Willand vs Mousehole
For a film to become iconic, it needs a moment—a moment that transcends time and generational barriers to burrow deep into the human zeitgeist. We are surrounded by verbal examples of this on a daily basis in the form of inspirational quotes. ‘Do, or do not. There is no try,’ eluded Yoda, while Forrest Gump told us that ‘life was like a box of chocolates’, at least according to his mother.
But to be iconic, you don’t necessarily need to be inspirational. There’s always a place where grandparents and grandchildren alike can proclaim that they are, in fact, ‘Your father’, and even if you had no intention of leaving the room, it has become acceptable to pronounce that you will soon ‘Be back.’
Some film quotes fit into neither inspirational nor situational, of course, but can still be heard around the country, from visitor centres to vestibules, with little context to the surrounding or site; ‘It’s alive’ should probably never be uttered outside of Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab, and I’ve yet to find myself in a place where ‘Damn Dirty Apes’ matches my environment, but somehow I still manage to utter both without fear or favour.
Some films, though, enter the higher echelons of consciousness not through their words alone but through the context in which they are spoken or in scenes in which they are mere bystanders.
You merely need to mention a film, and the congregation in which you find yourself will undoubtedly come back to iconic instances.
Who can forget the Chernobyl sequence in Die Hard, when John and Jack McClane take on another group of terrorists, or the Locust Swarm scene in The Exorcist, where the locusts overtake the screen, quite literally, in a cinematograph triumph? And who among us can frequent a beach without discussing the Shark Roar from Jaws or dance in the night sky without imagining that they are performing the Latin Twist from Dirty Dancing?
Of course, none of these things are true.
These moments of wonderment will always be Die Hard’s “Yippee-ki-yay,” The Exorcist’s head spin, the requirement for a bigger boat in Jaws, and no one putting baby in the corner in Dirty Dancing.
The scenes that I alluded to actually come from sequels, which, by their very nature, struggle to recapture the magic of their predecessors. The original films, especially those that produce iconic moments, leave sequels burdened with the expectation to outdo what has already been done, to recreate that lightning in a bottle, and more often than not, they fall short. (Although there are exceptions—The Godfather Part IIis a prime example.) For the most part though, sequels, rehashes, and replays are destined for mediocrity, a backwash of purse strings over performance and substance over style.
The original FA Cup preliminary round match between Willand Rovers and Mousehole might not have been ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ but it certainly had the elements required to make it an iconic experience. From penalty glory for Willand and a seemingly easy passage to the next round to controversial sending’s off and defensive heroics, the game carefully balanced along an emotional tightrope; there was even rumour of an iconic quote that led to one of the red cards, which certainly won’t be repeated here.
Once the whistle had been blown and the dust had settled on our Way-Out West adventure, a sequel was inevitable. But the question remained: could it live up to the hype?
Unusually for a sequel, the majority of the original cast was on hand for the home team, with the only change being Jack Kennell coming into the midfield for Nathan Byrne, and Dave Steele also welcomed back leading man Owen Howe, albeit in a supporting role on the bench.
Despite the mid-week kick-off time and 260-mile round trip, it was an impressive crowd on hand at Silver Street, boosted by the always impressive Mousehole support, and both sets of fans watched the opening credits in what appeared to be the embers of another British summer.
In truth, the opening gambits were more History Boys than Lost Boys as both teams struggled to take advantage of the ebbs and flows of the game, perhaps feeling the effects of a second game in a few days.
The first chance fell to the visitors in the 17th minute, some incisive play was stifled by the home defence before the ball found itself sat abreast the corner flag, where in truth it spent more time than either team would have liked.
In the end, there was very little plot of which to talk at the half meandered towards the interval, both teams somehow simultaneously controlling the tempo; Mousehole will claim to have had more possession while Willand had the better chances, the visitors relying on some good saves from Chenoweth to prevent trailing at the half.
Half Time – Willand 0 – Mousehole 0
The visitors came out with a purpose in the second half, but still failed to test the resolute Willand defence, and they were made to pay for the lack of cutting edge in the 58th minute.
Camilo broke down the right, and with Mousehole failing to clear the ball, Hewitt scored a goal that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Escape to Victory, the ball seemingly grazing both the crossbar and the stanchion as it rocketed in (at least that’s how it looked from our camera angle).
The goal spurred the opposition into action, and for much of the rest of the game Willand were encamped in their own half, defending a multitude of corners with some aplomb, with the occasional soiree into enemy territory. Not that this told the entire picture, though, as Burton remained notably untroubled as the clock ticked down. In fact, it was Willand with the opportunity to further their lead, with Camillo picking up a loose ball before his hand went up in celebration in unison with the linesman’s flag, his delight soon tempered by the long haul back into position.
There were no more plot twists though, and as the referee called for the credits, it was clear that the sequel hadn’t quite matched the original in terms of excitement and appeal, but no one would be looking at the reviews on Thursday morning.
We’re all too busy planning for the next round.
Full Time – Willand 1 Mousehole 0
