STUDLEY 1-3 ATHERSTONE TOWN: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Adders Slither From the Beehive Glistening With Honey Reward

Studley 1-3 Atherstone Town

This match was even until a disputed penalty award, then an immediate poor back-pass by Studley changed the game in the Adders’ favour. At 0-2, the hosts lost a player, dismissed for a very high challenge, yet Town didn’t capitalise until later in the second-half and indeed conceded a goal before the interval. Studley often looked the more astute outfit from then on and only poor finishing, plus a fine save by Adder ‘keeper Phil Smith prevented a slightly embarrassing scoreline for the visitors, until replacement Anton Astley’s low strike to effectively make the victory safe. The referee will want to forget his evening though, after causing some chaos on occasions and making decisions and errors which both teams were most unhappy with. The numbers on Studley’s shirts were tough to distinguish between at times, so any errors in identification I must apologise for. I managed to overcome the enigma of the names on the team-sheets however, after emailing them to Bletchley Park for decoding and so again, I apologise for any mistakes in the translations.

An untidy start of long, inaccurate balls forward led to visiting striker Zak Ginvert giving away two fouls as he chased, then tall, lean home forward Josh McKenzie made ground on the right but dropped his centre behind the goal-frame. McKenzie then threatened onto a loose ball at inside-left but the momentum was lost, the Adders regrouped like snakes in a pit of vipers and by the time right-back Brett Mander’s cross was flicked on by Michael Murray, the danger had passed. A poor fly-kick by home ‘keeper Shaun Edwards saw a hopeful Town cross from the right nodded away for a corner, which, unusually, Cameron Stuart, playing in a loose role in the Adders’ attack, like a predatory mangrove snake, took short but the ball was lost. The strongly built Jason Barton, one of the Studley attackers, was fouled 25 yards out and spring-heeled right-winger Sean Williams took the ensuing free-kick but planted it over the left angle of bar and upright.

After McKenzie again threatened aerially for the hosts, the ball broke for the lurking Stuart and he fed Ginvert at inside-right, who stole in like a grass-snake, only to tumble like a Christmas tree in a gale under Tom Giddings’ challenge, I believe, and earned a penalty. Edwards was unhappy about the award, leapt up and down like a bee being smoked from a hive but to no avail. The referee insisted, spoke with an assistant, reprimanded a defender and only then cautioned the fellow, before Stuart struck a confident penalty into the right corner of the net, belying his Villa past… Only joking, Villa fans.

0-1 and Cam has netted for the camera AGAIN...

A decent free-kick by home skipper Ben Judd was headed upwards by visiting left-back Stephen Olanipekun and again the chance was lost, but immediately, slack defending took over, a weak back-pass was tickled towards Edwards and Ginvert was in first, nudging the ball left of the goalie, chasing it and converting easily from a slight angle near the left upright. 

0-2 and Ginvert's goal is celebrated in a corner...

Edwards denied Ginvert again, reaching another pass by Stuart first, before McKenzie fed the clever feet of Williams on the Studley right, only for Olanipekun to upend the winger and earn a deserved caution. McKenzie headed Judd’s free-kick upwards, Smith punched the ball away but a flag was waving for offside against the home team. A high boot by Murray earned him a dismissal, as a crowd of players mulled about like they were haggling at a jumble sale and Ryan Ball’s head-wound was treated. So, a disputed penalty, a poor back-pass and a dismissal: a great way for Studley to begin their evening… As Ball was treated for his head-wound, a Town coach bellowed out: “Fu..in’ heads on, all right?” at his players, which seemed rather apt…

The Adders hiss and the Bees begin to swarm...

Red card to a Bee...

The Bee venom has passed and, sting-less,  Murray leaves, stage-right...

Andy Culver had replaced Town’s Lee Chapman, meaning there was no number 8 left on the field but this had happened in the confusion caused by the official’s lack of authority. More threat from Williams ended up with a really poor drive by Barton from 25 yards, which was picked up like next door’s kitten from his doorstep by Smith then a series of incidents happened, which summed up the three officials’ evenings. First, really smart play on the Studley left by Rico Taylor saw Barton tussling at 20 yards with a defender and the burly forward clearly threw out an elbow, causing the defender to yell out: “Aaarrrgghhhh…” and collapse like he’d been stung by a worker bee. The game continued though and Williams fired in a hard angled drive from the right, which Smith did well to knock away from his near post with strong lower legs; the ball then rebounded to Williams, who set himself up for another shot but the referee stopped the game so that attention could be administered to the distressed Adder. Cue arguments as to why the official waited so long to blow his penny whistle, which nearly saw Studley score, but had then prevented Williams from taking a second pot-shot… Barton escaped punishment. The restart was a dropped-ball on the 18 yard line and from this, busy home midfielder Steffano Abonandi forced his way to the left byeline, won a corner off a defender and the referee, suitably incorrect, awarded a goal-kick to Atherstone. Two home supporters were by now apoplectic behind the goal and they probably wished they had stayed at home to watch Scotland lose instead.

