach spaces.
Mousehole AFC chairman Deryk Heywood believes that the new road will both benefit the village of Paul and be a crucial catalyst for the football clubās long-term ambitions.
Removing matchday and campsite traffic from the main road through the village is obviously a major benefit. Beyond that, the car park will be open seven days a week, making it available for use during local events ā at the pub and the church, for example. Improved access will also allow the clubhouse to be opened on more than just matchdays, providing both a source of income for the club and a facility that can be used by local residents.
āItās for the whole community,ā says Heywood. āAt the moment, the clubhouse is only used one day a week, plus whenever the ladies are playing on a Sunday. Once we have access into the club from the main road we can open our facilities seven days a week and that will generate income.ā
But as well as solving a problem by re-routing traffic, the chairman also sees the road as part of Mouseholeās vision as a football club.
After securing promotion from the Western League last season, Mousehole have made a strong start to the campaign in the Southern League Division One South ā step four of the non-league pyramid. Lying in fifth place in the table, Mousehole have games in hand over all but one of the four teams above them. The club is clearly eyeing promotion to step three, the Southern League Premier South, and Heywood says: āDonāt be surprised if we get in the playoffs this year.ā
His, and the clubās, ambitions stretch even further than that though, which would take Mousehole down a path trodden by only one other team in Cornish football history, Truro City: āWe definitely have a vision for step two football. I think we can play National League South football at Mousehole. Whether we can go any higher than that, I donāt know.ā
As well as ability on the pitch, competing in the upper echelons of non-league football requires facilities that meet stringent ground-grading requirements. Heywood is confident that Trungle Parc is capable of accommodating the required upgrades for National League football: āThe club sits on more than seven acres of land which we own. Lots of clubs play on nice grounds but they donāt own them, theyāre tenants. We own the land the football club is on, which is a really nice position to be in.ā
There is scope on three sides of the pitch to build the stands, toilets and other facilities that would be needed. Heywood says: āWe have space behind the clubhouse ā itās about 35 meters from the clubhouse to the boundary to the west ā and there is also a 20-metre strip behind the goal at the south end where you could get a stand with up to 500 people. We would also encroach a bit onto the campsite side with a stand and toilet block.ā
The chairman is very much aware of the value of Mouseholeās status as the farthest west team in the country above step six: āThe āWay Out Westā brand is huge. Fans coming here enjoy the football at Trungle Parc because itās such a unique venue with views of the whole of Mounts Bay. Away fans come and make a weekend of itā¦so the preferred solution in terms of moving up the leagues is to develop the facilities at Paul.ā
On the pitch, the aim is to build success on local players. Heywood says: āGiving Cornish boys the opportunity to play step four football for a Cornish club is fantastic. No other club in Cornwall can offer that. I look at the team and see that every player but one at Mousehole lives in Cornwall, a lot of them at this end, west of Falmouth.
āThe Southern League side is a fantastic opportunity for boys in this county to not have to go to Tiverton or Plymouth or Taunton to play at that level. They can play at Mousehole in west Cornwall.ā
āWeāre Mousehole, but now we talk about āCornwallā more and more rather than just Mousehole. Weāre flying the flag for Cornish football.ā
Looking to the future, the structure is in place to ensure continued opportunities for local talent to thrive. Heywood says: āWe have created a clear pathway from our under-16s to under-18s to the development side to the first team. So any local kid can see the path to the first team because itās integrated into one.ā
Heywood is also convinced that the calibre of training and development on offer at Mousehole is comparable to teams further up the pyramid: āWe had someone on trial whoād played 70 games at step three, and he couldnāt believe the sharpness of our players. [Manager] Jake Ash and [assistant managers] Adam Fletcher and Andy Graham have got them so highly tuned that theyāre on another level in training. The trialist reckoned Mouseholeās training was as good as a National League South team and heās not the first one to say that.ā
Returning to the crowd funding campaign, Heywood says that the road project is already under way: āThe landowner gifted us the land. Weāve spent probably Ā£28,000 already on getting planning permission and on topographical, heritage, tree and other surveys and weāre now at the stage where we need a civil engineer to plan the road. The planning permission runs until November 2024, so weāve got to get moving.ā
The fund-raising exercise is necessary because, as Heywood puts it, āThereās no sugar-daddy at Mousehole ā everyone pitches in.ā The current crowd funder is in the form of donations, with a range of rewards on offer for those pledging support, including naming rights for the stands and the road. However, he does not rule out offering shares in the club at some point for those seeking an ownership stake in the club. As he says: āWhen you grow you have to keep changing the model. We want to keep regenerating. Sometimes things have to change to make a club successful.ā
It's clear then that while Mousehole AFC remain true to their west Cornwall roots, there is a vision for Cornish football as a whole. Heywood sums it up neatly: āWeāre Mousehole, but now we talk about āCornwallā more and more rather than just Mousehole. Weāre flying the flag for Cornish football.ā
š” St Dominick enjoy stellar start to season in bid to shrug off St Piran League heartache
By Tom Howe
A hairās breadth is all that has separated St Dominick from back-to-back St Piran League titles ā and the village club are damned if it is to happen to them for a third time.
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