WANTAGE TOWN 4-2 HANWORTH VILLA: FULL, LIGHT-HEARTED MATCH REPORT...

Alfredians Topple Villains As Natural Order Is Retained

Wantage Town 4-2 Hanworth Villa

The diversion via Letcombe Regis to reach Alfredian Park, despite the superb views, was a total pain for someone unfamiliar with Wantage, yet I ended up at the ground in time to realise that my umbrella would not be needed in the showery, windy weather because of the ample shelter there. I was pleased about that. I also realised that the stadium was a really short distance from the other side of the road works, however. I grumbled about that… I took my place alone on a quiet terrace but immediately prior to the kick-off of this FA Cup Preliminary Round tie, the Hanworth Villa fans peopled the same area, to create a real, if often surreal atmosphere. Marilyn Monroe was there too, wearing a Hanworth shirt, the cut-out figure of her looking as wooden as some of her acting. The noise was often raucous and the Town supporters must have wondered what had hit them, as humour, Vaudeville and verbal abuse spewed in volumes from beneath the grandstand roof, fuelled by infusions of alcohol and tobacco… No vaping here, my good fellows…   

LOOKS LIKE A LINO HAS SPOTTED A HERON...

KICK-OFFS LOOK LIKE WARM-UP SEQUENCES THESE DAYS...

The hosts, playing against the wind and infrequent showers led 2-0, by the half-hour, both goals stemming from the left-flank but Villa managed a goal-back before the break, also originating from their left-flank. Home skipper Mark Francis was always prominent though and with the introduction of replacement Harvey Scholes at the interval, the hosts looked more dangerous on offense, with the elements in their favour. Scholes netted early in the second period from a left-side attack and although busy Villa striker Levi King, surely mistakenly, headed home a RIGHT-side centre by the impressive Steve Loveridge, Wantage central defender Stuart Cattell returned matters to normality and correctness by heading home his second goal from a LEFT-side corner and settling the tie. The referee was Mr Kornasiewicz, one linesman was Mr Christodolou, Wantage fielded a Kalakoutis and a Gunaratnam-Bailey, whilst Hanworth included a Milborrow, a Muldowney and a Queensborough, but why was the visiting ‘keeper playing for Hanworth at all? Villa are a Combined Counties League team, so why isn’t Hadley Witney playing for Hartley Wintney? Surely that would make sense, as well as being SO cool?   

A DEN OF VILLAINS...

HADLEY WITNEY, NOT OF HARTLEY WINTNEY...

Certainly the guests gave a decent account of themselves, having won two and drawn one of their first three league games but when push came to shove, the hosts just seemed to possess a little more finesse, as they should have done, due to playing in a league above the Villains. Indeed, with the blustery wind behind them, Villa mustered a couple of early efforts by Cyril Ocansey, who promised a little before the break, but was rarely evident post-half-time. He beat the outrushing home goalie Eddie Cavanagh to a pass at inside-right but lifted his effort past the goal-fame as the two collided, then curled an effort from inside-left off target. Striker Andrew Juett went closer however but when he fell to scoop a shot too high, an offside flag had been raised anyway, to penalise his server, skipper Adam Baigent. Then a header back across goal by Levi King, following a fine centre by Loveridge, saw Juett head upwards and over the crossbar from three yards, albeit under pressure. 

NOT SUCH A NICE ONE, CYRIL...

DILLOWAY GETS AWAY...

By this time however, Villa had conceded twice, had lost left-sided attacker Joe Johnson to injury, who had been replaced by Jermaine Queensborough and they had been stung by Town’s clinical finishing. Motivator Francis’ left-side free-kick was nodded easily past Witney towards the near post by Stuart Cattell, with Junior Wright left helplessly trying to defend both Cattell and Nick Kalakoutis. Then Francis had slipped Tom Butler to the left byeline, from whence his low feed across the goalmouth to the far post had been shot by Todd Hathaway into the opposite corner of the net, with three Villa players marking, er, nobody.

1-0: CATTELL...

2-0: HATHAWAY...

Hanworth, bellowed on by their rowdy fans, responded though and when Cattell sliced a dangerous centre away for a corner to the guests, Loveridge’s left-flank flag-kick was missed by Cavanagh and headed downwards by the soaring Baigent, so that the ball bounced up into the roof of the gaping Wantage net.

2-1 NOW...

BAIGENT THE SCORER...

The visitors were unable to capitalise upon the goal however and first George Gould missed the target from distance and then from Loveridge’s free-kick, Baigent’s header was well cleared by Town’s Ryan Elliot. Maybe too little had been achieved by the guests with the wind and showers at their backs but the hosts had often impressed with the fluent control of Francis and the midfield scurrying of Jared Jones. Certainly Villa’s Loveridge, by now pushed into midfield from right-back and also some neat distribution by Jack Buckle, who would not buckle under pressure from home markers, had given the underdogs some real hope but the introduction of Town’s Scholes for Hathaway at the break would soon be Hanworth’s undoing.

SALSA...

NOT SALSA...

