Saturday 29 February 2020

COVENTRY PLUMBING 1-1 LEAMINGTON HIBS: THE VIDEO ACTION...

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS MESSAGE TO GO TO THE 19 MINUTES OF VIDEO ACTION...

LATE AFTERNOON FEBRUARY SUNLIGHT...
IN THE 'PRESS' SECTION...

THE BODGING (CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER FOR THE 'EVENING SETT') SITS NEXT TO THE PYDOG, FROM THE WEB...
A DECENT, COVERED, ELEVATED VIEW FOR ONCE...

COVENTRY PLUMBING 1-1 LEAMINGTON HIBS: THE SCREENSHOTS...

PLUMBER BOYLIN HEADS OFF TARGET...

FLICK-ON BY GALDINS...

GALDINS DRIVES WIDE...

JONES SHHOTS FOR HIBS...

...BUT DAVIS SAVES...

WHEN SAM WATTS HIT THIS SHOT, I CALLED HIM SAM DAVIS ON THE COMMENTARY... (SORRY...)

...BUT HIS EFFORT STRUCK THE LEFT UPRIGHT...

GALDINS NEARLY GETS IN FOR COVENTRY...

FARRELL GETS IN A CROSS...

FARRELL FIRES TOO HIGH...

MCEVOY NEARLY BEATS DAVIS...

DECENT CATCH BY MARSHALL...

JORDAN FEATHERSTONE'S LOB...

...IS WELL SAVED BY DAVIS' OUTSTRETCHED GLOVE...

GALDINS MISCUES A GOOD OPPORTUNITY...

JORDAN FEATHERSTONE'S FREE-KICK SLAPS THE CROSSBAR...

BOYLIN SHOOTS WIDE...

FOUL BY JOYNES ON COOK...

JORDAN FEATHERSTONE SHAPES TO TAKE A PENALTY...

...& SCORES DECISIVELY FOR HIBS...

DOYLE IS TAKEN OUT BY JORDAN FEATHERSTONE...

BOYLIN DRIVES TOO HIGH...

DOYLE'S RIGHT-FLANK DELIVERY DROPS INTO THE HIBS NET TO REGAIN PARITY FOR THE PLUMBERS...

MARSHALL BLOCKS FROM FARRELL, BUT...

...DOYLE'S REBOUND...

...IS BRILLIANTLY BLOCKED BY SMITH IN THE DYING SECONDS...

...& A DRAW IS SECURED...

WORCESTER RAIDERS 2-2 DUDLEY SPORTS: THE MATCH REPORT...

Dudley Halted At The Death By Raiding Worcester

Worcester Raiders 2-2 Dudley Sports

Good stuff by the Raiders, for they had made the effort to get this match played by renting Malvern Town’s artificial pitch on a windy, rainy Friday evening. It so nearly backfired however, for their guests were close to snatching a 1-2 victory, largely due to the efforts of forward Will Tibbetts, once a Bromsgrove Rousler. His fine strike and then his clever assist gave Dudley the lead twice but the Raiders twice regained parity, once through Kyle Belmonte’s smart drive and then, in the final minute of the ninety a point was gained courtesy of replacement George Corbett’s close range finish in a goalmouth melee. The result was both a minor relief for Worcester and a real frustration for Dudley.
WELL THE BOOTS SHOW UP, ANYWAY...

Certainly Worcester dominated the game but despite some neat passing football with skipper Kirk Layton generally at the heart of it, their forwards simply misfired on the night and rarely troubled Sports’ goalie Ryan Pratt. Offensive moves too often broke down when visiting skipper Jamie Parker intervened, or, more importantly, when the orange boots of Dudley’s Jason Walters simply got in the way. James Baldwin, whose ball control is often dangerous, Ryan Rowe, the poacher who holds up the ball so well and Zaqib Hussain, the lively runner, weren’t able to capitalise upon Worcester’s domination of possession. However, Sports were often threatening on the break, scoring that fine opening goal through Tibbetts, who then later assisted Ronnie Hendricks to fire home from an angle. 
CAREY & HENDRICKS...

Home ‘keeper Dan Norcott’s family members asked me to say nice things about the goalkeeper, so here goes: “Nice things…” Actually, Norcott was rarely involved in the contest, making only one or two saves throughout but I wondered how awkward goaltending would be under the lights at Malvern, for there appears to be a shady area from end to end, forming the central 20% or so of the playing surface.
TIBBETTS: A GOOD JOB ON THE NIGHT...

Apart from his goal, smacked in from the right side of the penalty-box and high into the far corner of the net, Tibbetts was a livewire, even receiving a caution late in the match. Just before the interval, his 20 yard effort rose just too high in a rare Dudley foray. Some decent work on the left flank by Sports, often involving Hayden Seymour and Hendricks meant that home right-back Sam Carey was kept busy in both defence and as an overlapping threat on offense. For the Raiders, Layton shot wide from 19 yards, saw another effort deflected for a corner and a third shot from a narrow angle blocked well by Pratt’s boots. Paul Smith, later to limp off injured, miscued following a left-wing corner and nodded another set-piece into Pratt’s gloves, whilst Hussain’s only effort at goal, after moving inside from the left, rose well over the target. The interesting Belmonte’s low shot was easy for the gloveman and he didn’t really get in a proper header from Smith’s deep centre later in the half.   
2ND HALF TO GO...

