AFC BINLEY 1-1 POLONIA COVENTRY FC: INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

Polonia Make Life Hard For Off Colour Binley

AFC Binley 1-1 Polonia Coventry FC

This turned out to be a strange evening at the John White Community Centre in Coventry, for the contest between Binley and Polonia was beset with awkwardness and communication problems from the very start. Polonia were playing their first ever fixture in the Coventry Alliance and their pleasant ‘secretary’ Karol was first seen grappling with the official team sheet and other documents customarily dealt out at this footballing level. All of the players were from Coventry’s Polish community and because the team sheet wasn’t completed until just prior to the kick-off, I decided to use the players’ numbers during my video clip commentaries, instead of attempting to write the names down and totally mispronounce them. 

LISEWSKI IS WATCHFUL...

The rather stern and often officious referee strode across to the pitch, some 150 metres or so from the changing-rooms and he quickly appointed a representative from each club to be linesmen. This can never be an ideal situation and indeed, the referee would overrule the Polish ‘assistant’ several times which increased the rather obvious tension out on the pitch. The referee then called the two team-captains to the middle of the pitch for the coin-toss but whether the Polish skipper Marcin Machowski failed to understand the instruction or in the heat of the pre-match chatter, failed to hear the official, he didn’t react to the calling. Maybe a stroll towards the Polonia sideline by the official would have avoided his three subsequent unfriendly sounding bellows for the skipper to approach but nevertheless the foundation had been laid for the visitors to feel somewhat alienated before the game had even begun.

THE LONG WALK.
DOESN'T DO TO BE SENT-OFF...

The situation worsened during the contest, causing frustration, angry responses and sometimes disbelief from the Polish lads, resulting in three of them being harshly cautioned during the proceedings: namely Machowski, Marcin Dziudziek and Michal Pietryka. Playing in the Poland national team’s colours, the guests were eager, speedy, enthusiastic and physical, being totally absorbed in the game and starting well enough to score a scrappy early goal. Their fast start had clearly surprised Binley, who in truth looked jaded from the outset, possibly due to having to play a match at 6pm following a day of hard work. Polonia, whose players had also probably worked all day, harassed AFC into mistakes but then displayed good anticipation, speed of thought and a tendency to make wing-rushes, usually orchestrated by their outstanding midfield playmaker Dawid Swierk, a guy who has previously played for Polish teams Rakow II and Legia II, according to Google.

LISEWSKI BITES INTO A GOAL-POST...

The early goal had stunned Binley and it took some time before they cranked themselves into any form at all but at least during the second period, driven on by midfielders Will Waddell and skipper Steven Young, more offense was seen from the hosts. Their eventual equaliser was hotly disputed by Polonia though, arguing that ‘keeper Marcin Lisewski had been fouled before Blake Kassar scrambled the ball into goal. The official also failed to award a possible penalty to Binley near the end of the opening half, when Young was hauled to the ground by defender Kuba Strzyzewski, with merely a free-kick just outside the penalty-box being awarded instead. A ‘proper’ linesman might just have been in line with the offence to advise the main official.

TEAM-BONDING...

A lively Polonia start, with forwards Kasjusz Piwowarczyk and Dawid Kieltyka looking dangerous, brought a first goal in English non-league football for Dominik Gliniecki. Swierk was involved, returning Piwowarczyk’s pass and lobbing him clear but the striker’s low drive was parried away by home goalie Jordan Campbell. Immediately a right-side centre by Kieltyka was headed out by Simon Lightowler, only for Gliniecki to shoot low through a crowd of players and beat Campbell, who was no doubt unsighted by colleague Andy Godfrey.

0-1...

FIRST EVER ALLIANCE GOAL FOR POLONIA...

...GLINIECKI THE SCORER...

Shocked, Binley found a response difficult as their opponents rushed at them time and again, not always successfully. Swierk drove a shot too high after Campbell’s kick away appeared to strike a defender, Dziudziek moved forward but shot past a post and after home forwards Kassar and Tyler Morgan were unable to connect, Piwowarczyk cut inside dangerously but shot weakly at Campbell. Kassar did well for AFC to slip a pass for Morgan to run onto but the forward hadn’t spotted the idea and Polonia cleared easily, then soon a couple of disputed free-kick decisions riled the guests. Both were awarded for challenges at the offensive inside-left channel, both were delivered by Waddell and both were punched away well by Lisewski.

LISEWSKI: NOT TOO MUCH TO DO OVERALL...

Still looking decidedly vulnerable in the middle of defence, Binley were pleased to see Swierk’s shot fly straight to Campbell and another by the schemer rise over the crossbar from an angle, before two corners caused AFC some real problems. Following the second flag-kick, two shots by Gliniecki were blocked, the second by a Polonia player as the home defence looked as tight as a loose end. Strzyzewski, whose long throws looked a decent weapon, then manhandled Young to the ground and from behind the goal it really seemed that the offence was committed inside the 18 yard box but I might have been mistaken. The free-kick was clipped in from the left corner of the penalty-box by Waddell and this time Lisewski punched the ball over his goal-frame.

