CADBURY ATHLETIC 2-0 SOUTHAM UNITED: match report by The Mowdog...

Eager Saints Unable To Unwrap Cadbury Defence

Cadbury Athletic 2 Southam United 0

Despite starting this game in lively fashion and regaining that same mantle after the interval, Southam failed to trouble the scoreboard and in truth, Cadbury goalie Kenneth Sanders wasn’t troubled either. During the middle section of this absorbing, fast-flowing contest however, Athletic netted twice with smartly taken goals and United were indebted to ‘keeper Tom Cross for his prowess in not conceding a couple more. Despite their second-half ascendancy, Southam were still vulnerable in defence and really, Cadbury squandered chances, although Ben Mooney’s later drive struck the visitors’ crossbar too. Southam’s best efforts were simply off target and the Saints would have departed the soaked Lye Meadow ground feeling that they really ought to have affected the final scoreline with strikes of their own. They didn’t, and Cadbury held on to notch a ‘clean sheet’, something to please any manager and coach. Athletic’s attacking duo, Tony Clarke and Dean Lea, ably supported by skipper Stuart Butcher, were always a threat to Southam, especially during the opening half and the midfield passing of James McKeon and Andy Cooper, often releasing Mooney and right-back Stuart Cooke along that flank, was impressive on occasions. Strange to think that the Cadbury skipper was called Butcher, a name barely compatible with chocolate…

When swearing men say nice things to each other...

Tossing...

Tommy Cooper appeared just like that in the Cadbury 18 yard box for an early header from Chris Bright’s corner for Southam but let’s fez it, he got under the ball, despatching it well over the target. A fine break at inside-right by the industrious and confident, often tricky and elusive Clarke for the hosts, led to a pass left for Butcher but his rushed, meaty effort rose much too high and into the evergreens from a good position, as he was challenged. McKeon’s deep free-kick, a feed, not a shot, curled dangerously near the right upright, then the midfielder fed his skipper but Butcher’s knife of a shot flashed wide of the left post from 25 yards. Despite Southam’s early brightness in the dismal, rainy conditions, Cadbury began to dominate and impress with some slick passing on a slick surface. After United skipper Myles Jones fed the dangerous Louis Bridges for a shot from an acceptable position, the forward disappointed with his poor finish, wide of the left upright from 17 yards but Athletic countered with thrilling running from the fleet-footed Lea, only for the Saints’ defence to repel his shots twice. A superb turn by Clarke looked to put him in for a shot from the inside-right channel but Josh Smith, sporting a beard any Baltimore Oriole would be proud of in their ball-park, tackled him brilliantly, at the expense of a corner.

The lively Lee Thomas on the Southam left won a throw and from this, Jones reached the byeline, passed to winger Bright, easily spotted in the gloom, if only by name, and he fed Smith the Beard, whose 22 yard shot whistled several whiskers too high. Cooke’s support play for the hosts on the right led to a low centre but Clarke’s near post challenge was thwarted by Cross and a defender. Yet soon, quick attacking and smart play by Mooney on the right led to a pass into the penalty-box, where Lea controlled the ball beautifully at inside-right, beating the grounded Tom Cooper, before cleverly lifting the ball over Cross high into the net from 8 yards out.

Cadbury celebrate their first goal in the rainy gloom...

A powerful run by the irrepressible Clarke past two visiting defenders, ended with a scuffed and weak shot across the 6 yard box and then Butcher was unable to direct a header goalwards from a right-side centre. Cadbury were rampant at this point and went even closer to adding to their deserved lead when Cross made a fine block, throwing himself at Clarke’s feet at the near stick as the forward latched onto a right-flank delivery, after good play between Lea and Cooke. An overhead shot by Lea at 17 yards was blocked by home defender Jack Brighton to Andy Cooper, as Athletic kept the pressure on but the tall midfielder’s well-struck 20 yarder took a deflection and flew wide of the left upright. More home attacking, this time on the left, led to Clarke feeding Butcher, whose centre to the far post was headed back across goal by the diving Mooney, but well wide of the left upright. An error by Cadbury’s generally solid and effective central defender James Finn saw United’s Bright pass to Thomas at inside-right but an innovative 23 yard clipped shot by the winger was well off target, beyond the left angle of bar and post. As the half edged to a close, Southam were dealt a bad blow as Cadbury moved 2-0 ahead and again it was a thrusting attack which did the damage; the ball was flicked infield by Lea to Clarke, who slipped a sideways pass to Butcher at inside-left and somehow, the skipper dug out and lifted his shot, which soared over Cross and dropped into the top right corner of the net.  

