DROITWICH SPA FC 0-2 COVENTRY UNITED: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Cox and Fox Outsmart Determined Droitwich…

Droitwich Spa FC 0-2 Coventry United

Coventry United, without a few regulars due to other commitments, started this game with two long-range goals and the way things panned out on the Briar Mill pitch, which looked to have all the ingredients of an uneven pudding, those strikes proved crucial. United like to pass the ball but that was difficult on the surface, despite real efforts to do so by Gift Mussa, Chris Cox and Rob Prinzel. Too often though, the passing broke down and prolific forward Josh Blake lacked quality service for much of the game, which illustrated how much Tommy Maguire and Josh O’Grady were missed. The early conceded goals shook Spa into action and their two lively strikers, Macaulay Finch and James Lemon became particularly tough opponents for Coventry and really, as the hosts began to win midfield battles in the second-half, it came as a surprise that Droitwich failed to score at all. Indeed, Lemon’s day quickly turned sour when he saw a first period penalty saved by James ‘Crafty’ Fox, the visiting custodian. Overall, too many free-kicks littered this untidy encounter and certainly there were too many poor passes from both teams, although Spa’s quick releases through the middle for Lemon and Finch often caused danger to Kobe Ntim and Jamie Coleman, who did rather well to manage those tricky moments. Tough defensive play by home skipper Mike Seeley was indicative of his team’s stubbornness, along with combative midfielders James Halsall and Devon Smith, but in truth, Coventry would surely have left Droitwich with sighs of relief.

Lemon and Finch kick off...

Mr Greaves wonders whether he'll get the Villa job...

A bland opening exploded when Prinzel, he of the kick like a mule, fastened onto the ball some 38 yards from goal, left of centre and he simply thumped the ball goalwards, a shot that home goalie Matt Oliver prepared to catch, belly-high but inexplicably the ‘keeper spilled the ball over his goal-line. He will doubtless be haunted by that for some while. Before he could recover and I could press the ‘Play’ button on my camera, United skipper Cox turned and slammed a 27 yard right-foot volley from inside-right, which dipped over the ‘keeper’s arching backward leap. 0-2 and it became a case of Oliver saying “NO more, please Sir…”

0-1: Prinzel...

0-2: Cox...

Spa, already looking beaten, responded with some old fashioned centre-forward play by Lemon, who peeled off defenders and also harassed them physically, resulting in squeals from buffeted players. Solid home left-back Joe Mayo-Braiden couldn’t turn the ball into goal from 3 yards following a downward header by a colleague, as the hosts responded, but Fox dropped gratefully onto the ball. Lemon was warned for an assault on dynamic Coventry defender Ntim, as was Sean Kavanagh for United, for a sliding foul. Following a foul by Cox, the resulting free-kick for Spa was reached by Lemon but his header drifted well wide of the right post. A little bit of attempted possession, which on the sodden pitch looked more Bury than Barcelona, ended with another Prinzel shot from distance but this time he was well off target. Then from an innocuous delivery from the Spa right, Ntim jumped with the awkward Lemon and the ball appeared to strike the defender’s arm, something which Lemon reacted to like he’d won the Lottery and the official reacted to by pointing to the penalty-spot. Ntim reacted like he’d lost his luggage at Cairo airport, flapping arms and getting irked but Lemon grabbed the ball and confidently strode forward to strike the ball with the inside of his right foot towards the right upright but Fox reacted like the one in my back-garden, leaping to save and clutch the ball.

I see a gang-tackle looming...

Finch and the industrious Chris Higginson combined well for Spa but Lemon squeezed his effort at goal too high, then Coventry forward Dan Stokes, who had been moving in rather a gingerly fashion, if quietly, on the right flank, was replaced by the splendidly named Gilbert Kugbe-Dzisam. Oliver was then called into action twice; first he punched a free-kick with a high trajectory from the mulish boot of Prinzel, then spilled Ben Vallance’s near post centre from the left and was forced to tip aside Blake’s angled shot, after the striker had mugged him. More threats by the guests caused Spa into strong rearguard action but Oliver was well guarded on these occasions. Ntim and Kugbe-Dzisam combined well, before Vallance’s cross nearly let Blake in for a shot and finally another deep Prinzel free-kick led to a looping Cox header being caught under his crossbar by Oliver.