Half-time arrived, the players trooped off to see if the Bingo evening was still going on in the clubroom and it seemed likely that the Raiders would be in command of the second period, if only because they would have both the wind and the rain at their backs…

Strangely though, Sports created a few chances after the recess, albeit on the break again. Ali Elkossi saw an angled effort from the left diverted by home defender Jordan Stoddart, whose sidekick Alex Marsh was well involved in the action for Worcester, often starting attacks from deep. Joe Hanson rose like a Swift (sorry, mate…) but his header deflected off a defender for a corner and Tibbetts forced Norcott to turn a 20 yard effort over the crossbeam. Joe Finch shot straight at Norcott, as did Tibbetts from a free-kick and in the latter stages, Tibbetts released Hendricks again but this time, his left-side shot was kicked clear.
DUDLEY ON OFFENSE...

The hosts struggled to force Pratt into action, in truth and began to hurry, although Layton once worried the Sports defence at the right post and then saw a looping header claimed by Pratt. Belmonte’s goal was curled in smartly from 19 yards out and centrally, his smart effort going inside the right upright. Yet Dudley subsequently benefited from some good fortune, a switched-on Tibbetts and a speedy rush by Hendricks to regain the lead against all odds. A clearance by Sports was collected near the half-way line on the right flank by Tibbetts but Belmonte poked the ball away from him and this wrong-footed Tibbetts’ marker, Stoddart, offering Tibbetts the ball back. Astutely, the forward spotted Hendricks alone on the left, for Carey had moved across to cover the centre and it was Carey’s challenge as Hendricks shot from a slight angle which appeared to lift the ball just high enough to clear the sliding, advancing Norcott’s legs and roll into the net.  
INTERESTING DIGITS ON THE DUDLEY SHIRTS...

Several crosses and set-pieces seemed magnetised to Dudley’s Walters and one clearance from a Belmonte corner was really effective. Belmonte made a fine turn at 15 yards and fired low past the left upright (it wasn’t Corbett, as I mistakenly mentioned in the commentary…) and Hussain’s low shot bounced off the foot of the left stick into Pratt’s grateful mittens. Hussain then assisted Rowe to go clear into the 18 yard box but he seemed to stretch and poke his shot which was snaffled by the encroaching Pratt. Substitute Aaron Drake lifted a chance from an angle on the left way too high, before the equaliser finally arrived. A right-side corner was cleared but a second cross was delivered and Corbett leapt for it with Hanson at the far post. The defender appeared to deflect the ball goalwards, Parker bravely dived to head the ball off the goal-line but Corbett reacted quickly to rap the loose ball into the net near the right post. 
TIBBETTS WANTS TO BLAME ANOTHER BUT GETS BOOKED ANYWAY...

There was still time for Pratt to beat away a nasty, curling left-side corner but despite several fine right-side flag-kicks, Worcester were unable breach the Dudley defences again.
AFTER TIBBETTS SCORED...

Plaudits must go to the Dudley defence, to their hardworking midfielders, with Tom Watkins usually looking to pick a smart pass and also to the running and movement of forwards Tibbetts, Hendricks and central striker Jake Brigdale. 

Dan Flowers was a real presence on the Raiders’ left side, overlapping with gusto but in fairness the forwards didn’t make enough of the pressure exerted upon Sports’ defence. Layton was durable, but Baldwin and Hussain were possibly too quiet, leaving Rowe foraging for morsels himself too often. 

So few efforts at goal by the three home forwards really told the story… 

TEAMS:

WORCESTER RAIDERS:
DAN NORCOTT, SAM CAREY, DAN FLOWERS, ALEX MARSH, JORDAN STODDART, PAUL SMITH, ZAQIB HUSSAIN, KIRK LAYTON (CAPT), RYAN ROWE, KYLE BELMONTE, JAMES BALDWIN.
SUBS:
AARON DRAKE, GEORGE CORBETT, LUKE MOLLOY, JOSH FARNSWORTH, ANTHONY SMITH.

DUDLEY SPORTS:
RYAN PRATT, JOE HANSON, HAYDEN SEYMOUR, JAMIE PARKER (CAPT), JASON WALTERS, ALI ELKOSSI, JOE FINCH, TOM WALTERS, JAKE BRIGDALE, WILL TIBBETTS, RONNIE HENDRICKS.
SUBS:
JAMARLEY ROUSE, KYLE BRAMLEY, LEWIS QUICK, RYAN MATTISS, JACK WOOLDRIDGE.


Friday 28 February 2020

WORCESTER RAIDERS 2-2 DUDLEY SPORTS: THE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS...


4G SHADY...

SOMEONE WON'T LET ANYONE PLAY WITH HIS BALL...

