LYE TOWN 6-2 DUNKIRK: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Leaking Boatmen Rue Loss of Composure On Trip To Gloomy Lye

Lye Town 6-2 Dunkirk

Dunkirk were leading 0-2, coping easily with Lye’s stumbling efforts to address ‘creativity’, whilst looking lively themselves on the break and then skipper Danny Carey-Bertram, to whom I spoke a couple of years ago when he was about to join Sutton Coldfield Town, reacted angrily to rather a shackling challenge by home skipper Ben Jevons. As usual, Flyers’ defender Damien Whitcombe, a perfect front-man for a ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ scheme, simply had to get involved and Carey-Bertram’s forehead nudged against Whitcombe’s, leaving the referee, after consulting the very young looking linesman, no alternative but to dismiss the Dunkirk striker. Visiting manager Nick Hawkins, who had galloped onto the field to defend his players like a lawyer representing members of the Mafia, was subsequently exiled to a lonely evening behind the dugouts, certainly preventing him from replacing a defender later, for he had been forced to name himself as a substitute, following Dunkirk’s late arrival. With three officials from Dunkirk demanding a red card for Whitcombe too, the smiling Lye defender received a yellow one and proceeded to regain parity for his team with a brace of goals. The floodgates finally opened, Dunkirk sprang huge leaks and substitute James Spray then quick forward Ricky Anslow also netted two goals apiece, as the tiring Boatmen abandoned ship in the Black Country’s unwelcoming wind, rain and mire.

(Any mistakes in player identification are due to using the official team-sheets, for Dunkirk’s 9 and 10 were named wrongly, for sure. I apologise for any other errors below…)

The game began at 8pm, leaving Dunkirk little time to prepare and I felt for the fellow who was attempting to get the official team-sheet completed, while the coaches were attempting to prepare their players. Nick Hawkins appeared to remember me though, which was decent of him. The Lye players didn’t know I was there, for I had apparently been a jinx to them recently, so I was spared the Scott Gennard chants of: “Dog-ee, dog-ee…” Strangely, I missed them. Dunkirk charged down an early Lye clearance on the port side but to no avail then Lye’s Reece Shilvock and Simon Williams looked menacing on the left-flank but left-back Matt Johnson drove a 22 yard shot past the left upright. Anslow and Shilvock again threatened for Lye but visiting goalie Jake Want was NOT found wanting and collected the loose ball. Johnson then clipped in a fine free-kick from inside-right and the switched-on Whitcombe made the first of his three telling moves at set-pieces, wheeling away to the far post, where he fumbled the ball wide.

The Boatmen attack on the starboard side...

Then, a long Dunkirk boot was back-headed by the tall Sam Mills but despite the rising temperature, the home defence froze; Carey-Bertram didn’t and fastened onto the ball at inside-right to smack a low drive just inside the near post, with home ‘keeper Damien Stevens waving an arm of disgust at anybody who happened to be looking his way. Want saved at Chris Russell’s feet, after the speedy striker ran onto Jevons’ pass and Whitcombe made offensive move number two at Gennard’s ensuing left-side flag-kick; he ran towards the near post and clipped a fine effort only just too high from 17 yards, with Want looking anxious and not a little surprised. So, would Dunkirk learn from the two Whitcombe demonstrations? Er, no, actually.

Watching your team play like tenpin bowlers with no skittles...

Another Johnson free-kick led to a break by Atkinson, who actually beat home goalie Stevens to the ball deep on the offensive left but the winger hesitated and Johnson’s attentions forced the attacker to run the ball out for a goal-kick. Aiden Brady and Carey-Bertram combined but no shot was forthcoming, before Russell’s run set up Shilvock for a shot from distance for Lye, which was a distance off target. Incredibly, the visitors scored again and what a finish it was by Kieran Whalin. Aiden Smith and Phil Massingham were involved on the starboard side, the ball was partially cleared by deflections off Lye’s Gennard, Whitcombe and Mills but Whalin simply battered a 28 yard drive into the net off the underside of the crossbar, to his team-mates’ delight, although NOT Stevens’.

A defending Boatman and Want smothered another nippy Russell run and from the corner, Shilvock rose to head goalwards but Want did well to turn the ball over the bar, even though an offensive foul had been spotted by the official. Atkinson’s run past Johnson set up Brady, who scuffed a poor shot then the game changed drastically, when Jevons’ foul on Carey-Bertram caused the commotion described above. Soon, Liam Motson clumsily fouled Russell inside the penalty-box at inside-left and Whitcombe stepped forward to gently side-boot the ball into the centre of the net, with Want’s momentum going to his left and unable to save. 1-2 and one could sense a boost to the Flyers and a drifting of the Boatmen. The referee chatted for a while to Dunkirk’s busy midfielder George Durrell and then it was the interval, as rain oozed over the grandstand/shed/woodyard in gusts of chilling wind.

Bosun Hawkins is told to go aft...

Neighbourhood Watchman Whitcombe (4) keeps a close eye on things.
No change there...

Carey-Bertram, amidships, knows what's coming...

...and number 10 walks the plank...

