Falmouth Town will be looking for revenge when they welcome Mousehole to Bickland Park for their latest Western League Premier Division fixture on Wednesday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
A late Andy Watkins goal rescued a last-gasp 3-2 win for the Seagulls when the teams met in the reverse fixture at Trungle Parc three weeks ago, with two first-half efforts from Tim Nixon appearing to be enough for Town to earn a point until Watkins’ late intervention.
Mousehole are led by manager and former Town defender Jake Ash, who has been in post since the summer of 2019. Coincidentally, Ash’s first game in charge was a goalless draw at Bickland Park on the opening day of the 2019/20 South West Peninsula League campaign.
Ash’s side are looking to build on a fine Western League debut campaign last season, when they recorded a third-place finish and pushed promoted duo Tavistock and Exmouth all the way. While the Seagulls currently find themselves down in eighth spot this season, they are enjoying a five-game unbeaten run.
Mousehole have lost just once in the league this term, winning four and drawing three of their eight games thus far. Three of those wins have come at Trungle Parc against Town, Street and Sherborne Town, with the other coming at Torpoint Athletic on the opening day of the season. Their sole defeat was a 2-1 reverse at home to Millbrook.
The Seagulls have scored 31 goals in all competitions this season, with Hayden Turner having bagged six of those, including a fine effort from distance in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Shepton Mallet in the FA Vase. Watkins, Tallan Mitchell and Moussa Diallo have each scored four goals so far this term.
Westy’s words
“Mousehole will be a great test. They’re an established side, they’ve obviously got aspirations of going into the Southern League and I suppose the pressure will be on them as well because they don’t want to be falling behind the pack even further.
“They’ve probably had a difficult start for their standards. They’ll have had one eye on Bridgwater and Saltash [on Tuesday night] and then it’s a chance for them, if they get three points against us, to put themselves in a good position. On the flip side, if they don’t get a good result against us the pressure’s on them, so it’s a game that both of us want to win.
“Obviously we need three points to get us going again and they can’t afford too many slip ups because I’m sure the pressure on them to get promoted is bigger than us.
“We’ve got to make Bickland a fortress because away games present so many different challenges – distances, environments, availability – whereas at home we’ve got a bigger support and obviously we all know it, it’s our house. It is vitally important that we are strong at home and pick up points.”
Last five games – Falmouth Town:
Sep 24: Falmouth Town 5-0 Launceston (FA Vase)
Sep 17: Keynsham Town 1-1 Falmouth Town (League)
Sep 7: Falmouth Town 0-0 Helston Athletic (League)
Sep 3: Mousehole 3-2 Falmouth Town (League)
Aug 29: Ashton & Backwell United 1-0 Falmouth Town (League)
Last five games – Mousehole:
Sep 24: Shepton Mallet 1-5 Mousehole (FA Vase)
Sep 17: Mousehole 2-0 Sherborne Town (League)
Sep 13: Saltash United 3-3 Mousehole (League)
Sep 3: Mousehole 3-2 Falmouth Town (League)
Aug 29: Mousehole 5-1 Street (League)
Tickets
Adults: £6
Under-16s: £3
We advise that supporters arrive in plenty of time to avoid queues at the gate shortly before kick-off.
Matchday programme
Limited copies of our matchday programme will be available on entry to the ground for £1.
50:50 draw
A collection for the 50:50 draw will be made during the first half, with the winning ticket announced over the PA system at half-time. Each entry to the draw costs £1.
Refreshments and facilities
Once inside Bickland Park, food and beverages can be purchased from the serving hatch immediately to your left upon entering the ground.
Toilets can be found inside the clubhouse and in the hut at the far end of the ground.
Seating is available in the grandstand, with disabled access provided via a separate entrance at the top of the steps alongside the back row.
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We look forward to seeing you at Bickland Park on Wednesday and hope you enjoy your evening.
Up The Town ??