Mousehole - Trungle Parc

Mousehole FC

Trungle Parc

Paul

Penzance 

Cornwall

TR19 6AZ

01736 731518

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Ground Number: 1382

Saturday 11th January 2025

Mousehole 2-0 Thatcham Town

Southern D1 South

MOUSEHOLE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1922 and played local football at various venues until 1960. That year they joined the Cornwall Combination and moved to their current home of Trungle Park. They struggled at times here and finished bottom of the league twice in the early 1970s and then again in 2000. Mousehole were runners-up twice - behind Mullion in 1986 and Illogan RBL in 2007. After the latter of these, they joined the South West Peninsula League as founder members. They finished 3rd in their first season but then had several seasons of struggle before they finished as runners-up to Callington Town in Division 1 West in 2014. Mousehole won the title in 2016 (losing just once all season) but didn't have the facilities to make the move up to step 6. They finished as runners-up to Liskeard Athletic in 2019. Following a restructure, they were placed in the West Division at step 6. Results over the pandemic seasons saw them promoted to the Western League Premier Divison. Their rapid rise continued as after finishing 3rd in their first season, they won the Western League in 2023. Promotion to the Southern League D1 South followed with Mousehole finishing 5th in their debut season before losing to Frome Town in the playoff semi-finals.

Mousehole first entered the FA Cup in 2021 and have played in every subsequent season. Their best run came in 2023 when they beat Ilfracombe Town, St Blazey and Bashley before losing to Salisbury in the 2nd Qualifying Round. The same year, the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy. Three seasons were spent competing in the FA Vase, with the 2nd Round reached twice. In 1976, Mousehole won both the Cornwall Combination League Cup and the Eveley Cup. In 1987, the club purchased the freehold of the Trungle Parc site from the local Council and celebrated the occasion with a prestigious friendly match played against Manchester United. The ground is based in the small village of Paul which has a population of just 234. Paul Cricket Club's home is at Hutchens Park Playing Field, Trungle Moor and they play in Division Two West; the third tier of the Cornwall Cricket League. In 2007 the club came second in the Cornwall Cricket League and won the competition in 2010, to become Cornish champions for the only time. Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Paul for centuries. Venues for tournaments included a field just in the rear of the national schools and in the Ring and Thimble field at Chywoone Grove. The village of Mousehole is adjacent and has a population of just under 700.

MY VISIT

This game was decided well in advance as it was one of the last few I needed in the Southern League D1 South. Having already been to Helston Athletic with Thatcham Town, I knew they were both reliable and friendly. I just had to wait for confirmation that they were running a coach, which came around ten days in advance. It was especially frozen then but I was glad to see that things would improve towards the next weekend. With that in mind, I confirmed my place the previous Friday. The only disappointment was that the ground was a bit isolated. Wetherspoons in Penzance was an hour away and not a lot quicker by bus. A taxi would probably not be worth it. There was a potential place in Mousehole that looked decent, a 28-minute walk. The Old Coastguard had Skreach Farm Cider which was good, less attractive was the £20 fish and chips unless it got exceptional reviews.

There were many Wycombe games between this and my previous groundhop, too many for my liking with four in the first ten days of January. Too many for my liking, four in the first ten days of January. A combination of the EFL's bad planning and an FA Cup draw had given us this multitude of home games and I was tempted to skip some of them. But in the end, the weather made that too much of a risk and I was glad of the guaranteed game. I even watched the away game at Charlton Athletic, albeit on a stream. The less said about the performance in that, the better as our 19-game unbeaten run came to an end with a disappointing 2-1 defeat and a poor performance. We put that right the following Wednesday, New Year's Day as we edged past Exeter City with a last-minute penalty.

The usual pre-match plan was in force for both that and the following Saturday against Blackpool. This was a weekend that was especially bitter with lots of postponements. Another standard day watching Wycombe. We were a few minutes away from getting our second victory of the season only to concede an injury-time equaliser. Badly missing returned loanees Aaron Morley and Caleb Taylor, the patched-up team was down to barebones in some areas and it wasn't helped when we had to play with ten men for 40 minutes.  There was overnight snow but aside from my own road, the council did a reasonable job of gritting the roads so I could get to work. It turned out to be a pretty tolerable Sunday with it not being so busy. By the time it came to go home, the default rain had returned and washed all the snow away. The same could be said of Tuesday when I went to Wycombe Wanderers v Huddersfield Town, a disappointing 1-0 defeat. The rest of the week was fairly relaxed but I was looking forward to the weekend.

