MICKLEOVER ROYALS 0-1 AFC MANSFIELD: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Whitman Slips In To Dethrone Royals

Mickleover Royals 0-1 AFC Mansfield

(FA Vase, Round 3)

The toss...

A very late poach by Tristan Whitman sent the AFC Mansfield players and their hooting, ecstatic fans into realms of joy at the Raygar Stadium, as the visitors deservedly beat Mickleover Royals, who really didn’t get going as an attacking force throughout a tight and uninspiring match. The best chances fell to the visitors, with Dean Rick forcing a fine save from Royals’ Ash Warner, Joe Naylor failing with a close-range header and skipper Chris Timons having a goal disallowed for pushing. Mickleover’s attempts were few but Kirk Francis failed to lift an early lob high enough, Davy Hamson fired a shot wide and Steve O’Connell headed past a post late on but until O’Connell was introduced, the hosts’ lack of height in attack was evident, as too many high deliveries were swallowed up by the AFC defence. Visiting goalie Jason White enjoyed a mostly comfortable afternoon, for home skipper Danny Martin’s influence faded as the game wore on. At least the winning goal prevented the agony and further chill of extra-time and I was able to get back to Solihull in time to drive to Coughton Court for their famous Wassail concert. Thanks, Tris, I’m indebted to you…

Francis begs the physio' to slow down and stop embarrassing him...

An early Royals attack ended with a hopeful Ash Foster shot, which was blocked by the eager AFC defence, then the guests struck a couple of efforts from distance; Scott Rickards’ drive was fielded easily by Warner and Phil Buxton’s went wide of the target. A long Warner kick was missed by the AFC defence but Kirk Francis, sprinting forward, could get no lift to his attempted lob and White collected with little concern. Tyrell Shannon, the speedy Royals striker then began a pushing match with AFC’s Joe Meehan, which was just like watching two kids in the dinner queue at secondary school, who thought they were actually unobserved. There was no love lost between those two for the duration of the game. Mickleover, careless at times with their distribution, conceded possession from their own free-kick but Phil Buxton couldn’t quite latch onto Rickards’ diagonal pass. Martin was then tripped but his ensuing 24 yard free-kick dropped too late and well off target. Shaun Roberts, who worked tirelessly for Mickleover in midfield, played a one-two but drove a shot wide of the left upright, before Martin made a fine challenge in defence and sent a long ball forward, which AFC defender Ash Kitchen lost the flight of, allowing Shannon a clear run at inside-left but the striker ran the ball out of play, presumably on a slippery section of pitch. 

Look up...

 Home central defender Oli Buxton and fellow defence-man Peter Aliguma, who looked uncomfortable at times at left-back, marshalled Rick towards the right byeline but Warner collected the forward’s near post pass, before Foster hammered a 28 yard free-kick straight at the back of visiting midfielder Danny Naylor, who was relishing the physical side of the game. It was actually Danny Naylor’s pass left to Rickards, which allowed the recipient to move forth, but cleverly, he ignored the fine overlapping run by left-back Mark Dudley, a dead-ball specialist and instead Rickards fed a run, right to left, across the penalty-box by Rick, closely marshalled by the stubborn Jordan Simpson. Rick slid and turned to shoot low from 15 yards, an effort which was superbly saved by Warner, diving left to turn the ball aside. Whitman fired the rebound into the side of the goal-frame from an acute angle.

Interesting pose by the linesman...

Whitman and Joe Naylor combined to set up Rick at inside-right, 16 yards out but again the bounce and surface defeated the forward and his effort at goal bounced harmlessly past the right stick. Whitman was making some good runs by this time and stretching Oli Buxton and Aliguma but the early promise of runs by Shannon and Francis had abated somewhat for the hosts and in truth, Davy Hamson was barely in the affair. A powerful Rick drive cannoned into Jordan Simpson, who reacted like he’d been hit by a mere beach-ball, then Aliguma set up Shannon to beat Meehan and shoot at the opposite end, only for White to gather easily. A fine run forward by Aliguma led to another Shannon effort being picked up by White as the rather ignominious opening half drew to a cold end. Neither team had impressed, neither goal had been peppered and even the daylight had turned its back on the proceedings. 

Jordan Simpson getting a grip on Tris Whitman...

