RACING CLUB WARWICK 1-3 COVENTRY UNITED: light-hearted but respectful report by THE MOWDOG...

Cagemen Toss Aside Pancake Pitch & Cook Up Three More Points…

Racing Club Warwick 1-3 Coventry United

I tucked away three pancakes before driving to Warwick for the game, which had surprisingly survived a 4pm pitch inspection, although the surface resembled a large rectangular frying pan, containing a soft pancake, making passing, running, turning and even long deliveries more difficult than usual for both teams. The tradition of using up eggs, milk and sugar before Lent and thus making pancakes was a good idea in the past: the French called it ‘Mardi Gras’ (fat Tuesday) and the Swiss called it ‘Güdisdienstag’ (from Güdel, meaning a fat stomach full of food, on a Tuesday) and they have pancake races there. Atherstone kick the shit out of each other in the Shrove Tuesday ‘Atherstone Ball Game’, also known as ‘mob football’. Hmm… 

The pancake is tossed...

So, as I gobbled my pancakes, I self-examined and repented, as Christians are supposed to do at this time, despite having lapsed any beliefs a long, long time ago: I decided that I didn’t like myself and then repented for considering Sphinx Drive dark. And then I saw the light… The light came in the form of United skipper Chris Cox, who ploughed the field and scattered his effect all over the place, assisting in goal one, netting goal three and generally stamping his authority on the rather mucky proceedings, especially when the Racers made a good fist of battling back in the second-half, due in no short measure to some lax Coventry play. Callum Burgess defended like he was some sort of enraged farming type, Josh O’Grady slithered and slunk like a python in a mud-bath and despite the best efforts of Racers’ Wade Malley and pivotal skipper Tom Reynolds, the hosts were deservedly beaten, with the Cagemen squandering a number of goal chances. Coventry ‘keeper Rich Morris dressed in the spirit of Shrove Tuesday, wearing lemon, which was surprisingly allowed by the officials, for Warwick wore dark yellow and thus Morris reappeared after the break wearing icing pink. Nice, Mozza, very nice…

Pancake with green food colouring...

Coventry listed the same players as last Tuesday’s line-up for the 10-0 victory v Copsewood, so was that a first for the club?

And so, after the pancake, sorry, COIN toss, tentative boots sank into giving turf and fair play to the guests, they did attempt a passing game, although to see a ball haphazardly rolling, bobbling and dodging unaided, with a life of its own towards you with a man about to challenge you from behind, wasn’t the experience skilled players had hoped for. My mind went back to Sutton Coldfield’s all weather pitch on Saturday… Any old how, a home defender missed an early, long, dug out delivery by Martin Hutchcox, which freed Matt Brown but he was unable to do more than miscue the ball behind the goal-frame, as Ross Briscoe lurked in the middle. He does that. Both teams then were awarded free-kicks; O’Grady shot into a crowd of legs, after a foul on Briscoe, then he was flattened by Tom Evans, his subsequent free-kick causing mayhem in the home penalty-area. Warwick, relieving the pressure, won their free-kick in the inside-left slot but Morris dropped forward to take an easy catch on the bounce.

O'Grady munching the pancake...

Scuffling over who tosses the next pancake...

Another Racers’ free-kick led to a header into the 6 yard box but the danger was snubbed out and soon the visitors had snatched a deserved lead. O’Grady and Cox combined neatly on the offensive right, Cox’s centre from the byeline dropped onto Brown’s head and the striker’s downward nod bounced up towards the top right corner of goal, leaving goalie Conal Dowling able only to help the ball into the net. 

0-1 & Matt Brown's header...

...the assist for Cox...

More pressure from the Cagemen arrived when Cox fed Brown and O’Grady benefited, only for his low drive to be blocked and Rich Blythe’s follow-up clipped pass to run too far. A fine turn at the edge of the 18 yard box by O’Grady led to a smacked shot across the face of goal, another long Cox pass sent Brown running but Dowling was off his goal-line quickly to reach the ball first and then O’Grady shimmied at inside-right but his low 17 yard drive rebounded away off the right upright. The second goal was imminent and Brown was again the instigator at inside-right, although it was O’Grady who burst onto the loose ball and curled a fine first-time right-footer into the left corner of the net, with Dowling leaping in vain.