Gift Mussa, who must have been cursing the conditions, which precluded him from running freely with the ball at his mud-caked boots, did make a positive sortie towards the right byeline but as he fell, his centre was picked up at the near post by Oliver. The irascible Finch was cautioned by the fairly patient referee, after it appeared that Prinzel was bludgeoned to the ground, although I thought that Seeley was present at the incident… The break was signalled, the inhabitants of the two dugouts tramped through their boggy technical areas, making sure no-one disappeared beneath the mire, reminiscent of Passchendaele’s World War 1 trenches, and headed off for their tea and biscuits, whilst I watched Tweets arriving from the Leverkusen 4 Wolfsburg 5 match in Germany. Don’t ask… 

After the interval, the level of excitement dropped considerably, as Coventry struggled to create, or penetrate the solid, if sometimes boorish Droitwich defence and it was the home team which threatened to trouble the scorers on a few breaks. An error in the United defence opened up a seam for Finch to dart into but as he was about to shoot, Vallance slid in, timing his intervention to perfection and cleared the ball away for a left-flank corner. Kugbe-Dzisam’s first real contribution for Coventry led to a left-side flag-kick for his team, which was headed downwards by Mussa, I believe, but Oliver grabbed the ball safely. What followed was the smartest piece of individual skill displayed on the day, I reckon; Gift Mussa picked up possession 22 yards out, inside-left, but was blocked off by home players Higginson and Halsall, so the midfielder simply turned and split the two with a fine run and then launched a really good drive at goal from 17 yards, which skimmed Oliver’s crossbar.

Half 2 begins...

Droitwich’s best period arrived soon afterwards, when Smith found himself unchallenged at inside-left but his angled shot must have taken a touch off the diving Fox for a corner, then from the flag-kick by Higginson, Fox, in traffic, lost the ball and again it was huge Spa defender Mayo-Braiden who couldn’t get a significant shot from 3 yards out and Fox bravely threw himself onto the ball. Dan Lucas replaced Prinzel for United but Finch then fed Lemon for Spa, whose low shot rolled disappointingly wide of the left upright, hitting a chair instead of the net. Coventry were denied a third goal from Kavanagh’s left-wing corner, which was headed forward by the leaping Cox and swivelled onto by the alert Blake, just 5 yards out but Oliver took evasive action and was able to make a fine save, deflecting the ball away for another left-side corner. Blake dummied Kavanagh’s flag-kick but the trick came to nought. Hands by a Spa-man led to a 27 yard free-kick shot by Lucas but his effort rose too high to dip in time and at the other end, Mayo-Braiden’s free-kick was cleared to Ben Stanway, whose shot flew wayward and high.

Coventry finished more strongly and in a penalty-box kerfuffle, Kavanagh, who looked so laid back at times that I nearly dozed watching him, saw a low drive blocked by a forest of defensive legs, after tricky footwork by Kugbe-Dzisam. It remained only for the persistent Lemon to shove a centre from the right across the goalmouth, which lacked the presence of any of his team-mates and the gruelling match was halted with Coventry still two goals ahead, although to be fair, Spa really ought to have been on the scoresheet. The physical approach by Spa on that surface worked well but credit to United for attempting to pass the ball and keep possession, even though at times the ball rolled and bobbled, trundled and jerked across the mud, like moles were rearing their heads to deflect it slightly. Seeley led by example for Droitwich but Halsall got through a tremendous amount of work too, as did Smith, with the strike-pair often dangerous as well. Pierre Moudime’s dashes along the right for Coventry were curbed somewhat by the surface and the solid home defending, but as usual, Vallance looked so competent at left-back. 

Three points to United; they are still leading the league, but this had been a tough workout and it only remained for me to avoid the horror that was the M5, retuning home instead via Bromsgrove to the M42. Eggs and chips were on the menu…

It’s what I eat… 

Teams:

Droitwich Spa:  Matt Oliver, Besar Celat, Joe Mayo-Braiden; Mike Seeley (Capt), Liam Jauncey, James Halsall; Chris Higginson, Devon Smith, James Lemon, Macauley Finch, Ben Stanway.

Subs: Graeme Pardoe, James May, Colin Rudge.

Coventry United:  Jason Fox, Pierre Moudime, Ben Vallance; Chris Cox (Capt), Jamie Coleman, Kobe Ntim; Josh Blake, Sean Kavanagh, Dan Stokes, Rob Prinzel, Gift Mussa.

Subs: Dan Lucas, Gilbert Kugbe-Dzisam, Joe Connor.