EVESHAM UNITED 1-0 MOUSEHOLE AFC: THE INDEPENDENT REPORT & SCREENSHOTS WITH CAPTIONS...

 Dunn In Steele For Evesham…

Evesham United 1-0 Mousehole AFC

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

The sunshine at Cheltenham Road was unseasonably warm but this football encounter was generally tepid, both teams opting to wear out the boots of their defensive players with repetitive passing across their respective back lines but then all too often sending long deliveries forward looking for the Robins’ Levi Steele, or the frustrated Seagulls’ skipper Mark Goldsworthy.

OK, at times midfielders were involved in the possession game too but the 303 spectators seemed traumatised by the lack of incisive offensive play and at times there was an air of frustration over the stadium which even the tetchy starlings overhead murmured about…

It was a rarity to see any shots made from downtown and indeed the only goal was scored from close range…

However Evesham deserved to win the match because they were closer to scoring on more occasions than their travel weary guests and as the second period wore on, at least the Robins forced visiting goalie Ollie Chenoweth into some evasive action. 

The goal was scored on 88 minutes which clearly delighted the home players but one had to feel some sympathy for Seagulls Chenoweth, Max Hill and Mo Konte, whose defensive play was generally exemplary. 

Occasionally Mousehole had made errors and it was one such lax moment which offered Steele the opportunity to provide a rampaging assist for replacement Alfie Dunn whose lunging header won the points…

THE STEELE ASSIST...

The goalmouth action… 

Apart from a late flurry of action by Mousehole, after the introduction of the recently injured Hayden Turner, when a couple of shots were blocked in a crowded penalty-box, the visitors failed to extend home gloveman Alex Harris at all during the second 45.

Before the break Harris had fallen on a near post flick by Goldsworthy, following a smart Ollie Challinor rush on the left and a cross-cum-shot by Challinor had flown across the face of the home goal. That essentially was all that Mousehole were able to muster and the frustrations of Torin Ntege and Goldsworthy were evident in the Seagulls’ rather blunt attack. 

GOLDSWORTHY'S NEAR POST FLICK IS SAVED...

CHALLINOR'S DELIVERY FLIES ACROSS GOAL...

The hosts however, after a busy opening period, lacked penetration, only threatening when Steele latched onto a Mousehole error and lobbed the ball over the advancing Chenoweth but onto the roof of the net, then getting away again at inside-right onto another mistake by the guests, only for Chenoweth to rush out and deny the gritty striker. 

CHENOWETH SAVES AT STEELE'S FEET...

After the interval the Robins began to look more dangerous on a few occasions, incidents which subsequently lifted the spectators’ spirits, following a succession of inaccurate final passes and loose ball control.

Chenoweth managed to lean right and palm away a downward header by Michael O’Regan before the lively Aaron Heap’s drive from inside-right crashed against the crossbar, only for the rebound to be lifted over the target in a melee by home skipper Amer Awadh. Steele forced a low save by Chenoweth and in the final moments lifted a header too high but it was his insistent run to the left byeline which created the winning goal.

CHENOWETH KEEPS OUT O'REGAN'S DOWNWARD HEADER...

HEAP (FAR RIGHT) HITS A DRIVE AGAINST THE CROSSBEAM...

AWADH LIFTS HIS EFFORT OVER THE BAR...

The goal… 

In no real danger on the defensive right touchline, Seagull Ryan Barrett passed short inside to substitute Paulo Sousa who was instantly mugged by Awadh and he slipped Steele through at inside-left, uncovered, leaving Mousehole wrong-footed and disorganised in defence.

THE PASS BY AWADH...

The burly forward cut the ball across goal from the byeline and the falling Dunn nodded the ball into the unguarded net, unchallenged. 

THE SCORING HEADER BY DUNN...

The starlings quite liked that and one of them dropped to rest on a floodlight in its joy at seeing a goal scored in such a tight contest…  

The final words…

Josh Barlow was always available in the Evesham midfield area whilst defenders O’Regan and Toby Raison were rarely extended. Ethan Moran and Heap raised the tempo often when in possession but some credit must be be given to the Mousehole defence which kept its composure for much of the game.

Awadh showed glimpses of his smart ball control for the hosts and more involvement by him would certainly have added more excitement to the contest.

PACKED 6 YARD BOX FOR A ROBINS' CORNER...

Mousehole were well served, as mentioned already, by their defence although the industrious midfielders were too often unable to create offensive opportunities, despite the threat which Challinor and occasionally Ntege clearly possessed.

GOLDSWORTHY HEADS CLEAR FOR HIS TEAM...

A CHENOWETH PUNCH...

Certainly Evesham will relish the victory, albeit a late one but Mousehole will no doubt feel that their defensive labours had deserved a point. 

Maybe next time I cover a match at Evesham, I might be allowed to film from the gantry which might offer a better view for my hand-held bridge camera…