AFC BRIDGNORTH 1-2 SPORTING KHALSA: light-hearted match report by THE MOWDOG...

Khalsa Kings of Crown Meadow…

AFC Bridgnorth 1-2 Sporting Khalsa

Khalsa attacked up the Crown Meadow slope during the opening half of this tetchy, often unpleasant encounter between two successful teams but their hosts, in the parlance of 1950s English soccer tactics soon ‘got stuck in’. Home ‘keeper Chris Crook could be heard bellowing “No fear…”, which said it all, and typically there was an inevitable skirmish on the slope, bringing back memories of Bernard Cornwell’s ‘Sharpe’ books. The visitors earned a deserved two goal advantage at the break but the second period was fraught and too often sank into a physical battle of nudges, crafty elbows and the occasional boot following through on a player getting away. Mark Danks scored a strange but rather decent goal to add some tension to the closing stages but Khalsa were always stronger and had Andy Hartlebury’s late effort brought parity to the match, in truth it would have been an injustice. An unfortunate dismissal for Khalsa replacement Chris Rabone caused a scene by Bridgnorth’s players, demanding to know why the game ended immediately, with no added time for the sending-off incident. Too late for the hosts though, for Khalsa had been the more resolute and dangerous outfit.

Ready to go...

Visiting skipper Lee Wherton benefited from a quick early attack by his team and a poor pass by Jason Pike but he hurried his shot and drove wide of the right upright. A couple of harsh challenges by Bridgnorth players, as if every Khalsa player was actually Diego Costa and needed a good kicking brought the inescapable playground scrap and how the officials could possibly have seen every villain, never mind a Crook, was an impossibility, so the referee chatted to an assistant about the film he saw last week and singled out Josh Bradburn and Ryan Guryn of Bridgnorth, plus Simeon Townsend of Khalsa to waft yellow cards at. That was OK then? The terrier-like and largely impressive AFC left-back Kev Buxton was in belligerent mood and looked so good early on and he clattered a 25 yard strike well wide, before the somewhat acrimonious contest finally saw a couple of passes from the hosts. However, when Pike’s astute feed inside visiting left-back Nicky Campbell, who was probably busy mentally preparing his next Radio 5 Live programme, the magnificently named Anwar Abdul Raheen Olugbon was deemed offside by a sharp linesman.

The bookings begin...

The fast contest saw Khalsa gain a left-side corner but Tesfa Robinson’s flick-on wasn’t capitalised upon, before right-sided attacker Mensah Kinch, who was involved in a fascinating contest all evening with Buxton, reached the byeline and colleague Townsend swivelled like one of the Temptations live on stage to strike a fine rising shot at the near post, only for Crook to pluck it from the air like a pear from a tree. All the hosts could manage was a disappointing Danks effort from 22 yards which bounced well wide of the left stick. A Kinch cross was over-hit, spoiling his run beforehand then following slack defending by AFC, he drove a shot high into the bushes behind the goal-frame. Hartlebury was actually defending so sensibly for the hosts, supported well enough by Bradburn, Buxton and Michael Evans (not to be confused with the legendary Plymouth Argyle striker, who contributed to get Paul Sturrock’s team promoted over a decade ago…)

There's a Crook on the pitch...

Bridgnorth then escaped a penalty-call, for with Khalsa looking threatening, the prone Bradburn appeared to drag the ball from Townsend’s feet with a palm and saved his team, with no punishment offered from the well-placed officials. Glynn Coney swung over a left-footed free-kick from the AFC right and although Khalsa ‘keeper James Pemberton spilled it like a tray of jam tarts on a cakewalk ride at the local fair, an offside flag denied Bridgnorth anyway. Both teams lost and regained possession and suddenly, like a knife through a cadaver in ‘Silent Witness’, Townsend ran onto an incisive pass from Bannister at inside-left to lift the ball over the rapidly advancing and falling Crook, to give the visitors a noisy and deserved lead. 

Khalsa lead...

Good offensive play by Campbell was stopped by the safe hands of Crook then from a quick AFC free-kick, a Khalsa defender nudged the ball past Pemberton to concede a fruitless corner, as Olugbon fell over on the poor surface, which was critically admonished before the game by a Sporting coach. Danger on the Khalsa left ended with the industrious Craig Bannister setting up midfielder Michael Perks for a shot, one of the perks of his job, but ‘Nosher’ (how did he get THAT nickname?) struck his 20 yard effort a long way over the home crossbar. With half-time beckoning and some spectators already heading for the beer queue, a left-side centre by Bannister skimmed the head of Buxton, letting in Kinch, whose first touch was a little loose but when Crook moved to grab at the rolling ball, he simply tripped his opponent with an errant body and the ball trickled behind the byeline. A penalty was awarded and Campbell stepped forth to strike a fine, low spot-kick to Crook’s left, as the ‘keeper went right. 0-2 and really, it was tough to see Bridgnorth getting back into this game, despite there being 45 minutes remaining. 

