PELSALL VILLA 0-3 COVENTRY UNITED: full match report by THE MOWDOG...

Hustler Williams Prompts Labouring Cagemen To Necessary Victory At The Bush…

Pelsall Villa 0-3 Coventry United

There was probably more excitement generated by the fact that Racing Club Warwick had denied Bromsgrove Sporting a couple of points in a 1-1 draw, than joy around the Coventry United dugout after a difficult, if dominant evening against Pelsall Villa. Substitutes Kai ‘Hustler’ Williams, Brian ‘The Messiah’ Ndlovu and Muzi ‘The Enlightenment’ Nduna had injected the necessary guile, pace and trickery to guide United over the finish line on Villa’s incline of a pitch, with its leaning goal-frames and isolated, abandoned collectables strewn about one of the most interesting non-league grounds in the West Midlands… I had listened again to the debut album of U.S. singer Marie Danielle on the journey to Pelsall, making the M42, the M6 and the 30mph speed limits around Walsall’s Arboretum bearable at such a busy, late evening driving time. The title is ‘Hustler’, which summed up Kai Williams’ style and the ten track titles are mentioned in the report below… A lack of width by Coventry on the left caused a few Pierre Moudime crosses to go unchallenged during the first-half, which was notable for Josh O’Grady’s falls, a number of inaccurate final passes by United and not very good shooting. Coventry’s ‘keeper and renowned comedian Dave Allen simply sat on a stool, smoked a fag and drank whiskey all evening, for he was totally untroubled. Matt Brown’s bobbling first-half strike had finally opened the scoring, a shot which was quite similar to the gossipy Jayden Rickhuss’ late effort but Williams, despite having two efforts disallowed, fired a hustling second goal to calm Coventry’s nerves at a vital time.

THE COIN IS TOSSED...

An early Moudime run and cross led to a catch by Keith Russell in the Villa goal, who then fumbled a low Brown centre behind for a right-wing corner, which Brown rose for, in front of scary Pelsall defender Ash Lawley, who reminded me of a gladiator, about to enter an arena, or a Soldier, but the United forward’s glancing header flew several metres past the far post. A Brown run led to an over-hit O’Grady delivery from the right, then another Moudime cross, well struck, again found no supporting colleague on the offensive left and home right-back Luke Holmes, who played a strong game for his team, shovelled the ball out for a left-side corner. Frustration was already creeping into Coventry’s performance, as a succession of deliveries were either dealt with by Pelsall’s overworked defence, or dropped into areas where there were no players wearing ghostly Coventry white.

JOSH O'GRADY, WOBBLING...

Moudime and O’Grady however soon contrived to lose possession and offer the hosts an attack. Allen turned his head, stubbed out a fag, sipped his whiskey and watched as Dale Rogers and Fraser Phillips moved forward on the right, only for the latter’s cross-cum-shot to drift way beyond the Coventry goal-frame. Chris Cox, the United skipper, nurturing a frown, shot low to Russell from 20 yards, then twisted in the air at the right post but was unable to get his head to a deep Rob Prinzel free-kick. Gift Mussa, again enduring mixed fortunes on the night, along with Prinzel, took a feed from O’Grady but his 20 yard shot appeared to lack conviction and veered past the right upright. When a Prinzel shot was blocked, Coventry won a right-side corner but even though Russell’s glove batted the ball on, no Cageman was able to react and fasten onto the loose ball, which was smashed clear by Villa.

The lack of width on the Coventry left was striking at times and by the 35th minute, frustration was turning to vexation and anguish, with the team drifting like Slave Ships lost at sea. However, Captain Cox steered a course forward, knocked the ball towards Brown, 18 yards out and he swung a right boot, connecting with a bobbled shot, which beat the scrambling Russell to his right and rolled into the left corner of the net. Finally, finally, The Cagemen had growled ahead.

0-1...

BROWN HAS SCORED FOR COVENTRY...

