FC GLADES SPORTING 0-6 COVENTRY UNITED: match report by THE MOWDOG...

Weakened Glades No Match For Rampant Coventry…

FC Flades Sporting 0-6 Coventry United

The Belted Galloways from Lady Lane take their kids to the match...

It was plainly obvious that Glades had cobbled a team together at the last minute to face champions United, even fielding at least one player carrying an injury. Coventry had done well to get as many players to Earlswood as they did, due to the poor traffic conditions around the Midland motorways. Three simple early goals, stemming from some errant defending, were snapped up by the guests and two more by Leon Kelly, looking every inch the Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, minus the metal bucket helmet, being denied by a rotund linesman, who Kelly thought didn’t like him. I gave up filming Kelly after the break, so he then decided to score a fine goal, which DID stand… Sorry, mate, but after two offside attempts, what did you expect? The hosts had been gifted a strange penalty during the first-half, one of their only two shots at Coventry ‘keeper Jason Fox during the opening 45 minutes and even the spot-kick hit the underside of the crossbar. The errant spot-kicker and skipper, Andy Struthers then deflected a long Rob Prinzel free-kick into his own net, before Dan Stokes completed his hat-trick with a smart header. Substitute Jayden Rickhuss somehow failed to find the net at all and was so annoyed about one effort, that he even stopped Stokes’ rebound from going in too, from an offside position. Fox denied Anton Nunes a consolation goal and Michael’s free-kick dropped too high, but apart from those two attacks, an improved Glades second-half performance won them only pride. 

The toss...

Coventry threaten again with Stokes...

Bumbling home defending allowed Coventry skipper Chris Cox, impressing at right-back and following the award of a memento to savour his 50th United appearance, to push a near post cross towards Stokes but the ball edged past the upright. Strange Glades defending, with the ball cannoning about oddly, offered Josh O’Grady a chance to attack on the left and his footwork was too good, his low centre evading goalie Steve Cullen and Stokes rapped an easy finish high into the Glades net at the far stick. 

Ned Kelly asks goalscorer Stokes if he has a metal bucket he could use as a helmet...

Neat O’Grady and Stokes work won a corner on the left, which beat Cullen but found the head of Cox, yet in the chaos which followed, Stokes, O’Grady and Kelly couldn’t find a way to goal. Cullen fell left to grab a low Rob Prinzel free-kick as United dominated the game, then Kelly went on dribble-about, like he was on a slalom run, only for his low shot to be spilled left by Cullen, which allowed Stokes to walk in goal two.

Rob Prinzel is about to take a free-kick, or perhaps model as a Subbuteo player...

0-2: Stokes again...

Decent approach play by the strongly built Prinzel led to more defensive errors by Glades and Gift Mussa benefited, only to fire an angled effort from the right past the far upright. O’Grady then made a thrilling right-wing run, defenders must have guessed he would cut inside but he didn’t and simply coasted to the byeline, moved along it and nudged a near post pass to Kelly, lurking at the near post and it was 0-3 with no fuss at all. 

Ned Kelly, the bushranger, hides after scoring...

Stokes is really annoyed that Glades have entered the Coventry half...

Then, after barely getting within 40 yards of the Coventry goal thus far, Glades won a right-flank corner, which was cleared towards the 18 yard line; the keen, solid Scott Handley watched the ball drop, O’Grady hung out a limp leg and the referee appeared to award a free-kick, which surely should have been indirect at worst. Then the referee walked to his linesman, who had signalled nothing, but between them, they gave Glades a penalty. Strutters strode strappingly forth and smacked his spot-kick against the underside of the crossbar and Fox leapt to catch the rebound to complete what was probably some kind of justice. There appeared tough justice for Ned Kelly, however, as he fastened onto a decent pass at inside-left and beat the rooted Cullen with a clever lob, only to have the strike ruled out for offside. Cox and Stokes then combined to sent Ned scampering to the right byeline, only for his short low pass to be bundled past the near post by the alert Stokes.

Aerial action, I guess...

