CHASETOWN 5-0 NORTON UNITED: match report by The Mowdog...

Scholars Finish Lessons Emphatically, As Norton Run Out of Excuses

Chasetown 5 Norton United 0

(FA Trophy Preliminary Round)

Not the neatest of lines when you are playing The Scholars...

The toss...

I guess with the FA Cup tie against Shildon in mind, Norton rested a few usual starters at Church Street, although finding an available goalkeeper was apparently a critical problem. Norton certainly passed the ball well on occasions and too often Chase’ chased but United’s lightweight, if speedy attack lacked what the Scholars did possess: a bullying, tall, willing centre-forward in Nick Wellecomme, who was not dealt with effectively by the plucky visitors. He netted twice and might have added to that total, looking, with that beard, rather like a science teacher at my old Grammar School, but despite losing Kyle Diskin to a red card in the first period, immediately after having conceded the opening goal, Norton only fell apart during the final 17 minutes, when they shipped three goals. Home ‘keeper John Batemen didn’t have a direct, even vaguely awkward shot to save however and Chasetown deserved to progress in the tournament.  I was again concerned that a truly injured player was made to leave the field and await reintroduction by the referee; on this occasion, Tom Fogg of Norton was missing from his defensive zone, the very zone from which Wellecomme netted the first goal. I was also shocked that although the Norton coaches stood in their ‘technical area’ throughout the match, the linesman on that dugout side of the pitch, despite constant glances his way, allowed the Chasetown manager to stand just behind the touchline for the whole time.  Badly done, officials, badly done…

Wellecomme to Church Street...

Lionel Ritchie danced on the ceiling.
At Church Street you can dance on the touchline...

Early possession for United, attempting to pass the ball and switch play regularly, left Chase’ to do the covering and Tom Winkle, left-side for the visitors, was always likely to be innovative.  Chris Baker was bearing the brunt of the offensive burden for the guests and he worked tremendously hard, soon being bundled to the ground by hefty Scholar Jermaine Johnson, who fell heavily himself. Winkle’s free-kick from the left transfixed everyone as it bounced past the right upright but suddenly, Wellecomme announced his presence for the hosts and rampaged after a long ball towards inside-right, pushing off defenders and suddenly hooking a drive goalwards, which Richard Brandon flicked over the crossbar. The response from Norton was in the form of a neat passing movement, which brought them to the edge of the Chasetown penalty-box, Baker laid off the ball and although Mark McDonald, Jon Beaumont, Kyle Diskin and Tom Fogg looked to get in shots, the massed home defence, with skipper Chris Slater directing matters, denied their guests. Brandon’s fly-kick at the opposite end struck the charging body of Wellecomme, unwelcome for the ‘keeper no doubt, who must have thought a wild, screaming, hairy ancient Briton was bearing down upon him, especially in these Roman Watling Street environs.

Tom looks to Winkle out a chance from a free-kick...

A heads-up Wellecomme...

Baker nearly released Beaumont for Norton but when Chasetown countered, Fogg’s defensive header was excellent, which led to the visitors securing a left-wing corner; Winkle dropped his delivery onto the tall Beaumont’s head beyond the far stick, but the midfielder failed to keep his effort down. Fogg was quite obviously hurt and needed lengthy attention, after Simon Brown had driven a 28 yard free-kick, which had soared way over the United crossbar. The Norton defender was correctly removed from the pitch for a ‘play’ and it was into his defensive area where the ball was chased again by Wellecomme, who steered a low cross-shot past Brandon and just inside the left upright. 1-0 to the hosts and then immediately, United won a throw on the right. Diskin and Chase midfielder Lee Butler had clashed in some way I believe, and the Norton man appeared to thrust the ball towards the home player’s face. The referee rightly dismissed Diskin and in those few moments, Norton had suffered an injury to Fogg, the loss of a goal whilst the defender was off the field and ultimately Diskin had been inexcusably sent off. Didn’t Norton wish to advance in this competition?

1-0 to Chasetown...

Diskin is sent off for detention...

Do I see a sneaky smile on Butler's face? No, surely not...

Fogg was soon hurt again but carried on for a while, yet still the game was fairly even, with home midfielder Lee Downes always wanting the ball, left-back Todd Evans supporting midfield well and Wellecomme always a threat in the air, despite the decent defence of Norton’s Adam Dawson and Ben Clarkson. Another ball ricocheted in Chasetown’s favour for Wellecomme at inside-left but his scuffed effort, after shrugging off Dawson, rolled to Brandon at the near post, who fell upon it restlessly. Another chase by Wellecomme at inside-right this time led to another hooked volley towards the near upright but the striker’s shot smacked into the side-netting. Fogg was replaced by Paul Taylor, as things went from bad to much worse for the visitors and then Baker was crudely fouled 20 yards from goal but the officials failed to see the obvious incident, as Norton kept passing and Chasetown kept battling hard. More decent approach play by ten-man Norton nearly offered Baker a shot who was being physically marked by the solid and scary Leon Miles but the Scholars cleared and with the Chasetown boss still standing on the touchline, at least he had a couple of metres less to walk to the dressing-rooms, after the referee whistled for the interval. Credit to him for thinking outside the box though…

Johnson (2) not falling over...

