Match report: Bashley seals late 1-1 Southern League Division One South draw against Mousehole
Bashley skipper Stephen Walker scored in the last minute to make it 1-1 against Mousehole in Southern League Division One South on Saturday.
The match, played in a strong end-to-end wind on a slippery surface, was decided on the back of a poacher’s finish by skipper Walker in added time after another super-show by keeper Mack Allan.
The youngster, playing consistently at a standard which would have made his late grandfather Alan Ball, the England legend, very proud, could do nothing to prevent Mousehole from going ahead – but after that, he certainly prevented them from building a runaway lead with a series of magnificent saves.
Just 14 minutes were on the clock when a long through ball from the Mousehole defence held up in the wind and deceived Bash defender Callum Baughan. The young full-back, playing his first game in virtually a year after a serious knee injury, slightly misjudged what looked like a straightforward-headed clearance. The ball dropped to Mousehole’s livewire skipper, Jack Calver, who took a couple of touches and launched it with a vicious swerve out of Allan’s reach as the keeper dived left.
Ironically, Bashley, who were slow to get going, had almost scored themselves just beforehand when keeper Ollie Chenoweth looked a little lucky to guess correctly on his reflexes when Conor Whiteley could have steered a clear chance on either side of the keeper.
Mousehole took a firm grip on the game, and although Bash huffed and puffed, they seldom got anywhere near shooting range.
At the other end there was a sigh of relief from the crowd when Mousehole’s best move of the half ended with Oscar Massey firing high and wide after he was sent clear.
Bashley showed signs of improvement after the break, and Whiteley almost wriggled through before being crowded out.
Of all people to almost gift Mousehole the second goal they were seeking, it was young Mack. The way too many keepers suffer in these days of “playing out from the back,” he rather rashly dribbled out past an opponent on the edge of the penalty area, then scuffed his clearance straight to Mousehole defender Jamie Ward in the centre circle.
Correctly judging that Mack had no chance of getting back, Ward launched the ball high and hard at the empty net from 40 yards – and held his head in anguish as it caught the wind and drifted a fraction wide.
Bash breathed a sigh of relief, and Allan soon made amends for his moment of rashness.
As the clock ticked around to 90 minutes, Bash won a free kick wide right 40 yards out. Lewis Ross’s kick floated into the goalmouth. It bounced loose, and Walker was first there to smash it past Chenoweth.
There was pandemonium on and off the pitch, but there was still time for Allan to make one more vital save, guiding Mitchell’s pot-shot around the post to safety.
Bashley returns to action on Boxing Day when they take on an in-form Bemerton Heath Harlequins away from home at 3pm.
Bashley: M. Allen, H. Bertrand, C. Baughan, S. Walker, B. Williams, L. Waterfield, C. Whiteley, J. Arnold, L. Ross, L. Delaney, D. Walster. Subs: J. Bertie, C. Wooding, S. Bungay, J. Webber, C. Wagstaffe.
