BARNT GREEN SPARTAK 1-3 ALVIS SPORTING: full match report by THE MOWDOG...

Scurrying Spartak Slump To Toiling Tankmen…

Barnt Green Spartak 1-3 Alvis Sporting

On goal chances alone, Alvis should have won this game more comfortably and certainly deserved to win it on a beautiful evening in Tythe Barn Lane, until the temperature dropped later and we all wrapped our coats around us. Home ‘keeper Raggy Ali made a trio of vital saves to deny Tommi Maguire, Aaron Cooke and the dangerous Ben Cranage but home defender Anton Nunes’ contribution was even more effective, clearing headers by Cranage and Rickie Cutting from his goal-line, then deflecting another Cranage shot from in front of his goal after the interval. And yet the game was tough to assess, for Spartak contributed on offense too and Alvis’ ‘keeper Ash Hooker made fine saves from BGS skipper Marcus Malcolm and then from a deflection by his own skipper Michael Quirke, whilst Ash Day hacked a Benet Parchment effort from his goal-line. Malcolm was elusive and tough to mark, popping up in a variety of attacking places and often confusing the Alvis defence which was pulled about quite a bit at times. All the goals arrived before half-time but try as they did, a depleted Spartak were unable to reduce the arrears further, although Sporting were unable to add to their tally from a number of good opportunities.

THE BODGING MEETS GOALKEEPING LEGEND RAGGY ALI...

DESPITE THE FACT THAT TOMMI MAGUIRE HAS ENTERED, UNSEEN, INTO THE TOSS IMAGE, I MUST INSIST THAT WE ARE NOT, IN FACT, RELATED...

An early Dean Kimberlin pass was just too hard for Cutting but soon, Cranage crossed right-footed from the left flank and the ball soared over the scrambling Ali’s head to drop just inside the far post and Alvis had the early lead they would have hoped for.

TOMMI MAGUIRE HAS A GRIPE...

BEN CRANAGE'S CROSS-CUM-SHOT HAS OPENED THE SCORING &...

...ALVIS LEAD 0-1...

The hard-tackling, hard-heading Ivan ‘The Terrible’ Smith, defending strongly for BGS, covered a Dildale Linton run on the left very successfully, even wining a goal-kick but soon, Nukinder Uppal threatened at the right post, as Spartak began to move the ball more quickly, with Malcolm prominent. Parchment’s effort was palmed away by Hooker and the striker’s rebound shot was calmly cleared from the goal-line by Day, as Alvis became a little dishevelled at the back but after Paul Bonar’s pass was just too hard for Uppal, Alvis won a corner on the right-flank. Kim Galdins made the run, Maguire’s delivery was right onto his head and the ball flashed over the arching Ali into the roof of the net from 6 yards.

FROGGATT & McGRATH BATTLE IT OUT...

0-2 & SCORER GALDINS THANKS ASSISTANT MAGUIRE...

THE BEARDED ONE STRIKES AGAIN...

Home defender Ryan Froggatt covered Cutting well on two occasions, preventing breaks onto quickly played passes from midfield and with Linton’s runs causing Smith problems, it seemed only a matter of time before goal three was scored. However, it was Malcolm who soon drove in a snatched shot for the hosts, which was well wide. Ali punched away a Maguire corner, Cutting mis-controlled the ball, following a fine Linton flick-on then Linton himself moved past the challenging Smith, into the left side of the penalty-box, only to poke a right-booter wide of the near post, when most people present looked at their own left feet, wondering why Linton hadn’t used his…

LINTON SHIELDING THE BALL...

Malcolm then went really close for BGS following a decent pass by Nunes, the striker battling past Quirke into a shooting position with quick feet at inside-right, then swivelling inside and firing a low left-footer, which Hooker did well to turn away with a flailing left boot. Stefen McGrath made a rush forward for Alvis, Kimberlin got inside the 18 yard box but Maguire sliced his 16 yard shot wide, before Maguire’s 23 yard free-kick deflected off the defensive wall for Ali to collect. Maguire, who endured a tough tussle with Craig Vale, was then unhappy at Linton’s left-side cross, which drifted way too far, before the excellent Nunes enjoyed his moment of fame. A Maguire free-kick from the left was Ali’s to deal with but he might have rued the fact that he chose to punch the ball under no direct pressure, for his gloves sent the ball onto Cutting’s head, 17 yards out and Nunes did ever so well to read the situation and rush across goal to head the goal bound effort away. The Maguire corner from the right was won by the impressive Cranage, near stick and the alert Nunes nodded the wide-man’s downward header away from the post. 