Fox then fielded a hopeful long shot by Struthers, following a rare excursion towards the car-park end by the often, if understandably, disorganised Glades. Gilbert Kugbe-Dzisam had been quiet for United but he finally affected the game with a run on the left, again panic set in as Glades defended, Stokes hovered but Vallance sent a cross too far from the left byeline. Ned the Neat dribbled daintily again but Cullen saved his weak shot, although team-mates were well positioned for a pass, then Mussa fought for the ball but after cutting inside from the left, Gilbert drove a cross-shot wide of the far angle of bar and post. Ned Kelly and Prinzel exchanged passes and the big Australian bushranger shot a low effort just inside the right post, only for the jolly linesman’s flag to wreck his celebration and the anguished Ned looked at me as if he was being victimised by the men in black. I was wearing a grey woollen hoodie, so he smiled my way. Thankfully…

Edwin writes a postcard home...

Cullen’s poor kick and Nunes’ poor clearance set up Gilbert for a shot but it was weak to the goalie and again, team-mates looked on, unmarked, in frustration. Half-time arrived, the breeze had urged dark clouds away and the sun made a late, welcome appearance, as did Pierre Moudime, as the replacement for the relaxing Cox. A fine right-side run by O’Grady led to Kelly feeding Vallance for another byeline centre, which drifted too far again, after O’Grady’s previous wing sortie had ended with a wayward delivery. Another O’Grady centre from the right, curling towards goal dangerously, was brilliantly headed away by the falling Matt Parker, before Prinzel suddenly took possession at inside-left, in a flash fed Ned, surprisingly onside at inside-right and his rising shot beat the advancing Cullen all the way. Beat me too, for I didn’t even get chance to press the ’Record’ button on my camera. I now fear retribution from his bucket-helmeted gang…

A rare image of the non-helmeted Ned Kelly... 0-4.

Sean Kavanagh replaced Gilbert for Coventry, Jayden Rickhuss replaced Ned, who rejoined his gang of bushrangers in the dugout and Sporting Campbell Thomas replaced namesake Martin. Prinzel duly lined up a 35 yard free-kick at this point and hammered it, as he is wont to do, the ball bounced off the incredibly unfortunate Struthers’ head and beat Cullen to add a fifth goal to United’s total. The gesticulating Prinzel claimed the goal, despite some wag testifying that it took about three deflections before entering the net. Your goal, Rob…

Prinzel dances back to the half-way line, acclaiming his goal...
0-5...

Vallance reached the left byeline as a swarming attack by Coventry terrified Glades but as the left-back angled his cross BACKWARDS, a flag went up for, er, offside… Rickhuss saw a shot well beaten away by Cullen and Kavanagh was denied the rebound by a last gasp defensive tackle, before Prinzel drove a 28 yard effort well over the crossbar. Fox was called upon to beat down a Nunes shot, coming off his goal-line, testament to his concentration, as so much of the game had been played between United’s own half of the centre-circle and the Glades goal. Stokes made clever ground to the left byeline and threaded a low shot almost along the goal-line and two more shots were charged down, one by Moudime. More strong attacking by the guests led to a left-side centre by Vallance, which this time was perfect for Stokes to leap for, then head into the right side of the net, celebrate a hat-trick and a 0-6 lead.

Offensive United, again...

Stokes has his hat-trick and a colleague is so emotional, he weeps...

A free-kick from the right by Michael, who really does strike a ball well, dropped over Fox’s crossbar, before Rickhuss took centre-stage in the closing minutes. First he leapt to head a centre onto the crossbar and somehow contrived to stand in an offside position as well as block Stokes’ rebound, on-target shot, before receiving a fine pass across the goalmouth from the unselfish Kavanagh, but with time, space and a gaping goal to shoot at, I guess the uneven ground beat him and he bobbled his effort badly off target. A fine late move by the visitors ended with Stokes attempting a Rabona from near the left byeline, Cullen took it over the byeline at his near post but the officials awarded a goal-kick. The move had begun with some typically brutish defending by Gift Mussa, Stokes had fed O’Grady but watch the video folks, for the uneven surface tries to dispossess the bearded one, as well as a defender. Neither was successful. And then we all went home.

Jayden Rickhuss: no luck...

Last home game for Coventry United at The Cage on Saturday but more importantly, well done to the Glades officials for getting a team together at all…  I heard ‘keeper Cullen say after one of the second period goals: “Anyone wanna swop?” 

Earlswood sunset...

It was one of those nights…