BLAKE KASSAR: WORKED HARD BUT LACKED SUPPORT...

As the interval approached, Dziudziek cut inside and shot at Campbell, before Kassar for once found space inside the Polonia 18 yard box, following a pass by Kyle Metcalf but he drove a shot straight at Lisewski and finally, on another fast break at the opposite end, Piwowarczyk failed to pass to Gliniecki to his right and Binley gratefully cleared the ball to safety. 

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS...

A RUM JUMP BY MORGAN...

AWAITING A FREE-KICK BY WADDELL...

LISEWSKI HANDLES WELL...

GAWRONSKI TRIES TO COMMUNICATE...

Having enjoyed the benefit of both the cold breeze and the slope in their favour during the opening period, Polonia had probably recognised their need for a holding central striker and Lukasz Sliwakowski replaced the ailing Strzyzewski at the interval to fill that position. Lightowler defended a tricky Polonia attack well but after Machowski had received his booking for a foul on the sprightly Waddell, Godfrey clipped a disappointing 18 yard free-kick 3 yards wide of the right upright. Lisewski got two gloved fists to a deep free-kick by Aaron Laming but when a low right-side centre found Kassar at the near post, his miscue rolled miserably wide.

MORGAN (10): A QUIET GAME...

The equaliser was a messy affair, for when Godfrey’s right-wing centre arrived, Kassar leapt with Lisewski and on another day, a free-kick might have been given to the defending team but the official played on and as the ‘keeper dropped to try and grab the loose ball, defender Tomasz Gawronski fell on top of him and Kassar hacked the ball over the goal-line. A goal was given, despite the heated protests by the Polonia players which, given the rather robust and military bearing of the referee, wouldn’t have been well received.

MACHOWSKI IS CAUTIONED...

KASSAR (9) HAS EQUALISED FOR BINLEY...

Sliwakowski shot at Campbell, Piwowarczyk was replaced by Kamil Cwanek, Lightowler did really well to head a dangerous Polonia cross away and Sliwakowski was really annoyed with himself when he was freed on the left side of the penalty-area by Gliniecki but his right-foot shot was wasteful and in truth a left-footer had been necessary. Binley then made two substitutions: Prince Kanderiin for the hurt Waddell and Kris Bedder for the largely ineffective Morgan and straight away Bedder might have secured three points for his AFC team, nodding a difficult chance wide from an unchallenged position when Campbell’s long kick found him lurking. Midfielder Metcalf was then dispossessed three times within thirty seconds just outside his own penalty-box and this resulted in a verbal battle between himself and his ‘keeper Campbell, who wasn’t pleased at all, then the visitors finished strongly enough to have perhaps deserved a victory but the heroic interventions of Laming saved his team.

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS FOR DZIUDZIEK...

...& HE IS CAUTIONED...

SLIWAKOWSKI HAS MISSED A GOOD CHANCE FOR POLONIA...

First he deflected a Cwanek shot past a post, then from Kieltyka’s cross, Laming, with his arms firmly held behind him, managed to chest aside a flying volleyed effort by the impressive Swierk. In the dying moments Swierk lifted a fine free-kick over Binley’s defensive wall but Campbell reacted well to tip the ball over his crossbar for an unproductive corner, after which the game ended.     

Binley often looked disjointed and rarely were they able to offer Morgan and Kassar any useful service and indeed, several times the two forwards were spotted very close together. Young got stronger as the game wore on but Travis Smallwood and Metcalf were generally busier defending than being freed up to create offensive plays, meaning a great deal was expected of Waddell and Young. Laming and Ben Ryder certainly tightened up the home defence somewhat as the game wore on but Lightowler did well to make two or three important interceptions for his team. Binley did rather well to earn a point on the night.

Polonia were clearly so wound up for this game, perhaps too wound up on occasions but their speedy wingers, Piwowarczyk and especially Kieltyka were constant thorns in the home defence, with Dziudziek and Gliniecki providing the midfield ammunition. However, with Machowski commanding his troops and the excellent Swierk clever in midfield, this team will surely cause a few upsets in Division 3 this season… 

TEAMS:

AFC BINLEY:

JORDAN CAMPBELL, ANDY GODFREY, SIMON LIGHTOWLER, STEVEN YOUNG (CAPT), AARON LAMING, BEN RYDER, TRAVIS SMALLWOOD, WILL WADDELL, BLAKE KASSAR, TYLER MORGAN, KYLE METCALF.

SUBS:

PRINCE KANDERIIN, CURTIS SMALLWOOD, KRIS BEDDER.

POLONIA COVENTRY FC:

MARCIN LISEWSKI, TOMASZ GAWRONSKI, BLAZEJ MROZINSKI, MAREK DZIUDZIEK, DAWID SWIERK, DAWID KIELTYKA, MARCIN MACHOWSKI (CAPT), KASJUSZ PIWOWARCZYK, DOMINIK GLINIECKI, MICHAL PIETRYKA.

SUBS:

LUKASZ SLIWAKOWSKI, MICHAL OLEJNICZAK, MARCIN COMBLIK, KAMIL CWANEK, SZYMON TROJANOWSKI.