We re-join Mousehole AFC on the eve of the new season. We covered our build up to the season in our previous episode which you can catch up on here.
We will start our Season 3 review with the domestic cups.
Isuzu FA Trophy
We start with the FA Trophy and as previously this takes a back seat behind the FA cup and the League as the finances generated are lacking compared to the others.
We made it through to the First Round but lost to Horndean who were propping up our league at the time. We were heavily rotated and we will appreciate the drop in game congestion.
The FA Cup
We very much overachieved in the FA Cup last season making our way all the way to the 1st Round proper. I would take anywhere near that again!
There is so much to talk about here. Firstly we made it to the 1st Round proper for the second season running.
We also did it by only winning one game in 90 minutes. That being in the First Qualifying round against Tiverton.
The next three rounds we take teams from higher divisions back to Trungle Parc for a replay and then beat them on penalties.
We eventually succumb to League 1 Oxford who were just an absolute class apart.
That FA Cup run with the combined Ticket Sales and Prize Money added around £100,000 to the bank account easing some financial woes raised at the beginning of the season.
The League - August & September 2025
We begin the league campaign knowing that a strong start will be key not only to survival but for any possible improvement on our 10th place finish last season.
Well I'd call that a strong start! Its almost a perfect start, if only we could have found the net in the first game.
25 goals in 8 games is a fantastic return with goals coming from all across the front four.
October & November 2025
After our fantastic start the feeling around the club was that we were in a position to really defy some expectations this season. There is obviously a long way to go.
We win our first game of the run to actually win 8 league games in a row which is a fantastic achievement.
A couple of losses to Merthyr and Salisbury who are two of the better teams in the league follow ending with 4 points against another two strong teams in Weymouth and Hayes and Yeading.
December 2025
Just a short month in December with only 3 league games. Hopefully we end the year on a high.
The traditional mixed bag and we end the year with a whimper more than a bang.
Half Way Table
We've reached the half way stage and amazingly we sit 2nd in the table. But with 5 points separating 1st and 7th there appears to be a whole host of teams challenging at the top.
Youth Intake Preview
With our current financial woes I could really do with some home grown talent coming through, sadly it appears that this wont be our year.
January & February 2026
After a quieter December its a jam packed January and February to kick start 2026. Plenty of points up for grabs.
Only 2 defeats and 2 draws amongst some very good wins keeps our momentum up. We need to start focusing on the possibility that we will be in or around the playoffs come the end of the season.
March 2026
March comes around and we are facing two the top 6 away from home in quick succession.
We sneak by Northwood before going to toe to toe with top of the League Merthyr, conceding in the 95 minute to settle for a point.
We then lose back to back games including against playoff chasing Salisbury which closes the gap to 6 points from 1st to 6th as seen below.
We currently sit in 3rd just two points clear of 6th and 4 points off of top.
Youth Intake
As expected its a poor intake this year. Only two players have over three star potential and even then they are going to need some luck to reach it.
April 2026
Another month another two games against teams vying at the top of the league. This time against Weymouth and Hayes & Yeading.
We had to steal a draw from Basingstoke in the 93rd minute to set us on our way to an unbeaten month. Shaftsbury was a walk over and it was as even as possible against Weymouth.
Most pleasingly was the victory over Hayes & Yeading to offer some separation from them in 6th place.
April 2026
With only 5 games left we know what stands in front of us and the play offs. We've resigned our selves to the fact that the title and the one automatic place is between Merthyr and Weymouth.
Couple of nervy performances ended in defeat but those three wins and 9 points are surely enough to secure us the play offs surely?
Final League Table
IT IS. Mousehole AFC have secured third place in the league and will play Hayes & Yeading at Trungle Parc in the play off Semi Finals.
Playoff Semi Final
Here we are, 3rd plays 4th in the Semi Final of the Playoffs.
We've got a good history against Hayes & Yeading, especially this season as we completed the double over them. But this wont be straight forward that's for sure.
The fairy tail continues! We dominated the game and only after some substitutions in key positions did Hayes really start to look dangerous but by then it was too late. We are in the Final.
Play off Final
So here it is, the play off final where we will face Salisbury, who dispatched Merthyr in the other semi final.
This also meant as the highest remaining seeded team the game would be played in Cornwall at Trungle Parc!
Unlike Hayes & Yeading, we had suffered two defeats to Salisbury. We would need to turn that form around to gain the unlikeliest of promotions.
OH MY WORD DID WE TURN THAT FORM AROUND
We had to be patient after Salisbury were reduced to 10 men but eventually we broke though and then the flood gates opened!
What a way to end the episode. Tiny Mousehole AFC find themselves in the Vanarama National South for the very first time in their history.
To show how attacking minded the league was this season, Hughes and Grubb finished with 24 & 18 league goals respectively.
Hughes was tied 7th in the golden boot table with Grubb down in 15th
Just Incredible
As always I will leave you with the Season Review.
Thank you for reading and I hope you join us next season for one hell of a pre season!
Cheers
Panda
