LYE TOWN 1-2 PEGASUS JUNIORS: MATCH REPORT by THE MOWDOG...

Flyers Flap and Fumble As Pegasus Take Off

Lye Town 1 Pegasus Juniors 2

(FA Vase, 2nd Qualifying Round)

This was one of the worst first-halves I have witnessed in a long time. Even the autumnal breeze chilled me on the grassy bank behind the far goal, near the bonfire pile, as I watched Pegasus, prepared well for a defensive battle, with some solid and tall chaps in defence, break out twice after the interval to embarrass Lye skipper Jevons, who had dropped back to substitute young and impressive defender Sam Mills at half-time. Jevons was beaten twice by visiting striker Sam Pearson and Lye faced a tough deficit to overhaul, although replacement Reece Shivlock reduced the arrears with a far post header. There were so few goalmouth incidents in this game of inaccuracy and carelessness, which possessed less creativity than a demolition ball. Neither of Lye’s prolific forwards, Ricky Anslow and Mark Danks looked remotely like worrying agile Juniors’ ‘keeper Nathan Phillips and it was Jevons’ brace of headers which came closest to threatening the well drilled visitors during this drab game. Home ‘keeper Stevens excelled himself twice as his team attempted to push forward late on but despite some square passing, the deliveries from wide areas were too often slapdash. I had followed the rather quaint Pegasus official travel bus into Lye but the team offered a less than quaint performance: more one of sheer stubborn pride and determination. 

The toss. And a Lye player jumps on a slug.

The senior Juniors kick-off...

The opening stages were memorable only for the swirling and cool wind around my shoulders, a rare run through the inside-right channel by Town’s Ricky Anslow and a slide by Pegasus midfielder Anthony Robbins, which left him needing attention. Otherwise, the proceedings were boring, badly managed and broody, with Lye’s Scott Gennard becoming more and more irritated with his colleagues’ ineptitude. A Jevons header at 18 yards from a Damien Whitcombe free-kick came to absolutely nought, before Danks slid into a challenge and was rather strangely cautioned, especially as two earlier challenges in the match had been largely ignored by the official. Anslow did win a corner but although Jevons looked to get in a header, Pegasus defended the problem solidly and too easily. Juniors had not offered any offense until home defender Dan Jones, who performed decently throughout, came up with a good covering header and then Whitcombe timed a tackle really well.

Mills in blue, defends...

Heads-up display by Pegasus...

Several poor passes from Lye’s right-side pairing of Max Bissell (surely not a distant relative of famous cleaner Bex?) and Tom Overfield weren’t aiding the attacking runs of Danks and Anslow, who must have felt as well fed as starving robins in a snowed-up winter garden. Eventually Overfield cut inside but failed to get any power in a low shot, which visiting ‘keeper Phillips could have eaten a bowl of Weetabix before dropping upon. Bissell did find a pass to Anslow on the right but the forward planted the ball into the side-netting, then Phillips flapped a punch at a centre from the right; Danks soon won a corner on the left but Jevons’ near post header from the flag-kick drifted low and very wide of the far upright. Gennard, becoming so angry that I wouldn’t allow my badger anywhere near him, made a determined run on the right but was unable to win a corner, yet became embroiled in a spat with the Pegasus skipper, Paul Allam, who performed stoically throughout and both were warned by the official. 

Mills defends Pearson well...

As the half wound down, Lye finally threatened; a free-kick by Overfield from 21 yards, which I was sure Whitcombe would strike, took a deflection upwards and over the crossbar and although the flag-kick was wasted, a fine right-side centre by Danks brought a good Jevons header but Phillips threw out a right glove and made a splendid reflex save. All that was left was for Danks to attempt to slide in a pass but it was blocked back to him, so he pummelled a shot from 22 yards way off target instead. And that was that. Awful for the most part, lacking creativity, if not effort, albeit misplaced too often. Well done to Pegasus though.

Damo (4) spots a badger and goes for the cull...

The calm assurance of young Mills in the Lye defence would be sorely missed after the interval and Ben Wilkins had replaced him but an Overfield free-kick for the hosts was defended well by Allam and Robbins cleared; suddenly however, a break was on for Juniors when Jones missed the ball, Pearson fed the lean Kiea Cowley but his low shot gave Phillips an opportunity to bend down and pick something up. More errors by Lye, in a tangle in midfield, with the misfiring Simon Williams falling down led to Pearson making a run at inside-right, although covered by Jevons, yet somehow the forward shrugged off the Lye skipper’s challenge and pushed a low shot past the advancing Stevens for a shock goal…

Pegasus bring Lye's Williams to his knees...