Friday saw me go to Wycombe Wanderers v Portsmouth in the FA Cup. It was my 957th game at Adams Park and it was the most I've enjoyed a home game in a long time. From the usual pre-match pub, to a fantastic pre-match curry to the 2-0 win against a side from the Championship, it was a great day all around. I had a celebratory drink when I got home, getting to bed later than intended. I woke a few minutes before my 5 am alarm with far more of a spring in my step than I have for work. I left at 5.40 and the roads were quiet in the - 8 temperatures. It had risen to - 5 by the time I got to the ground. I chatted to some friendly fans whilst we waited for the coach which was 15 minutes late. They told me that this firm was charging £1500 as opposed to £2000 from another firm. A possible reason for the cheaper cost became apparent a few hundred yards down the road as the luggage door came open and there was an issue with it staying closed. It turned out to be a botched repair job. Another coach was sent for and we were on our way by 8.25 on a much colder coach.

 

We were soon on our way and warmed up, although such a lengthy journey dragged. I played Championship Managerf 97/98 and typed my blog to pass time but it still wasn't even 11. We stopped at Exeter services soon after, allowing me to go for a slash in something that didn't resemble an MFI wardrobe. Exeter is a city that I've long wanted to explore for the pubs, being a real cider haven. For now though, I had to make do with a sticky bun and some cans of Strongbow. It became apparent, that due to the delayed start, I'd not have time to walk down to the Old Coastguard in Mousehole which was a shame. However, as they'd not responded to my message about cider availability, I'd rather spend at the club. I hoped that they had a card machine as once I'd paid my £25 coach fare, I only had £14.80 in cash left. An audiobook and the Liverpool v Accrington Stanley game kept me entertained as we entered a rainy Cornwall. The last part was down some very small roads which the coach driver did well to navigate. I'd imagine the harbour would look far nicer in the sunshine than the dank, grey weather that greeted us. We got to the ground just before 2 to news that the game was potentially off, so much so that they weren't taking money on the gate. I feared the worst when the referee walked towards the touchline with a sullen look on his face, but we got the go ahead, just. It was a blessing that the rain was calming down, otherwise it'd have been a wasted journey. I paid my tenner entry and also got a pint of Cold River cider. Disappointingly generic rather than regional but it went down a treat. Several games were called off, some the right decision, some like minor fog at Bedworth, needlessly. It depended on the officials and we were lucky to get one that exercised common sense. I got a second pint and a scarf before settling in the press area, thwarted by slow internet.

Mousehole were going well in 5th place, having won eleven, drawn five and lost seven. Last Saturday they won 3-2 at Malvern Town. Thatcham Town were still struggling, sitting 21st, This was their first game of the year as last week's game had been postponed. Since I'd last seen them, they had lost 2-0 to fellow strugglers Cribbs as well as 2-1 at Shaftesbury.  They'd also beaten Malvern Town 3-0 and drawn 0-0 with Didcot Town. When the two sides met at Thatcham earlier in the season, Mousehole squeezed through 3-2. The hosts started on top and it was only seven minutes in when Oscar Massey shot home on the turn from just inside the area. It turned out to be a scrappy first half due to the imperfect but perfectly playable surface. Mousehole on top but Thatcham with chances on the counter. Just before halftime, Tallan Mitchell made it 2-0, rounding the keeper and slotting home after the ball got caught up in the mud. The second half was a bit of a non event due to the tricky conditions. Mousehole deserved their win as Thatcham's chances were limited.

 

THE GROUND

TRUNGLE PARC has been built up over the years. The original main stand appears to be the ground's best part with around 100 seats including a press area. Opposite is a metal stand of a similar capacity whilst behind one goal is a terrace with a few benches. The merchandise is well varied. Food and drink is available at sensible prices, although the range is limited. A large car park provides plenty of parking and buses also stop nearby. There's not much near the ground besides a pub I didn't visit.