DAVENTRY TOWN 2-1 DUNSTABLE TOWN: match report by The Mowdog...

Unstable Guests Dun By Berwick’s Free-kicks…

Daventry Town 2 Dunstable Town 1

Thanks to both clubs for assisting the writing of this report with lists of their squads and numbers. Please excuse any errors!

Dunstable’s neat first-half passing and ascendancy took a knock when Tommy Berwick curled a free-kick over goalie Ben Barnes and although the Duns equalised with a header from a corner, the inevitable substitutions destabilized the visitors and Daventry looked the likelier to add goals after the break, with Tommy Berwick gifted another free-kick opportunity. He yawned, curled a lower drive through the guests’ defensive wall and beat replacement ‘keeper Jamie Head, who would never, ever name his child Richard, surely… Josh Cole, who, along with Martin Hutchcox I saw playing in Whitnash Town’s 12-1 victory over Folly Lane in the Coventry Alliance in May (scoring with two fine headers), was a real war-horse in the Daventry midfield, throwing himself into many challenges and you could just see him at the World War 1 trenches, leading his troop across No Man’s Land kicking a ball, as one chap apparently did. The infantrymen followed instinctively. Dunstable, well served for a limited period by skipper Terry Dixon, also possessing the pace of Jamal McKenzie-Lowe, the clever feet of Charlie Henry and the undoubted midfield craft of Adam Watkins, who chatted to me for a while at half-time, demonstrated enough passing speed and ability to suggest a reasonable season in their new league. Daventry, as against Coalville, displayed a more hearty second period, with Mitch Piggon’s deft flick of a heel nudging one effort against a post.

The toss...

Early confident Duns passing, with Henry featuring alongside Dixon, the skipper’s head glistening with July perspiration, led the visitors to threaten when speedy, slim forward McKenzie-Lowe outpaced Nathan Haines at inside-right but appeared to side-foot his shot straight at home ‘keeper Cerga Iustin, replacing the hurt Richard Morris, with whom I chatted at length before the match. More interplay, involving Watkins, Dixon and Henry added further pressure upon the Purple defence but a too-strong delivery from wide wrecked any goalscoring opportunity. Dixon then surprisingly won an aerial duel with Cole, exchanged passes with a colleague but his right-footer from 20 yards was dragged past the left post. Watkins drove straight at Iustin, following a Daventry clearance but all the hosts could manage by this time was a cross by Dior Angus, which travelled too far, plus some demonstrations of physical strength by Piggon.

Cole broke up the Duns’ next play with a fine crashing tackle but Henry managed a right-wing cross in the second phase, which Elliott Sandy couldn’t get to beyond the far stick. More smart Duns passing led to McKenzie-Lowe cutting in from the left and firing a powerful low shot past the near upright, before the injured Angus was replaced by Josh O’Grady for Daventry and the substitute was to affect the game positively with some dashes and passes of accuracy. Dixon was concerned about a knee problem however and the visiting skipper was about to be replaced when he fastened onto a through-pass with a show of strength but lobbed his clever 20 yard shot just too high, as Iustin advanced. Dixon was then withdrawn, Chris Marsh taking his place and really, Dunstable conceded some authority with the loss of their Captain.

Mitch Piggon fears the ball will flatten the gelled hair...

O’Grady’s left-wing corner caused a melee but Haines’ shot was blocked by the Duns and when Berwick retrieved the ball on the right, his low centre to the near post was smuggled wide by Piggon, sporting a cool haircut, adding another three centimetres to his height. Central defender Kyle Cartwright was replaced I think by Martin Hutchcox for Daventry but with visiting defenders Dean Hitchcock and Nick Beasant seemingly in control, it took a soft-looking free-kick award to offer Berwick his first shooting opportunity. He took it, bending a right-boot effort over the protective wall, which dropped beyond the leaping frame of Barnes and into the left corner of the net. No Piggon-back for Berwick this time though…

Berwick (19) takes the plaudits: 1-0...