The Boatmen’s good work had been undone by their skipper, rather like Captain Pugwash’s indiscretions placed his vessel in jeopardy in so many written tales. Oddly, manager Nick Hawkins reminded me of Cut-Throat Jake with that beard and with a seafaring name like Hawkins, it all seemed to fit… Lye had struggled to get past guest defenders Hastie and Motson and ‘keeper Jake Want, their best player on the night, had kept his team ahead. Straight after the restart, Whitcombe’s third set-piece move totally flummoxed Dunkirk’s deck-hands and the defender was able to afford a yawn and a smile before he met Gennard’s near-post left-flank corner with a side-footed finish past Want. And so the Boatmen began walking the plank. Anslow struck a low shot from inside-left, which Want did well to push across his 6 yard box for combative left-back Jan Yeomans to hack clear and then Shilvock shot the rebound badly wide, before Brady’s angled drive brought a fine leaping tip-over save from Stevens, as the visitors tried to regain the lead.

2-2: Whitcombe's second goal on the night...

Anslow threatened again on the left but was well tackled, leaving Williams to send his cross behind the goal-frame and then Jevons leaned all over a defender to head the ball down from the 18 yard line but Williams’ 20 yard shot rolled weakly to Want. Russell was allowed to get free inside the penalty-box again but after turning inside a defender so well, he appeared to hesitate slightly, allowing Want to throw himself in front of the striker and block the shot. Better approach-work on the Town left led to a decent clip towards the right upright by Shilvock but Anslow’s flicked header was off-balance and the ball dropped wide. Dunkirk were floundering off-course by this time, baling water, but were still afloat, just, then Lye sent for reinforcements, replacing Shilvock and right-back Max Bissell with James Spray and Dan Jones. Spray looked in a mean mood, like a particularly feisty pirate harassing merchantmen and he barged a couple of Boatmen, including the shocked Yeomans, but then received a warning from the harbour-master. 

The Boatmen begin to paddle in desperation...

Dunkirk made a voyage forward but Atkinson, then Phil Massingham couldn’t test Stevens, before Town finally took the lead they would not relinquish; Whitcombe's incisive pass to Russell at 18 yards led to a pass left for Anslow and the striker’s low delivery to the near post was miscued by the unfortunate Hastie and then smashed into the roof of the net by Spray, which was more enjoyable than ramming enemy craft, surely… A low Whitcombe pass fed Jevons on the Lye right and Anslow slid the ensuing low cross home from a couple of yards, but was adjudged offside by the linesman; yet after watching the video replay several times, I am still wondering what the official saw… Then Spray, frowning, got clear at inside-left, and before I could press ‘Play’ on the camera, lobbed the advancing Want from 24 yards and we could all only watch as the ball floated into the unguarded net. 4-2 but soon afterwards, after Carl Spencer replaced Massingham for the visitors and Atkinson had been instructed to remove his under-shirt by the referee, I believe, the winger benefited from the change in wardrobe and drove in a rising angled drive but once again, Stevens leapt like a soaring falcon to turn the ball over the goal-frame. 

Spray has scored. No joy though...

The corner caused anguish for the hosts but a couple of shots from Whalin and Spencer rained in unsuccessfully for the Boatmen and they were caught out soon after Tom Overfield replaced Johnson for Lye. Spray did well to reach the left-byeline, following smart work by Overfield and the unselfish Russell and the swarthy striker crossed low for Anslow to slot easily past the exposed Want. The visitors were then urged from the sidelines to keep a clean sheet until the end; maybe something to achieve, at least. Russell soon got in at inside-left but his effort was stopped by Want and a defender, before a volley by Dunkirk’s Durrell scattered the rust on the cattle-shed’s roof at the opposite end. A fine through-pass by Mills caught out Hastie however, who appeared to leave the ball and Anslow needed no further invitation to ruin the ambition of not shipping another goal; the striker ran on and slid a low shot past the ailing Want into the Dunkirk rigging. Anslow then lifted an acceptable chance from 15 yards over the crossbar, following a pass from Gennard then Jones was probably fouled in the penalty-area but neither official appeared to want to add to Want’s pain and the game carried on for Russell to blast the ball across the goalmouth.

Anslow has netted his second of the night...

What do you Want, what do you really, really Want?
"Hoist up the main-sail, I Wanta Go Home..."
(Apologies to the Spice Girls and the Beach Boys...) 

The end came, the Boatmen were scuttled and even though they were well beaten at the end, they could point to three good Stevens saves and that fine opening 25 minutes or so, when they looked the more accomplished team. Carey-Bertram scuppered that ascendancy and then all the things that could have gone wrong, did, almost like the loss of their figurehead had resulted in a loss of any fortune. Lye were better after the break, looked more of an attacking threat with Spray’s presence and might have scored more goals but the victory was well earned in the end. So Spray affected the Boatmen: you just couldn’t make it up… 

I drove home for a hot mince pie. I do that…

Teams: 

Lye Town:  Damien Stevens, Max Bissell, Matt Johnson; Damien Whitcombe, Sam Mills, Simon Williams; Reece Shilvock, Scott Gennard, Chris Russell, Ricky Anslow, Ben Jevons (Capt).

Subs: Dan Jones, James Spray, Tom Overfield, Elliott Davies, Kevin Nickle.

Dunkirk:  Jake Want, Aiden Smith, Jan Yeomans; George Durrell, Ryan Hastie, Liam Motson; Dexter Atkinson, Kieran Whalin, Phil Massingham, Danny Carey-Bartram (Capt), Aiden Brady.

Subs: Carl Spencer, Nick Hawkins.