O'Grady has scored: 0-2...

Gift Mussa, who was experiencing a quiet game by his standards, moving about tentatively, like I did when I was given my first pair of roller skates, was fouled by the terrier-like home midfielder Chris Hayden, who knew it was his last escape, although another wild tackle soon afterwards on Burgess, who so nearly retaliated, sealed Hayden’s fate and a yellow card was displayed to complement his shirt colour. The previous free-kick though, lofted forward by Burgess, was flicked on by Briscoe’s jump but the Racers’ Will Green hacked the ball to safety. An O’Grady corner from the right was met by the head of Warwick’s diving Ash Buswell, who deflected the ball goalwards, only for Dowling to block the ball as Brown hovered for the kill.

Warnings...

Neat play by Briscoe brought a trip and maybe a harsh caution for home right-back Connor Nowaczyk, especially as two worse challenges by colleagues had escaped the yellow peril moments before. The free-kick was clipped into the penalty-area, it took a deflection off Hayden’s skull straight onto Cox’s forehead but Dowling leapt well to tip the Coventry skipper’s instantaneous header over his crossbar. The resulting short corner saw O’Grady’s dangerous centre from the right flick Brown’s head and pass by the far upright. Ben Vallance’s nutmeg on an opponent and one-two with Cox ended with a misplaced pass, then United messed up a short corner routine and with half-time approaching, whether it was from a lack of concentration by The Cagemen or by an upturn in Warwick’s form, the hosts were offered two scoring chances, both falling to Green and both unaccepted.

The track-gear blends in with the dark...

First, an error by Burgess allowed useful striker Malley to make a move towards the left byeline; his low, bobbling centre evaded all but Green at the edge of the penalty-box, right-side and he was allowed to get in a left-foot shot, which curled against the outside of the left stick. Almost immediately, Malley fed Hayden, whose long pass found Green on the right again, although he was forced wider, yet still he drove in a first-time angled drive, which skimmed Morris’ crossbar. The half-time whistle sounded, Lots of people retreated to the clubhouse and I saw Brian ‘The Messiah’ Ndlovu warm up. Well, he walked about the pitch a bit in a woolly hat and his ‘Silent Witness’ clobber, before the second period began with Coventry’s players squealing near the centre-spot, like when a bunch of teenage girls do selfies of themselves in the playground…

Gift and Tricky trudge through the mire...

The squeals are about to begin...

A quick start and neat attack by The Cagemen ended when O’Grady’s pass failed to reach Brown at inside-left, Hayden was replaced by the hosts, with Adam Laight appearing but it was Coventry who essentially killed the game by netting a crucial third goal. Blythe, performing steadily in midfield and looking far more comfortable moving across the pancake than Mussa, passed for Brown to chase at inside-left, he beat Dowling to the ball, turned and crossed from the left byeline. Although Briscoe couldn’t get to the ball, his challenge caused a problem for the hosts, the ball bounced off Terence Morton and there was Cox to latch onto the rebound, sidestep Morton and Laight and then slap a left-footer low into the left corner of the net.

0-3 & Cox DESERVED that...

Burgess and Malley, then Cageman Tommy Glasscoe and home striker Elroy Junior Bennett looked less than pleased with each other, before a bad foul by Jamie Vadasz on O’Grady was not carded but with Coventry seemingly already content with much of their evening’s work, the Racers pulled back a goal. Slack play by Coventry allowed Malley to strike a low drive from inside-right, which struck the falling Morris’ feet but when Mussa blocked Green’s follow-up effort from 18 yards, the speed of Laight’s thought shuffled the ball to the unmarked Morton on his left and the winger shot low into the far corner of the net beyond Morris for a good finish.

Mozza: tickled pink...

O'Grady is STILL eating the stuff...

Morton has netted...

0-3 now...