A fine O’Grady corner from the left outwitted Barnes, who was beaten by the flight and there was Cole leaping to slam his header only just too high. Oddly, with Daventry looking more secure, Dunstable equalised when a right-wing corner by left-back Newman Carney landed on the head of tall right-back Kyle Anthony, who was attempting to shrug away Berwick’s efforts to rip off his shirt and the ball bounced downwards into the net from close range.

Anthony, red shirt, right, has equalised...

O’Grady, really finding running room in midfield, with Cole performing as a minder, fed the overlapping Josh Blake on the left and before the coaches were heard to say, “We’ll never hear the last of that…” (which is why I uploaded the effort onto YouTube…), Blake cut inside two defenders, like they were plastic cones, ending with a low drive, which was going just wide, although Barnes rewarded the attempt by parrying it for a corner anyway. Another hard challenge by Cole, by now taking on the role of exorcist, allowed him to take possession on the right-flank and swing in a long cross, which found the head of Piggon beyond the far upright but the striker was unable to direct the ball and it rose vertically as well as wildly off target.

Half-time and the Duns listened to coach Tony Fontanelle, who took part in the second-half too and his first real contribution was a surging run on the right, ending with a wayward shot: a case of “Do as I say, not as I do…” for his players… Joking, Tony, just joking… The Dunstable game lacked its purpose and slickness after the interval but with Daventry really getting at them, using Berwick and O’Grady to run at their defenders, the match was watchable. Henry cut inside and drove a low shot at Iustin, who at first spilled the effort, like he was trying to prevent the sausage from falling off his hot dog, then Joe Power appeared for the hosts and Lee Roache was introduced by the guests, reminding me of his superb lobbed goal when the teams met in the league at Communications Park last term.

Incredibly, a shot by Daventry’s Blake was skidding across the 6 yard area, left to right, when the cool Piggon flicked out an Irish dancer’s heel and the ball was diverted past new goalie Head’s feet, whose legs buckled in fear like he’d been asked to brush Mark Lawrenson’s hair and the ‘shot’ bobbled against the foot of the left post. Berwick then won the ball well and crossed low and accurately, straight into Power’s path but the youngster’s 8 yard rifled first-timer skimmed the crossbar. With the calm and assured Adam Creaney again impressing for Daventry, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just 20 yards out and more central than the one they had already scored from. Berwick was there again and somehow arrowed his curling right-footer between the two end bricks in the defensive wall, which were not cemented together, one turning its back, the other twisting, allowing the ball to filter past and beat the thrashing arms of Head down by the left stick.

Tommy Berwick lines up free-kick two...

...and wins the game for Daventry...

A fine O’Grady run at inside-left ended with an assist for Blake but this time the left-back smacked a high shot into the trees, disturbing two romantic wood pigeons and three squawking rooks. I might have to inform the RSPB… O’Grady made ground to reach the right byeline soon afterwards, stumbled along it and a defender was forced to block his cross at the near upright, then Power challenged in a chaotic goalmouth but the Duns survived again, as Daventry exploited the wide areas and continued to run at the Dunstable full-backs. O’Grady threatened on the left and powered a rising effort across the face of the Dunstable goal, then Head’s legs ran hard to the left edge of his penalty-box to palm the ball past the chasing Creaney and fly-kick it into touch but with time running out for the far less effective Duns, Roache’s centre was cleared to Watkins, whose drive was wayward and then Iustin dived low from goal to catch Henry’s late centre spectacularly.

Adam forgot to hand in his homework...

The game ended in a superb sunset; Dunstable would be pleased with their first-half passing at times I’m sure but in all, it was a good work-out for their fringe players. It was sad to see Dixon hurt, for he was effective in the early stages and certainly McKenzie-Lowe will prove a danger. Cole and O’Grady were positives for the Purples, Piggon was strong, Berwick looked brighter as the game wore on and I’d like to see more of the ‘keeper, with all due respect to Rich Morris. I liked the Dunstable kit, but whoever designed the black numbers, formed by three thin lines on the backs of the red shirts must have been having a laugh… Thanks for that. As I walked away from the stadium, my mind turned to Jamal McKenzie-Lowe, 18 years old or so, perhaps playing against Truro’s 73 year old Barry Hayles this season… Now THAT is non-league football…

Cole up...

and down...

I drove off into a brilliant M40 sky...