Russell got barely a finger to another O’Grady corner from the right, then Prinzel’s left-side flag-kick saw Russell drop like an over-ripe apple from a Granny Smith tree, as Brown lurked and Cox (not the apple) nodded the ball into goal off the far post. The referee however awarded Pelsall a free-kick. Looked harsh to me though… When Russell raced left to sort out O’Grady outside the penalty-box, he appeared to baulk the shuffling forward but the officials were unimpressed, then when O’Grady moved onto Brown’s flick, Russell saved well at his feet and in the scuffle which ensued, O’Grady was pushed over. Again the referee was unimpressed. True, O’Grady fell too easily, but rather like Russell had on his goal-line earlier…

ASH LAWLEY: TERRIFIED ME, ANYWAY...

Bad challenges by home midfielders Danny Worrall and Craig Timmins brought only a word or two from the official, another Moudime cross, well executed, fell into the left side of the 18 yard box, where no Cagemen hovered again and O’Grady was pulled by the shoulder slightly by Lawley inside the penalty-box. The contact was minimal, O’Grady felt it, was unable to shoot and so fell over. He was cautioned. Just reporting the facts. Maybe the White Shoes need changing by ‘The Shuffler’ to gain more grip with a pair of replacement boots…

LOVELY SKY...

Pleasingly, an end was signalled to a thoroughly unsatisfactory opening period, whereby Holmes, Lawley, strong home skipper Michael Murray and left-back Ben Storey had remained firm and Coventry hadn’t mustered the speed in attack to threaten, as demonstrated by the odd wing-sprint from right-back ‘Smiler’ Moudime. Worrall didn’t reappear for the Reds after the interval and he was replaced by Adam Johnson…

Oddly, the hosts swung in an early second period centre, which was well struck by Holmes and Kieran Noorani surprisingly beat the taller Moudime to the jump but headed well off target. Allen placed his tot of whiskey onto the grass, stubbed out another fag and yawned, as he took a goal-kick. Coventry responded with a right-side centre, which led to another O’Grady cross from the right and Prinzel rose superbly, only to see his header turned onto the crossbar by the desperate Russell and Prinzel held his Dreary Head in discontentment. As Coventry proceeded to waste corners, O’Grady drove a shot too high, Cox won possession but sliced his shot off target, before Prinzel, still aggravated, was even more so when substituted by Kai Williams, claiming that he really didn’t need a rest at all.

O'GRADY & HOLMES REHEARSE FOR THEIR PARTS IN THE COVENTRY PANTOMIME, 2016, AS THE HORSE...

Lawley whacked away a Moudime cross like he was disposing of an annoying hyena, Brown had a shot blocked, Cox headed gently wide of the far stick from a left-flank corner by O’Grady but then even Williams couldn’t find the target when a deft O’Grady flick sent him running into the left side of the penalty-area and his rising drive missed the target. Mussa passed to O’Grady in the inside-left channel, who benefited when Holmes fell over (how ironic…) but Russell beat the near post shot aside for another flag-kick, which in turn brought the much-awaited, much-needed and much-vaunted second goal. O’Grady’s delivery was won over the top of Lawley by the spider-like leap of Cox, Williams hustled onto the ball in the 6 yard box, back to goal, Russell confronted him but the striker turned in a flash and belted the ball into the roof of the net.

BOOGIE FOR WILLIAMS...

0-2 TO COVENTRY...

RELIEF IS DISPLAYED...

Twice, Williams’ pace sent him clear to score goals, one high into the top left-hand corner and one low, but both times the referee failed to offer an advantage to the substitute and awarded free-kicks to Coventry. O’Grady and then Williams clipped their free-kick shots too high. Worrall at last had received a booking for the second hack on Williams but soon, Moudime fastened onto Brown’s pass and cut across the penalty-box but his left-foot shot was crowded out by Pelsall’s defenders. O’Grady was replaced by Brian ‘The Messiah’ Ndlovu, before Mussa’s battling and dispossession led to a low, weak shot well wide of Allen’s goal by Noorani, which saw the United ‘keeper refill his glass, light another fag and reposition himself upon his stool.