Confused footballers: never satisfactory...

Another well-flighted delivery from the right by the left boot of Judd was challenged for by leaping Adders and Bees, the ball fell to Smith on the goal-line but he slithered like a taipan in mud, Abonandi slid in with venom and Toby Checketts slapped home from 1 yard only. 1-2 and hope for the hosts but straight away, Stuart fell like a swatted bee from a window ledge and he picked himself up to take a 23 yard free-kick from his favoured inside-right position, but this time he lifted the ball over the right angle of bar and upright. Studley had passed the ball better since being reduced in numbers and as the half ended, fine play by Taylor on the left resulted in Williams being forced too wide on the right but he still managed to feet Abonandi for a 19 yard shot, which was a shovelled effort and straight at Smith. Half-time, my feet became wetter in the sodden grass, fetching wild kicked balls by substitutes and, like a nest of adders, the visiting supporters snaked into position behind the goal-frame in front of me to watch the second period.

Hope for the Bees: 1-2...

A long run by Williams led to a neat cut inside but also a weak right-footer past the far upright, as Studley began the second period with relish and began to rattle the snakes. Another promising attacked failed then a poor Town clearance allowed McKenzie a run at goal, wide to the right but his low cross-shot took a slight deflection for a left-wing corner. The flag-kick was fisted away by Smith, like he was attempting to shake a green mamba from his forearms but Barton’s back-heel towards Taylor saw the ball roll out for a goal-kick. The play was untidy, scruffy, careless and unimaginative by this time but still Studley’s wingers looked the likeliest creators on offer but chances were few. Yet another Judd free-kick bounced across the goalmouth, as if the combatants had been mesmerised by an anaconda’s eyes, then a couple of lively runs by Taylor worried Town but one cross from the winger was handled, not headed by McKenzie and the visitors held their lead. 

Anton Astley replaced Mark Shutt for the Adders but it was Studley who so nearly equalised when Taylor slipped a pass to Abonandi and his rising 19 yarder was tipped over the crossbar by Smith, who twisted in the air like a charmed cobra. Smith was then as lost as a drone in a sweet jar when Barton’s left-side corner appeared to bounce off Williams at the far upright and drop wide. Leigh Everett replaced Ball for the guests and immediately, somewhat against the run of play, the ball broke forward for the solid Atkins to power into an attack at inside-left with the support of Ginvert and his low, near-post drive bounced into the net off the inside of the upright.

Anton Atkins' Atherstone Adders' Acclaim...

Josh Nash made an appearance for Town, before Williams raced onto a fine long pass by the consistent Studley right-back Brett Mander but after cutting inside neatly, the winger dragged a poor effort past the near upright, to his own disgust. McKenzie then displayed all the symptoms of the bee affliction ‘European Foulbrood’, by somehow hacking the ball wide of the right post, when it really seemed like he must and should score. Everett might have been cautioned for Town, Umit Eminoglu made an appearance for the hosts but when Judd took a quick late free-kick, Barton sliced the ball wildly off target. Fine play by Ginvert saw him somehow reach the byeline on the left and his measured pass across the 6 yard box was just right for Atkins, whose sliding effort smacked against the outside of the right upright. It only remained for a superb and deep Taylor centre to be beaten down by Smith and surely, by this time, the Bees of Studley knew that this was NOT to be their night. 

Constricted by the boa-like officials and crushed by their own asp-like, life-shrivelling errors, Studley’s evening, in front of their winter cluster of adult fans was a disaster really and they quickly withdrew into their frameless, twisted straw skeps. Atherstone, as slimy as diamondbacks in the autumn dampness had flicked out their tongues and taken the prey on offer: three points. Liam Bailey had stalked midfield comfortably all evening and Lewis Gorle had defended with aplomb, alongside Ash Gray and skipper Darren Eggleton. At times, the officiating was Monty Pythonesque, but my lasting memory of the game was Cam Stuart’s face when flagged offside three times near the end of the game, which reminded me of a particularly irritated corn snake… So, I drove home for a flagon of honey wine, it’s what I Meaded… 

Teams: 

Studley:  Shaun Edwards, Brett Mander, Tom Giddings; Steffano Abonandi, Toby Checketts, Ben Judd (Capt); Sean Williams, Michael Murray, Josh McKenzie, Jason Barton, Rico Taylor.

Subs: Scott Devlin, Jarrell Hylton, Umit Eminoglu, Corey Lloyd, Declan Print.

Atherstone:  Phil Smith, Lewis Gorle, Stephen Olanipekun; Ash Gray, Darren Eggleton (Capt), Ryan Ball; Liam Bailey, Lee Chapman, Zak Ginvert, Cam Stuart, Mark Shutt.

Subs: Josh Nash, Tom Randle, Anton Astley, Andy Culver, Leigh Everitt.