0-2 now...

Olugbon had put himself about for the hosts but Robinson and fellow defender Joe Rogers (I hope he doesn’t have an uncle called Roy…) coped well enough, yet the big forward lashed a rising shot at the start of the second period, which was probably heading for someone’s back-garden anyway, but the leaping Pemberton did well to get a touch on it. The resulting corner led to a whistle being blown as the gymnastic Olugbon attempted his second overhead-kick of the evening and so he decided to seek an interview with the headmaster, who was perhaps a little strict on the rule followed. Health and safety, I guess…

Bridgnorth cleared a right-wing corner by the more influential Wherton and Bannister held the ball up, veered left and, 22 yards out, turned to attempt to catch out Crook with a careful clipped shot, which dropped just over the crossbar. A surprising short period of passing by the hosts ensued, rather than the previous hopeful launches at Olugbon and Danks and this led to a shock goal. Typically though it stemmed from a deep free-kick, not a passing move… It was challenged for at the edge of the penalty-box, bounced off Campbell’s shins and as Danks turned, the ball simply fell at his feet like manna from heaven, so that his left boot swung and struck a sudden half-volley from 17 yards straight into the top of the Khalsa net, with Pemberton turned to stone, like he’d just seen Medusa’s face. Hope for the hosts, more resolve needed from the guests…

A goal back for Bridgnorth...

Pike had been fishing for a caution for a while and he soon received one, then two substitutions were made: Chris Rabone for Sporting’s Townsend and AFC’s Tom Whitney for the quiet Griffiths. Marvin Nisbett managed a header straight at Crook from a right-side throw, before Bannister almost assisted himself to score from a fine sortie on the right. He drove towards the byeline and his low delivery was blocked back to him, but under pressure, he lifted the ball high over the goal-frame from close-range. Bannister drove well over the crossbar from 28 yards, then way over the telephone wires AND the trees from a disappointing 25 yard free-kick but Bridgnorth were being kept away from Pemberton’s goal, despite the hurry and scurry of the busy midfielders. Olugbon did manage to reach the right byeline past Campbell but his centre was blocked, then a good run by Evans to the same byeline led to a chest-high delivery but Pemberton clutched the ball well. Coney, hurt, was replaced by Liam Armstrong for the hosts, Rabone, following a neat trick on the left but a weak cross, was cautioned for a touch of time-wasting, involving kicking the ball away, which was ironic when one counted the number of balls hoofed into gardens and trees throughout the evening.

The Khalsa Salsa is planned...

Great sky...

Lewis Ayres replaced Guryn for AFC, a hopeful shot by the industrious Perks drifted well off target, but the real drama of the half happened very late on. Olugbon marauded into the Khalsa penalty-box but it was home skipper Hartlebury who attempted the do-or-die shot, sliding but scooping his 11 yard effort over Pemberton’s crossbar. It remained only for Rabone to scythe down an opponent and receive a second yellow, then a red card and the final whistle blew, with Pike leading the foray to the referee and the Sporting staff dancing the Khalsa Salsa, at the outcome of a tricky game. Never a classic, their victory was certainly deserved and Robinson, Bannister and Kinch were usually prominent. Olugbon and Buxton supported the fine AFC skipper Hartlebury as well as they could but in all fairness, the hosts lacked creativity on a difficult pitch, in a physical duel, on a cold evening…

Rabone is helped away...

Khalsa joy...

I drove home for a chunk of fruit-cake and a large bowl of Weetabix… 

It’s what I do…

Teams:

AFC Bridgnorth:  Chris Crook, Mike Evans, Kev Buxton; Jason Pike, Josh Bradburn, Andy Hartlebury (Capt); Karl Griffiths, Ryan Guryn, Mark Danks, Anwar Olugbon, Glynn Coney.

Subs: Lewis Ayres, Liam Armstrong, Jack Wilson, Tom Whitney, Dan Taylor.

Sporting Khalsa:  James Pemberton, Carlo Franco, Nicky Campbell; Joe Rogers, Tesfa Robinson, Michael Perks; Mensah Kinch, Lee Wherton (Capt), Craig Bannister, Marvin Nisbett, Simeon Townsend.

Subs: Chris Rabone, Brad Lawley, Kane Cork, Paul Henley, Ben Czerepaninec.