Interestingly, Foster didn’t reappear after the interval and I saw him leave the grandstand soon afterwards. Joe Brockley replaced him. Dudley crashed into Francis to earn a caution but Roberts’ free-kick drive was deflected for a wasted corner. For the guests, Rickards’ free-kick was deflected for a corner too, which also proved fruitless, before Rick threatened on the right, forcing the dependable Simpson to concede another corner. Hamson, still struggling to influence the game, bar being knocked over continually, suddenly unleashed a decent volley from 23 yards, which at least saw White dive and get his knees dirty. Francis was finally hacked out of the game by a wild Kitchen challenge, like a cleaver on beef, leaving the aggressor cautioned and Francis calling to be substituted. Simpson then flew through the air boot-first, like a fighting kangaroo and received a caution, or perhaps an invitation to a forthcoming kick-boxing event at the O2 arena. Then AFC scorned a great chance to grab the lead, when Whitman’s work on the right, following a bad pass by Martin, led to a fine delivery towards the far post. Warner remained on his goal-line, Joe Naylor jumped alone at the far post but lifted his header well over the crossbar.

Steve O’Connell replaced Hamson, unsurprisingly, at last giving an option of strength in attack for the hosts, before Kitchen scythed crazily into Francis once more and the striker’s day was over; no foul was awarded, amazingly, yet the ball bounced to O’Connell, who was felled by a simple trip and the official awarded the free-kick this time! Ah, consistency, don’tcha just love it? Louis Menson replaced the ailing Francis, before a badly sliced kick by Mickleover led to Phil Buxton cutting inside from the right and firing a left-booter past the right upright. Rick and Whitman combined at 18 yards, as AFC began to take the upper hand but the latter’s curled delivery towards the right post bounced wide, with Phil Buxton lurking. Shannon cut inside from the left for Royals but with Menson unmarked inside him, chose to fire an ambitious cross-shot, which flew over the far angle of bar and upright.

Francis down again, soon to be out...

Mickleover managed to put together a couple of threats as the game moved towards its conclusion and Ryan Thompson, who played well for the hosts at right-back, was involved in the assaults. After O’Connell challenged White to fumble Blockley’s cross for a corner, Oli Buxton challenged for Roberts’ flag-kick at the near stick, turned the ball dangerously across the goal-area but then Menson’s efforts were blocked, the ball was cleared and Thompson retrieved it. The full-back’s cross saw the ‘keeper jump but he was beaten by O’Connell’s powerful leap and header, only for the ball to bounce past the right post. Carl Haslam replaced Rick for the visitors and the substitute threatened on the left a couple of times but when Shannon was cautioned, his skipper, Martin, was booked too, for words spoken. Unwise that… Meehan clattered into Menson but was awarded the free-kick, as players became even more tense and from the contentious free-kick, the guests won a corner. The official warned men for shoving and pushing like bulls in a rodeo pen but then whistled for a foul, as AFC skipper Chris Timons rose to head powerfully downwards into the home net. A let-off? Extra-time? Er, no, actually, for Whitman, hovering between Aliguma and Oli Buxton at inside-right, stayed onside as the ball was passed forward and the striker kept his head to lift the ball over the advancing, falling torso of Warner, to take AFC Mansfield into the FA Vase, Round 4…  

Goal! 0-1 to AFC Mansfield...

Despair and delight were displayed in equal measures and the referee blew his shrill whistle almost immediately after the restart so we could all go home for a mug of hot coffee. Surely AFC deserved to win, just about, for their forwards looked the more dangerous, whilst Royals really did lack strength and height in attack, with all three forwards possessing similar traits. I was impressed by AFC’s Danny Naylor in particular, for wherever a tackle was needed, he piled in and one could just imagine him in the no-man’s-land of the Somme, racing forward with Mills bomb in hand to cause havoc in the German front-line trenches. Meehan was good too, as were Whitman and Phil Buxton, with Rickards watchful in midfield. Simpson was something of a rock for Royals but a disappointing midfield performance after half-time hardly helped the Mickleover cause, with the ball being given away cheaply on a number of occasions. 

Whitman: the match winner...

I rushed home for a cheese and onion sandwich, journeyed on to Coughton Court and was entertained royally by the Crescent Theatre group, after being entertained er, less than Royally at the Raygar…

It’s what I do…  

Teams:

Mickleover Royals:  Ash Warner, Ryan Thompson, Oli Buxton; Jordan Simpson, Peter Aliguma, Danny Martin (Capt); Ash Foster, Shaun Roberts, Davy Hamson, Tyrell Shannon, Kirk Francis.

Subs: Steve O’Connell, Louis Menson, Joe Brockley, Chris Martin, Owen Brown.

AC Mansfield: Jason White, Joe Meehan, Mark Dudley; Ash Kitchen, Chris Timons (Capt), Joe Naylor; Phil Buxton, Danny Naylor, Dean Rick, Tristan Whitman, Scott Rickards.

Subs: Ash Grayson, Adam Kimberley, Danny Tighe, Carl Haslam, Kyle Ludlow.