THE SOLEMN TOSS...

THIS GUY USED HUGE AMOUNTS OF EMOTION AND ENERGY...

THE BODGING & SIDEKICK THE PYDOG ENJOY A SEAT IN THE PRESS-BOX...

ALLEYWAYS & ANGLED ROOFS...

Alleyways & Angled Roofs…

Coloured wooden bricks of various shapes
Were handed to me as a very young lad,
To construct arches and towers which quivered,
Or rudimentary dwellings, or even simple rows
And yet those ideas to me were tedious japes,
So for a short while I experienced a fad
Of using the bricks as milk bottles to be delivered
To the sofa and chairs, which as houses would pose…

Piran’s angled roofs appeal, enthral and stun,
Atop disparate heights of blocks in fatigue,
Like a copse of myriad trees which strain for the sun,
Yet way below, alleyways and passages fascinate:
A miscellany of apartments and windows and shutters,
An assortment of styles, a canopy, indeterminate wiring;
Oh, such a need to explore! For the heart thumps and flutters,
And the charming incongruity one cannot help admiring…  

Pete Ray
February 2020  

Another piece of artwork from Nika’s Tiny House, Piran, Slovenia…


I played with those wooden blocks as milk bottles to deliver to different parts of my house as a kid, trying to hold two between the fingers of one hand, like the milk delivery guy used to…

A POEM ABOUT SEEING TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB...

Left Behind: The Crooked Boy

The famed steps dodged the eye, beneath a stairway
To the plain room
Where he lay
Linen-covered from slim ankles to desiccated neck.
Neat, a cadaver, poised for inspection.

The famed baboons’ glare eyed a stone sarcophagus
In an adjoining room,
Where he once lay
Hidden deep inside glorious boxes of gold.
Neat, so calm, poised for resurrection. 

The famed visage stirred my eye’s fascination
In a sultry room
Where he now reclined:
Feet uncovered, toes jutting from insteps,
Uneven, like cactuses, deformed on inspection.

The famed youth’s eyes belied their pain
In that quiet room,
Where emaciated, he reclined
And my tear for a legendary King
Trickled, in awe and consummate dejection…

Pete Ray

On seeing the mummified remains of the 
Pharaoh Tutankhamun. 

Wonderful moment…  



   

Thursday 27 February 2020

COVENTRY PLUMBING v LEAMINGTON HIBS: THE PREVIEW...

Coventry Plumbing v Leamington Hibs

Midland League 3, Saturday 29th February 2020: The Preview...

And so Coventry Plumbing finally get to play a 'home' match, albeit on Bedworth United's artificial pitch this weekend. 

The Plumbers have played just 9 league matches this season, yet they sit 8th in the division with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses. Their goal difference is +21 and the 21 points they have gained means that with 7 games in hand over leaders Sutton United, should they win all of them, Plumbing would be one point ahead of Sutton... 

A tall order perhaps, especially as games will be coming up thick and fast as the season begins to wind down.
KYLE JAYNES (11): 12 GOALS THIS TERM...

Recent form (over a number of weeks...) has seen a league win at Enville by 0-2, then a 0-4 victory on the road at Birmingham Tigers in the Les James Challenge Cup, before a 0-5 victory at Coventry Colliery took them forward in the Coventry Charity Cup too. However, a 2-1 defeat at Inkberrow in the Les James Cup last Saturday would be tough to swallow but at least Charlie Cook got on the scoresheet... Charlie has played at a number of clubs I have featured on my blog and he is one of the best characters I have met in non-league football over the past eleven years...
CHARLIE COOK IN GNP SPORTS COLOURS...


JORDAN POWELL: A REAL COMPETITOR...

Top goalscorer is of course another guy I really like, Connoll Farrell, who has 19 thus far, closely followed by skipper and yet another decent bloke Jordan Powell with 15, then Kyle Jaynes with 12. 
CONNOLL FARRELL HAS JUST SMACKED A FINE WINNER AT KNOWLE IN A RECENT CUP-TIE...

Leamington Hibs currently lie 13th in the league with 5 wins, a draw and 11 defeats, amassing 16 points and a goal difference of -19... 
IAN ANDERSON HAS JUST SCORED v FC SHUSH LAST SEASON...

Recently the team has played four league contests which included a home loss to Enville Athletic (1-3). This was followed by a 3-1 victory over a struggling Shipston Excelsior outfit, before Hibs lost 1-0 at WLV Sport and finally were dumped 7-2 at Enville. 
DAVE JONES IS DENIED BY THE FC SHUSH 'KEEPER...

Sam Watts and Jordan Featherstone grabbed the goals at Enville and Featherstone is the club's leading marksman with 10, followed by Luke Walker with 6 and Sam Watts with 4.
JONES LOOKED LIVELY AGAINST FC SHUSH LAST SEASON...

There will be full coverage of the match at themowdog.blogspot.co.uk from Sunday morning, where there will be a full match report, screenshots, images and video highlights with commentary...

Pete Ray,
'The Mowdog'...