QUORN 4-1 MICKLEOVER SPORTS: pre-season friendly. Match report by The Mowdog...

Quorn Prove To Be Millstones Around Mickleover Necks

Quorn 4 Mickleover Sports 1

Quorndon changed its name to Quorn in 1889, to avoid confusion with Derbyshire's Quarndon and it is reckoned that stone was quarried here for milling use. The Romans used the granite too, for use at their town of Ratae, modern-day Leicester. Quorn FC's eager youngsters caused Mickleover's defenders to appear like they wore those millstones around their necks at times after the interval and one player in particular caught the eye: Jacob Wright. His skill and impudence on the ball were pleasures to behold and with Tendai Chitiza on the right flank looking dangerous and midfielder Karl Whymark a live-wire throughout, Sports were soundly beaten by the end. This was a keenly fought encounter, sprinkled with tough tackles and some thoughtful passing but as the game wore on, Mickleover's players must have felt like riders in Hugo Meynell's 18th centrury Quorn Hunt, who couldn't quite snare the fox. Thanks to both clubs for allowing me to copy down the names of their players but I reckon some numbers and names included below are not quite correct, so I offer sincere apologies for any errors made. 

The toss...

Dom Brennan's pace had already ruffled the Sports defenders' feathers a couple of times and Quorn had been caught offside too, before Mickleover's Ashley Grayson, made ground into the left side of the Quorn penalty-box, only to prod his right-footed cross-shot beyond the far vertical. Jim Dodd fell awkwardly and his resulting shoulder injury forced the Quorn defender off, to be replaced by Sam Buckingham, yet the home defence looked strong enough, where Jordy Wakeling was outstanding. Sports, with Karl Demidh looking speedy and powerful, made a couple of chances, Danny Charters firing too high and Demidh himself rapping a free-kick into the torsos of a Quorn wall. Then, as spots of rain began to fall, the impressive left boot of Whymark took a free-kick, Wakeling won it in the air beyond the right post and as it fell, lashed the loose ball across 'keeper Josh O'Brien and into the net off the left upright. An imaginary screen filled our minds with the word 'GOAL' on it and Sports were suitably displeased.

Wakeling has opened the scoring for Quorn...

Brennan's clipped shot was held by the grateful O'Brien but then Brennan broke the offside-trap at inside-left; his low centre of gravity and diminutive form saw his pace take him clear, only for his right-footer to drift beyond the far upright, after beating the advancing O'Brien. Mickleover were misfiring in truth, albeit with some first choice players missing but this was to become a fine, if tiring work-out for those present. A low Callum Lloyd drive for the guests beat goalie Laurie Pearson but smacked into the wall behind the goal-frame, as the 'keeper fell right but a quick, cheeky free-kick by not-very-accurate-on-the-night corner-taker Chris Palmer led to an equaliser for Sports. Grayson latched onto the pass at inside-left and beat Pearson with a low shot into the right corner of goal.

Mickleover have regained parity: 1-1...

A fine, long pass by Jordan Villums for the visitors, out to Charters, only brought a fruitless Mickleover corner but the slapstick moment which took us to the theatrical interval with ice cream and popcorn happened when O'Brien hacked at a loose ball, which he sliced and it looped upwards, causing a crazy melee of goalie, a defender and Brennan trying to find the dropping ball, like they were blindfolded and playing tig; O'Brien spun round as the audience yelled "Behind you..!" but somehow, the ball rolled out to Liam Read (?), Quorn's number 11, whose curled shot lacked any accuracy, probably because he was laughing so much and the ball drifted badly wide of the far right post. 

Substitutions happened and it was clear that after a fairly even first-half, featuring Whymark's prompting for Quorn, Brennan's occasional scampering runs, the general composure of Wakeling and ex-Coalville Craig Attwood in the home defence, as well as Kyle Bryant's supporting runs for the guests, plus Grayson's guile, the second period would be so different. Chitiza soon tested O'Brien with a low shot, which the custodian saved but spilled like there was a split in his Sainsbury's bag and it was evident that Wright, Nathan Dale and Sam Hollis would offer something completely different for the clever hosts.

Wright drove in another firm shot from distance but this time O'Brien saved well, but when the hosts attacked through the middle again, a superb turn on the 18 yard line by Wright allowed him to feed Chitiza and he needed no encouragement to smack a right-booted cross-shot past the helpless O'Brien and into the far left corner of the net. A fine piece of skill, a smart pass and a clinical strike. Sports were reeling, only managing some calming passes from Liam Walshe and a low drive across goal by substitute 14, possibly Martin Smyth, which rolled out for a Quorn throw.

2-1 to Quorn...

A 28 yard free-kick, inside-right channel was awarded to Quorn and it seemed that Whymark would be preparing to clip a left-footed delivery for his central defenders to leap for; only he didn't. Instead, he drove a powerful low shot at O'Brien, which swerved visibly but somehow the 'keeper stopped it, sprawling on his goal-line, the ball sticking to him like an iron filing to a magnet. It was a fine save. Another splendid Quorn move, in which Chitiza beat a defender and fed Wright, resulted in a low centre from the right byeline but a Quorn attacker dummied the ball, no colleague read it and Sports hacked clear. A rare defensive error by Quorn offered Villums a chance to shoot as Pearson retreated towards his goal but the Sports man's shot from 25 yards flew off target. 

Dale and Hollis then combined brilliantly to set up Chitiza on the right again, who cut inside, displayed a trick and drove a rising shot at goal from 17 yards, which O'Brien leapt for and tipped over his crossbar with agility. The resulting corner was cleared, but soon Wright cleverly reached the right byeline and cheekily clipped a near post shot instead of delivering the ball into the middle but the effort must have struck the base of the upright, for no corner was awarded, as O'Brien fell to cover. Replacement Jamie Clarke thought he'd added a third goal for Quorn when a lobbed cross by Chitiza from the right was palmed out to him by O'Brien but as Clarke pushed a shot goalwards from close range, the 'keeper fell upon the ball. Clarke appealed for a goal, but the screen above the linesman's head lit up 'NO GOAL' and the forward was duly disappointed. Pearson beat Smyth to Demidh's smart pass then the goalie caught a long and speculative shot from Palmer, not playing at left-back by then and O'Brien raced from goal to deny the lurking Sam Richards, who had worked hard all evening as he chased a through-pass, possibly from left-back Nick Goold. 

The final moments of the game brought two goals for Jamie Clarke, who first of all turned in the 6 yard box to bundle a low shot into the right corner of the net, after Wright had created the chance, Dale had combined neatly with Chitiza, whose centre from the byeline had rolled to the striker. Then as time ran out, a clearance from his defence by Goold was chased by Clarke, he turned from the right side, exchanged passes with Hollis and suddenly smashed a 20 yard left-footed first-timer as the ball reached him and we all watched the trajectory change off one of Lloyd's buttocks, so that the effort swerved into the net after dropping against the left stick.

3-1 to Quorn...

Chitiza refuses to allow anyone to borrow his leg...

Clarke has added a 4th goal for Quorn...

The game over, Sports could point to a really good work-out and Quorn, if those players should perform to their limits in the Midland League, could really rattle some cages. I was surprised. I shall watch those guys again. Mickleover is one of my favourite clubs and I look forward to seeing some league action soon. It was sad to see the Karl Ashton/Karl Demidh combination fail to come to any fruition, with Ashton in particular getting little change from the Quorn defence.