The livelier Ash English replaced Junior Bennett, who had found Hutchcox and Burgess a tough pairing to penetrate all evening, but Cox went close again for United from O’Grady’s free-kick on the left, which Burgess flicked on, only for the skipper’s volley to rise over the left angle of bar and post, as Briscoe also attempted to swing a boot. Green was then cautioned for a foul, which incensed the Warwick coaches, for they had wanted to replace the winger moments before and of course the booking was all the referee’s fault for not allowing the change. Nothing to do with the fact that the player hadn’t actually needed to foul the opponent, I guess… Jake Brown would look useful as the replacement for Green, with some strong rushes.

The Messiah walks on pancakes...

Evans was cautioned, I believe, then O’Grady was again chopped to the ground by Vadasz, who was also cautioned, before Briscoe was replaced by the Muzi ‘Young Messiah’ Nduna for the visitors. O’Grady’s ‘Rabona’ actually found Glasscoe overlapping but his cross flew behind the goal-frame, then Brian ‘The Real Messiah’ Ndlovu appeared, not walking on water, merely on a pancake, which wouldn’t have impressed bible readers quite so much I reckon. Warwick’s final real chance was then missed, after a plucky run by English at inside-right, whose low pass was nudged goalwards by Laight, only for Morris to drop and get a touch on the ball and for the frowning Burgess to scramble it from his goal-line. With that chance, the Racers slowed and The Cagemen fastened their hatches, yet actually missed chances to add further goals themselves.

Pierre Moudime replaced Glasscoe for the guests, Mussa ran to the right byeline with all the force of the real Viking leader, Eric Bloodaxe but O’Grady’s clever pass towards the left post was cleared. Then Nduna raced onto Cox’s pass but his second touch wasn’t careful enough and Dowling was able to pounce upon the ball. Nduna then released Ndlovu but as he flicked his shot, the advancing Dowling smothered it. O’Grady’s smart footwork ended with a low shot just wide of the left upright, Ndlovu, free on the right might have lobbed the ‘keeper but he had tried to perform an assist instead and failed, then finally O’Grady was assisted by Dowling, unintentionally, but the tricky wide-man was unable to take the chance. Presented with the ball in the mire, 30 yards out, attempting to clip the ball past the retreating ‘keeper, O’Grady pulled his effort wide of the right upright. It remained only for Malley to fire weakly wide for Warwick and Coventry had won with something to spare.

Credit to Warwick for getting the game on, credit to the Racers for really having a go at The Cagemen, despite being two goals adrift and credit to Coventry for their sheer hard work in overcoming a determined opponent on a very soft pitch. Rich Morris was the lemon on his pancake, the result for United was the sugar on theirs but when I returned to my car, a ball had bounced off my windscreen, leaving a pancake-sized muddy ring. This spectacle took my mind off The Bodging, who should have been in my bag, but of course, when I joined the M40, placed a hand in my bag and realised he wasn’t there, I panicked… Fortunately I was able to call Coventry manager Edwin Greaves, who kindly walked back out across the pancake and located the badger, apparently still sitting on the red chair where he’d been photographed before the match. He’d seen the whole game from a seat in the grandstand… Unbelievable. 

The Bodging, after his rescue...

The Bodging went home with Edwin and I received a photo to prove this, also another today, demonstrating how warm and comfortable he was… Thanks, Edwin…

Safe and warm, holidaying in Coventry...

Self-examination? Yeah, I’m an old, careless Codger. I disrespect dark places too, I believe…

TEAMS:

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

Conal Dowling, Connor Nowaczyk, Jamie Vadasz, Chris Hayden, Tom Reynolds (Capt), Ash Buswell, Terence Morton, Tom Evans, Elroy Junior Bennett, Wade Malley, Will Green.

SUBS:

Jake Brown, Adam Laight, Cam Knight, Ash English, Frankie Baigent.

COVENTRY UNITED:

Rich Morris, Tommy Glasscoe, Ben Vallance, Rich Blythe, Martin Hutchcox, Callum Burgess, Josh O’Grady, Gift Mussa, Ross Briscoe, Matt Brown, Chris Cox (Capt).

SUBS:

Pierre Moudime, Kai Williams, Brian Ndlovu, Muzi Nduna, David Allen.