...and it's 0-1...

The response was forceful from Lye, at last, and Phillips punched away a left-flank corner, which was retrieved by the remarkably uninvolved Anslow, who crossed towards the far post; Whitcombe rose well and got his head to the ball but with Phillips concerned, a linesman flagged and Whitcombe shouted angrily. I think he said something like: “Oh, not another jolly flag; never mind, old chap…” Chris Russell replaced the ineffective Overfield for Lye, Robbins, looking like a rampaging hound, fouled Danks to earn a booking but Wilkins wasted the free-kick opportunity. Finally, a couple of left-wing corners by the hosts nearly brought an equaliser; first, Jevons rose to spank a header towards the left upright which was cleared from the goal-line by Allam, then from the second, Whitcombe’s name was called and he raced to the near post, only for his glancing header to be dragged behind the goal-frame by his close-marker, the tall Matt Evans. Another Lye set-piece was cleared as far as Whitcombe’s trusty left-foot but his rasping low 28 yarder was blocked in the penalty-box.

Yellow for Robbins...

Pearson, now a real threat on the break for the guests, due to Bissell’s and Jones’ support for the Lye attack, got away on the left and was denied a goal from an angle by a fine deflection save from Stevens, although the ball popped up towards the far stick and Keith Jones, who couldn’t get the rebound past a covering defender, to his own disgust. Incredibly, Pearson outmuscled Jevons again at inside-left, with Bissell upfield and somehow, almost in slow-motion, the striker appeared to toe-poke a gentle angled effort beneath the encroaching Stevens and into the Lye net. Shock again…

0-2 and the game is almost safe for Pegasus...

Learning from their mistakes, not, Lye allowed Pearson room on the left again to switch play to Keith Jones on the right and he unleashed a rising drive at the neat angle of bar and post but Stevens arched his back to turn the ball over his crossbar spectacularly. Reece Shivlock replaced the disappointed and disappointing Danks for Town but despite some moments of passes being unusually accurate, Lye were failing to find a delivery to hurt the opposition, who simply sat back and defended their zones, as Lye’s passes criss-crossed the neutrality of midfield. Gennard’s delivery was held by Phillips, terrier Russell’s side-of-right-boot cross went to Phillips too, before the rather cheery linesman covering the Juniors’ defence chose to award a free-kick to Lye. This led to an overlap by Bissell, who swept up his flank and crossed superbly towards the far post, where the competent Shivlock rose and planted a firm header past the despairing fingers of the beaten Phillips.

Shivlock, top of image, can't seem to celebrate his goal...

The goal would surely light the touch paper for a Lye onslaught, especially with the bonfire woodpile evident behind that goal-frame but er, nothing really happened then, bar Pearson dispossessing Jevons and feeding Robbins for a poor shot past a Lye upright, then Cowley receiving a booking for kicking the ball away, after being flagged offside, despite the fact that there were loads of balls awaiting use. That offence is such a ridiculous cause for a caution these days, surely? A Dan Jones clipped free-kick dropped wide of the right post, with nobody bothering to make a run at it and Pegasus celebrated a fine and deserved, stolid, pragmatic victory. The outstanding defending of Danny Hill, Allam, Evans and also the crucial midfield scurrying of Jones and Robbins allowed Juniors to prevent Lye’s pedantic attacking from hurting and with no pace at all on the unfortunately nicknamed Flyers’ wings, Pegasus won with aplomb. “What if…” is a pointless phrase but in this case, what if Mills had played the second-period?

Winners...

Not a bad day out for Pegasus...

I drove home to watch Barcelona pass the ball. It’s what I do…   

Teams:

Lye:  Damien Stevens, Max Bissell, Dan Jones; Damo Whitcombe, Sam Mills, Simon Williams; Tom Overfield, Scott Gennard, Mark Danks, Ricky Anslow, Ben Jevons (Capt).

Subs: Chris Russell, Reece Shivlock, Ben Wilkins, Lee Brown, George Rodgers (gk).

Pegasus:  Nathan Phillips, Jack Lewis, Jamie Cuthbertson; Paul Allam (Capt), Matt Evans, Anthony Robbins; Tom Dawson, Keith Jones, Danny Hill, Sam Pearson, Kiea Cowley.

Subs: Lewis Hughes, Mark Rusling.