Norton began the second period with three shots, all blocked of course, then Brown got away on the left for Chase’, passed unselfishly across the 6 yard box from near the byeline but Wellecomme, stretching, could only nudge the ball for Brandon to fall upon again. Norton continued to attempt to create something but again an interception set Wellecomme scurrying away at inside-left with only the approaching Brandon to beat; the ‘keeper smothered the forward’s effort but Wellecomme clipped the loose ball goalwards from 15 yards, only for the retreating Clarkson to head away and visiting skipper Richard Smith to complete the defensive duties. After Bateman was actually forced to do something, which was to punch clear a Norton cross, Michael Lennon replaced Dawson for the visitors and the clever Winkle dropped into defence, as Norton looked to push forth for a goal. Unfortunately, United squandered possession from their own attacking throw and Chasetown countered, through Richard Davies, who passed to Brown and then the midfielder received a return pass and quickly moved the ball right for Wellecomme to beat the offside trap and run on at inside-right, to beat the advancing Brandon with a low drive into the bottom left corner of the net from 18 yards. 2-0 then and really, that was it. Brown was replaced by Jack Lees for the hosts and although Norton managed a Beaumont header to Clarkson from an offensive corner, the central defender’s lobbed-nod was plucked like a dangling pear from a tree by the surprised but oh, so pleased Bateman.

The whiskery one has added goal 2 for Chasetown...

Winkle’s defensive header was volleyed way over the crossbar by Wellecomme from 25 yards, Johnson made a fine attacking run to the right byeline and, er, fell over, then Lees found space on the Chasetown left, crossed too high for Wellecomme’s head but the ball fell perfectly for dynamo Butler to control and lash an impressive drive high into the Norton net past the helpless Brandon. 3-0 and Norton looked somewhat despondent, although not as despondent as Sunderland were looking at about the same time of day at Southampton…

Still on the touchline...

3-0: Butler, yellow boots...

The impish McDonald was replaced by Niall Green for Norton, then Theo Robinson, who I last spoke to at a Coalville game earlier this season, replaced Butler for Chase’ and the ex-Romulus man was to have quite an effect on the later proceedings. Robinson fed Wellecomme on the left but as the dark-chinned one reached the byeline, with Robinson expecting a low centre, Wellecomme made Robinson feel very UNwelcome by shooting wastefully at the near upright and thus into the side-netting. Lennon scuffed a weak shot across the goalmouth for United then after Wellecomme was replaced by Danny Edwards for Chase’, Lennon won a corner for the visitors, which Smith curled across from the right and although the diving Green managed a header, the ball rose too high. To punish Norton, Robinson made ground on the left side of the penalty-box, got past busy defender Sam Bradbury and his low angled shot was deflected straight to Lees by the falling, parrying Brandon and the substitute rolled home goal number four from 6 yards. Davies drove too high from 25 yards, as Robinson continued to impress and finally the replacement clipped a fine pass towards the offensive right side for the overlapping Johnson, who didn't fall over at the vital moment this time but delivered a low cross, which was turned into goal at a stretch by Davies, with Brandon falling and getting a hand to the ball as it rolled to his right and entered the net near the left upright.

4-0 and Beaumont, red shirt, has a headache...

5-0 and Beaumont, red shirt (6) now has a heartache...

Norton had been well beaten but in all fairness, had competed well enough. Chasetown had been well served by Wellecomme and Butler, although midfielders Lee Parsons and Richard Davies were always willing workers alongside Downes. Norton’s Fogg, early on, Clarkson and Winkle did well throughout and one cannot fault Baker’s rate of work, despite a lack of service for his undoubted pace. The Scholars did enough to win, took advantage of fortuitous situations well and ended up with a flattering scoreline, in truth. But they were deserved winners.

Teams: 

Chasetown: John Bateman, Jermaine Johnson, Todd Evans; Chris Slater (Capt), Leon Miles, Lee Downes; Lee Butler, Lee Parsons, Nick Wellecomme, Simon Brown, Richard Davies.

Subs: Danny Edwards, Jack Lees, Theo Robinson, Curtis Pond.

Norton: Richard Brandon, Sam Bradbury, Tom Fogg; Adam Dawson, Ben Clarkson, Jon Beaumont; Kyle Diskin, Mark McDonald, Richard Smith (Capt), Chris Baker, Tom Winkle. 

Subs: Paul Taylor, Michael Lennon, Niall Green, Leigh Skellern, Glynn Blackhurst.