GIFT MUSSA ON THE HUNT...

WILLIAMS ON THE RUN...

Cox was replaced by Muzi ‘The Enlightenment’ Nduna and suddenly, like a breath of fresh air in a stale room, Coventry began to look slick against a tiring Villa team. Nduna’s footwork was clever and enlightening, Williams’ speed was raw and wrecking, whilst Ndlovu’s nuisance was keen and refreshing. Smart play by The Cagemen, involving Nduna, Brown and Mussa led to a speculative long, low drive by Rickhuss, which bounced past Russell’s abject dive into the left side of the net and United were 0-3 ahead. 

JAYDEN IS SO SHOCKED TO SCORE THAT HE CAN BARELY SPEAK...

WORDS HAVE FAILED HIM...

OK, MAYBE NOT...

THE MESSIAH GRACES US WITH HIS PRESENCE...

The limping Johnson, who hadn’t lasted long, was replaced by Sean Grice and Rogers was replaced by Josh McFarlane, as Villa struggled, then fine skills by Nduna saw him tripped 19 yards out by Storey, who had escaped a yellow card twice already but not this time and Jamie Coleman lined up the free-kick, unfortunately slamming a rising shot to disturb squirrels near the top of a nearby tree. Russell beat Ndlovu to Nduna’s pass, following more fine footwork by ‘The Enlightenment’, Murray did well to tackle the running Williams, who then fed Ndlovu, whose angled effort rolled across the 6 yard box, disappointingly. A late Coleman shot off target ended the game and Callum Burgess, Coleman and Martin Hutchcox can’t have enjoyed a less demanding evening in defence all season, surely… 

GODS! BRIAN LOOKS LIKE A FOOTBALLER...

PARTNERS IN CRIME: COX & O'GRADY...

THE GIFTED MUZI NDUNA WEARS 15, WHICH IS ONE MORE THAN GIFT MUSSA'S AGE...

BRIAN BLESSES THE OPPOSITION...

THE ENLIGHTENMENT...

Pelsall worked so hard, were unhappy that Cox’s leap at goal two wasn’t signalled as a foul but in truth, Villa were well beaten and really ought to have been numerically more heavily defeated. Tired limbs for United certainly but I guess the players are relishing this run-in, wanting to be there in every game and now that Bromsgrove have dropped a couple of points, the end is in sight for a team which has its destiny in its own boots… The players are not One Night Stands, for Tinseltown awaits them and All Roads Lead Home for them now, with three games at Sphinx to negotiate, where their fans will be urging the players to have Fun With Us…

One thing though, for his commitment, despite being on the bench a great deal this season, Brian Ndlovu, ‘The Messiah’, maybe deserves a mention… He is, I have to say, despite being unrelated to me, One Of My Kind…

And Dave Allen brushed ash from his suit, held another fag between yellowing fingers and swigged his tot… 

It is, after all, what the comedian Dave Allen, used to do…

TEAMS:

PELSALL VILLA:

Keith Russell, Luke Holmes, Ben Storey, Michael Murray (Capt), Ash Lawley, Danny Worrall, Kieran Noorani, Craig Timmins, Spencer Blackman, Dale Rogers, Fraser Phillips.

SUBS:

Sean Grice, Josh McFarlane, Adam Johnson.

COVENTRY UNITED:

Dave Allen, Pierre Moudime, Jayden Rickhuss, Martin Hutchcox, Callum Burgess, Jamie Coleman, Rob Prinzel, Chris Cox (Capt), Matt Brown, Josh O’Grady, Gift Mussa.

SUBS:

Wendel Moyo, Kai Williams, Muzi Nduna, Tommy Glasscoe, Brian Ndlovu.