The bar visit at the interval saw Marilyn Monroe reappear with her chaperone in fine voice once again, albeit wielding a small, white plastic eating knife, which he asked me to picture him with. I thought that a less injurious option than being prodded with it and thus obliged, which led to the fellow’s voice reaching John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival proportions, belting out songs like ‘Born On the Bayou’, or ‘Green River’… At one point, he stalked sideways in five metre shuttles, yelling: “’It ‘im on the ‘ead wiv a plastic knife…” This reminded me of Gene Simmons performing the song ‘Firestarter’…

3-LEGGED RACE...

Scholes immediately looked busy and confident for Wantage, Baigent nodded a dangerous Town free-kick clear but soon, Butler fed Francis, who shuffled to the left byeline, passed inside for Scholes, who nipped between Wright and Tom Dilloway and he slipped a neat shot inside the near upright to restore his team’s two-goal lead. The game deteriorated somewhat into niggles both on the terrace and on the pitch from then on and Cam McNeil and Butler of Wantage were cautioned, as well as Villa’s King. A couple of substitutions happened with Jake Johns replacing Nick Kalakoutis for the hosts and Luke Muldowney replacing the other number 6, Junior Wright, for the guests. Butler missed a fine opportunity to settle the tie, after being set up by Scholes’ unselfish pass but after cutting inside a defender, he sent his left-booter past the right stick. He received his booking not long after that…

3-1 NOW...

SCHOLES THE SCORER...

Villa had produced a shot wide of the left upright by Buckle, who was in on goal at inside-right and the miss had proved to be very costly, as Scholes netted almost straight away but a while later, a fine cross from the right by the ever-impressing Loveridge, who had done well to keep the ball in, was expertly glanced past Cavanagh by the head of King, who had got between James Glover and the effective left-back McNeil. 3-2 and game was definitely on again, but after Juett skied a shot, the hosts struck another Alfredian sword blow, when a fine left-wing corner by Francis again was met at the near post, yet again, by Cattell, who beat Buckle to the jump and the ball nestled in the Villa net, once again… There were no defenders covering the uprights either, despite the fact that the wind was aiding the in-swinging set-piece. This time though, Francis turned quite pleasantly and understandably to the vocal away choir and placed a simple finger upon his slightly smiling lips. No more needed to be said…

VILLA STRIKE...

3-2 NOW...

KING SCORES AT THE ALFREDIAN...
HMM... IRONIC.

CATTELL HAS NETTED AGAIN...

"QUIET, YOU VILLAINS..."

A LITTLE JOY...

...& 4-2...

The Firestarter-Plastic-knifewielder-MarilynMonroe-hefting Hanworth fan repeated his need to get Wantage “…back to The Ranch…”, but all his team could manage, after a Scholes shot was caught by Witney, was a weak shot from the strangely redundant Ocansey and a late shot at goal, which struck Buckle and rolled fortuitously to Cavanagh, despite lots of effort from the Villains. Glover and Cattell looked safe in defence for the most part for the home team, Francis was their engine and innovator and Kai Robinson worked hard in midfield alongside Jones. Loveridge, King and Buckle were probably the pick of the Villains, along with towering central defender and goalscorer Baigent.

SCHOLES: LIVELY...

“Right…” said the Freds, “…on to the next round…”  

FRANCIS: THE MAN BEHIND THE VICTORY...

I negotiated the detour through Letcombe Regis again and sought access to the M40, thinking that not only had the ever so religious and careful King Alfred been born in Wantage, but so too had famous ITV soccer commentator Hugh Johns… And Alex McGregor on the Villa bench? Same name as one of my favourite all time Aldershot wingers… 

And I had these words stamped upon my consciousness: “‘It ‘im on the ‘ead wiv a plastic knife…” And kept repeating it…

PLASTIC KNIFEMAN: KEEP AWAY FROM GRAVEYARDS...

It’s what I do…

TEAMS:

WANTAGE TOWN:

EDDIE CAVANAGH, RYAN ELLIOT, CAM McNEIL, JAMES GLOVER, STUART CATTELL, NICK KALAKOUTIS, JARED JONES, KAI ROBINSON, TODD HATHAWAY, MARK FRANCIS (CAPT), TOM BUTLER.

SUBS:

JAKE JOHNS, HARVEY SCHOLES, ZAC GUNARATNAM—BAILEY, AARON FERRIS, BOYAN THORPE.

HANWORTH VILLA:

HADLEY WITNEY, STEVE LOVERIDGE, TOM DILLOWAY, GEORGE GOULD, ADAM BAIGENT (CAPT), JUNIOR WRIGHT, CYRIL OCANSEY, JACK BUCKLE, LEVI JING, ANDREW JUETT, JOE JOHNSON.

SUBS:

ASH THOMAS, DAN MILLBORROW, LUKE MULDOWNEY, JERMAINE QUEENSBOROUGH, ALEX McGREGOR, JORDAN WILLIS.  

"I WON'T McNEIL TO YOU..."

THE REF SHOWS A CARD & IT'S A KING...