Half-time, the rained eased and most of the Coventry United and Bromsgrove Sporting officials, who surely made up most of the audience, stayed on the clubhouse side of the ground for the second period, during which Southam had a real go at their hosts. Quentin Townsend had been replaced by Brad Rees for United and skipper Jones, not very influential at all in midfield, dropped back into centre defence, but it was Cadbury who threatened first, when good play by Mooney led to Lea passing right to Clarke, who duly wasted his chance from 16 yards, blazing the ball way over the goal-frame. Tommy Cooper’s magical challenge on Lea, as the striker raced onto a long ball, was memorable but then Southam really cranked up their offensive play and Bright did well to cause a melee in the home penalty-area, before a Cadbury error allowed Saint Thomas (not the historical one) to lift an innovative 23 yard clipped effort over the right angle of bar and post this time, not the left one, as in the first-half… 

Sloppy defending from a back-pass by the hurrying Saints allowed Lea to steal in, with Cross, looking very cross, stranded on his 18 yard line, but the nippy forward’s poked shot rolled past the left upright. Southam then went so close to scoring, when a Thomas corner was met by the leaping Smith, whose fine header flashed just wide from 5 yards. Fine play involving Mooney for the hosts, involving a one-two, led to a cross too far, beyond the cross Cross and then Mooney ran onto a neat lay-off by Clarke, only to clip the top of the horizontal pole from 22 yards, a fine effort. Southam replaced Jamie Hatfield and Lee Thomas with Josh Turton and Tunde Ajibade, in an attempt to raise their game even more but Cadbury, breaking like bolting horses from a stable, went close again, when Lea fed Clarke, who pulled an ineffectual, hurried shot wide. Another melee in the Cadbury penalty-box saw two Southam shots charged down but still ‘keeper Sanders was left redundant, as his defenders did their work well. 

A few words are spoken...

Another break by the athletic Athletic saw Butcher carve open the defence for Clarke, who only had Cross to beat but the ‘goalie advanced to deflect the forward’s rising effort over the crossbar. Cross was indeed Clarke’s cross to bear. Ajibade’s back-header from the inventive Bridges’ deep free-kick was inaccurate, then Cadbury’s Andy Cooper was replaced by Thomas Brain, after some thought. And then Sanders actually caught a header. He really did. And then was made redundant again.

Bright and Ajibade created an opening on the Southam left but no attacker was in a central position to threaten, then a fine cross by Bridges was headed upwards and well over the goal-frame by Turton. Brain mindlessly fouled an opponent to earn a caution and soon Southam came so close to a deserved goal for their efforts; Bridges’ right-flank flag-kick was knocked on by Smith and Ajibade swung a boot at the ball, only for his close-range effort to strike the leg of a Cadbury player, possibly Mooney and the hosts survived the second phase of attack. Finn was hurt and had to be replaced by Ryan Spink for Cadbury, before Clarke sent Lea scurrying away on the left for Athletic, only for Cross to act like a right-back and deny the attacker with a neat tackle. Jones was booked for an ugly challenge on Lea but the forward was hurt and had to be replaced by the busy Oli Burness, who nearly scored, after McKeon’s free-kick had risen wastefully too high from 28 yards. Following another defensive error by the visitors and after evading the advanced Cross, Burness guided the ball wide of the left upright as he bore down on goal.

Southam keep attacking but to no avail...

Southam had given all they had, it seemed, but Cadbury remained as firm as a Dairy Milk bar just removed from the refrigerator. Their passing was laudable, their attacking was fast and in Finn, they possessed a kingpin of a defender, alongside the dependable Kev Heeley. The two full-backs, Cooke and Brett Lloyd were always looking to advance and Southam, for all their best efforts, simply couldn’t match their opponents where it really mattered. United left-back Max Crisp (surely not related to Toffee?) was too often faced by crisp attacking from two opponents on his flank, although he stuck to his task really well; Bridges was good throughout for the Saints and Cross kept goal well but Cadbury scored those two fine goals, although Clarke will wonder how his performance did not include a goal. 

I went home for a bowl of Weetabix; no Cadbury’s chocolate though…  

Teams:

Cadbury:  Ken Sanders, Stu Cooke, Brett Lloyd; Kev Heeley, James Finn, James McKeon; Ben Mooney, Andy Cooper, Tony Clarke, Dean Lea, Stu Butcher (Capt).

Subs: Thomas Brain, Oli Burness, Ryan Spink, Ben Kirby, Fraser Oliver (gk).

Southam:  Tom Cross, Jack Brighton, Max Crisp; Quentin Townsend, Tom Cooper, Josh Smith; Chris Bright, Myles Jones (Capt), Jamie Hatfield, Louis Bridges, Lee Thomas.

Subs: Josh Turton, Suki Nijjar, Brad Rees, Calum Yeates, Tunde Ajibade.