The action then reverted to the other end where Oli Statham’s pass, Malcolm’s header to Parchment and his clever lobbed pass for Malcolm to run onto led to the skipper’s lob from the right side of the penalty-box, which Quirke put his leg to, facing his own goal and Hooker had to leap like a defensive rebounder for the Atlanta Hawks to rap the ball away from beneath his crossbar, under pressure from Bonar. Spartak’s next attack brought danger near the right upright but Alvis scrambled the ball to safety, before a fine pass from Galdins saw Linton escape Smith’s close attentions, control the ball cleverly at 17 yards and volley the ball instantly, in an attempt to lob the advancing Ali but the ball dropped too late to enter goal.

Suddenly though, Kimberlin made a superb run to the left-byeline, his centre across the face of goal beat Ali and there was Cutting to chest the ball into the net almost apologetically. But 0-3 became 1-3 immediately, when another defence splitting  pass by Malcolm, who was proving a thorough nuisance to Alvis, saw Parchment’s deft touch free the eager Uppal and his finish was calm, measured and accurate into the bottom right corner of the net, past a well beaten Hooker. A well beaten Hooker? Hmm, sounds offensive, that…

A GOAL? OR ARE THEY AT A FUNERAL?

CUTTING TELLS GALDINS THAT HE SCORED WITH A NIPPLE...

1-3 NOW...

SMART FINISH BY UPPAL...

The interval reached, Sporting’s rested striker Shane Brassington chatted to me about football in general, the evening became much cooler and the visitors replaced Kimberlin with Cooke at the restart.

Cranage, his long legs rangy, his footwork and trickery evident, made a run towards goal from the left and only an intervention by a Nunes foot prevented his low shot affecting Ali, before the strength of Bonar offered himself a shooting chance at the opposite end, which he squandered, wide of the right upright. Suddenly, Quirke made a couple of sorties forward and the first of them included stumbles past two foul challenges at the edge of the penalty-box, neither of which was whistled by the referee, whose ‘advantage’ decision brought, er, no advantage… Cutting snatched at a shot from Day’s subsequent pass but his shot was well wide of the right stick, then Alvis went close from a Maguire corner on the right-flank.

MALCOLM: A PAIN ALL EVENING...

Galdins won the ball aerially at the far post, Cooke’s left-foot drive struck Cranage’s interfering buttocks and the rebound by Cooke from 10 yards was tipped over his crossbar by the leaping Ali. In a purple patch for the guests, another strong Cranage run from the left saw him bear down on goal from an angle, play a neat one-two with Linton but his low drive was well deflected by the slithering Ali for another corner on the right. Cranage’s header from Maguire’s ensuing flag-kick was well off target though. Hard running by Malcolm won possession on the BGS left but his near post shot was disappointing, the industrious Jahziah Campbell was replaced by Ashan Thomas, who also worked hard for Spartak, then Charlie Cook replaced Cutting for the visitors, although the ex-Cageman was unable to affect the proceedings.

THOMAS & MAGUIRE: ODD THAT...

Ali dropped on the ball when Maguire threatened at the right upright then when Smith misjudged a header, Maguire scampered through the middle with only Ali to beat but the ‘keeper saved with gymnastic skill to deny the frowning Maguire, to whom I’m not related… Maguire set up Galdins, quieter by this time but Ali caught the midfielder’s 25 yard shot under his crossbar, before a low shot by Bonar for BGS was misfielded by Hooker past his left upright, like he was ushering a lost lamb into a sheep pen. Linton was replaced by Reece Snape for Alvis, bringing a little touch of Harry Potter to the proceedings, Bonar’s wasted free-kick bounced to Hooker for an easy collection and after Cranage’s drive flew well off target, Malcolm did the same for Spartak as the game ended.

Malcolm, wearing that orange colour, was as unpredictable and dangerous as a predatory tiger, but Alvis maybe looked the more complete team, as expected, for BGS were struggling for players on the night. However, Spartak fought so hard, with Nunes, Smith, Froggatt and Bonar really strong throughout, they did their manager proud and might have scored on a number of occasions. Alvis missed more chances however and netted three times on their march towards the league title, thoroughly deserving this victory and they now move onto the next game in a gruelling end to the season. BGS have a number of games remaining too but once again I left Tythe Barn Lane in the knowledge that the Spartak staff and players were so decent and welcoming… 

Thanks for that…

TEAMS:

BARNT GREEN SPARTAK:

Raggy Ali, Anton Nunes, Craig Vale, Paul Bonar, Ivan Smith, Ryan Froggatt, Marcus Malcolm (Capt), Jahziah Campbell, Nukinder Uppal, Benet Parchment, Oli Statham. 

SUB:

Ashan Thomas.

ALVIS SPORTING:

Ash Hooker, Stefen McGrath, Oli Basham, Michael Quirke (Capt), Ash Day, Dean Kimberlin, Tommi Maguire, Kiam Galdins, Dildale Linton, Rickie Cutting, Ben Cranage.

SUBS:

Charlie Cook, Aaron Cooke, Shane Brassington, Reece Snape, Sam Murphy.