LEEK TOWN 0 COALVILLE TOWN 1: Match Report by THE MOWDOG...

Leek Suffer Blues As Ravens Stifle and Stun

Leek Town 0 Coalville Town 1

The toss...

After reading the Non-League Paper’s rather untruthful report of this game, I wondered whether the reporter was a disgruntled Leek Town supporter, or the sun had gone to his head, or he was simply not watching the action. No mention was made at all of two fine saves by the Leek goalkeeper, which could have rewarded Coalville’s steady performance with a more decisive victory and the Ravens were not considered worthy victors by the errant scribe. They certainly were, for Leek disappointed hugely and forced Ravens’ ‘keeper Sean Bowles into only one actual save in the entire 90+4 minutes. Winger John Johnston was the real letdown for the Blues, rarely managing to get past the rather imperious Reece Lester, his name resonating, as the Coalville fans celebrated their county in their chants. Cameron Stuart’s superb free-kick won the match, another set-piece nearly added to the score and Ant Carney’s strange, long run ended with Chapman’s good block in the latter stages. The powerful defensive trio of Jamie McAteer, Liam Kay and Danny Jenno restricted Leek to giving an impression of weary factory workers looking forward to their Easter railway day out to Blackpool in the 1930s.

Ben Chapman: two fine saves for Leek...

Messy long kicking and head-tennis rallies from defence to defence nullified any real early pattern to this encounter and neither team settled easily. Jenno was pushed in his own penalty-area, forcing him to handle the ball but a free-kick had already been awarded to Coalville, then the Ravens’ Ben Saunders stretched and deflected Glyn Cotton’s feed from inside-left, but his effort soared beyond the far angle of bar and post. Saunders soon threatened on the ground too, then he managed to flick on a left-side centre with his head but again the ball drifted wide, as Coalville began to look the more incisive, with Saunders targeted by team-mates and Carney irritating the hosts from wide positions. Both ‘keepers caught centres: Bowles caught Matt Bell’s for Leek and from a short left-flank free-kick, Ben Chapman held onto Lester’s delivery.

Awaiting a free-kick...

Leek won a fortunate corner, which Bowles failed to punch clear but Jenno hacked the ball away, before Johnston finally came alive in possession, moving inside from the left and feeding Jordan Johnson, who was fouled, then took the 20 yard free-kick himself, rifling a waist-high right-footer curling away past the left upright, with Bowles anxious. Cameron Stuart’s free-kick from 30 yards was comfortably caught by Chapman, then Cotton defended smartly for the guests, before he showed fine midfield ability to pass to Woodward, who in turn fed Saunders on the right, but the tall striker’s centre was over-hit. Quite suddenly, a long boot forward freed Ben Mills at inside-right, only just onside and he bore down on goal from an angle but his low drive was smothered by Bowles, the ball squirting for a corner, as McAteer held off the hovering Mills. Carney then outpaced defender Karl Espley onto Saunders’ quick pass and the Leek man did appear to knock the quicker Carney over; the referee saw nothing amiss however, yet wrongly failed to look at his assistant, who wasn’t signalling anyway.

Stuart fouled an opponent and was vociferous in his complaint, words which were something like: “Oh, come now my good fellow, surely my worthy opponent simply fell over that rather dry rut on the lawn?” Stuart was cautioned. Then Jenno did so well to tackle Johnston and concede a corner, which ended up in Bowles’ possession and the goalie punted his clearance down the right flank, where Carney chased and won the ball; the Raven was fouled at a fairly acute angle however, and Stuart prepared to swing the ball goalwards from the free-kick. He did so, superbly, and the ball swerved over the tall Chapman and ripped into the top left corner of the net. Around 6 minutes remained of the opening half in which the Ravens, with Lester playing his more withdrawn role, with Leek under-performing and with Cotton becoming more influential for the guests, had earned a decisive lead.

Goal celebration...

Stuart looks content...

As the half wound down, Liam Kay pushed an opponent towards the right and Bell swung in a free-kick, which Stuart lashed clear and as the second phase centre was delivered, Jenno cleared strongly too.

The break arrived, Leek must have been surprised that their forwards were as blunt as cigar butts and if their scouts had taken notes well enough at Bedworth a few nights before, the hosts must have been shocked how tight their visitors were on the defensive flanks. There was barely any reception for iPhones, so picking up information about other games was nigh on impossible, so I simply chatted with a couple of Coalville fans instead.

Gary Hay had replaced Coalville’s skipper Lee Miveld at the interval but it was the Ravens who threatened first in the second period; Saunders flicked on Stuart’s free-kick and from a corner, McAteer rose at the far post, only to be denied by home defender Ryan Dicker, to whom I had chatted before the match. Callum Woodward’s resulting left-side corner was punched away unconvincingly by Chapman for Woodward to slam a shot against home midfielder Niall Maguire’s legs; the ball looped upwards, left of the goal-frame and Cotton’s subsequent angled header dropped onto the goal-net. Ant Danylyk was soon replaced by Andy Kinsey for Leek but Saunders flicked a header on for Hay at inside-left for Coalville, only for the substitute to drive wildly off target from 23 yards. Surprisingly, Mills was also withdrawn, for he had at least forced McAteer and Kay to defend with real concentration, but Tim Grice joined the proceedings anyway.

Good humour...

Lester defended strongly for the Ravens, Saunders headed on for Hay, who was unable to latch onto the ball inside the penalty-box and then home skipper and combative solid midfielder Sam Hall was cautioned for a foul on the now even more elusive Carney. From the Stuart free-kick, McAteer’s header was cleared back to the Scot, whose 30 yard volley landed on the hillside. A Coalville clearance struck a colleague to earn the even more desperate Leek a left-wing corner, which Kinsey leapt for but Coalville cleared, again with Lester prominent. Dan Shelley replaced Maguire for the Blues, Stuart cleared another Leek corner with a good header from the near post area, then Cotton robbed Bell and crossed really well for Saunders at the left upright, whose shot was baulked by a defender and cannoned off the forward for a goal-kick. A free-kick was awarded to Leek but Johnson threw a Raven to the ground and earned a silly caution, before Stuart’s pass was cleared by the Leek defence.

Ben Saunders...

...a target-man...

Bowles, who had caught every single cross he jumped for at Bedworth, allowed a left-wing centre through his gloves, but nobody moved, probably because the Leek scouts had reported that Bowles’ gloves would drop nothing, and the ‘keeper gathered with a red face, not from the effects of the emerging sunlight, either… The only threat by Leek was when a long left-side centre was watched by all and sundry and home right-back Dan Smith slid in at the right upright to er, miss the ball as well. Hay then turned at the right corner of the penalty-box, looked on course for goal, but was crudely hauled down by Bell, who was cautioned. The hurt Hay was made then to miss a play, which was ludicrous, for the offender, despite his booking, stayed on the pitch, but the offended team was a man down, in an attacking situation! Ah, the sense of it all… Maybe the offender should ALSO miss a play in those circumstances…

The resulting free-kick by Stuart was excellent but brilliantly tipped over his crossbar by Chapman, before Coalville broke up a slow build-up by Leek, Carney picked up a pass on half-way from the ever-willing and imperturbable Saunders to set off on a strange run, almost never appearing to have the ball under control, but with the supporting Cotton to his right; he beat both Shelley and Smith, entered the penalty-box and from an angle drove a shot at the near upright, where Chapman saved really smartly. The run was remarkable but as Coalville managed the final moments with little real threat from their hosts, Hay chased a long ball along the right flank, appeared to be assaulted but then, inexcusably, aimed a kick at the opponent’s shin. He was deservedly and summarily dismissed.

Hay walks off, sent off...

The game was won however, for Johnston, apparently on his way to Crewe Alexandra, still couldn’t fool the Raven defence-man Reece Lester, and McAteer and Kay snuffed out the other members of the home offense, with no leaks appearing in the visiting defence… Two games remain for the Ravens and they could lift the league title, Leek must regroup for the play-offs but this was a really solid display by Coalville and Halesowen will no doubt be peeking over shoulders until Monday…

Winners...

The Manager and The Trickster...

Adam Stevens hitches a lift home...

The Emotion of Mr Bowles...

Cam Stuart looks less than impressed with group-hugging...

Teams:

Leek:  Ben Chapman, Dan Smith, Matt Bell; Ryan Dicker, Karl Espley, Sam Hall (Capt); Ant Danylyk, Niall Maguire, Ben Mills, Jordan Johnson, John Johnston.

Subs: Tim Grice, Andy Kinsey, Dan Shelley, Paul Donnelly, Rhys Swetnam.

Coalville:  Sean Bowles, Danny Jenno, Cam Stuart; Glyn Cotton, Jamie McAteer, Liam Kay; Ant Carney, Reece Lester, Callum Woodward, Ben Saunders, Lee Miveld (Capt).

Subs: Gary Hay, Jordan Nadat, Jed Davies, Andy Hutchinson, Sam Moore.