STUDLEY FC 1-1 RACING CLUB WARWICK: MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

Racers Fail To Take Late Chances At the Beehive

Studley 1-1 Racing Club Warwick

League leaders Studley were faced by a determined Warwick team, driven on by their vociferous skipper Martin Slevin but although the opening half of this encounter lacked any real goalmouth excitement, despite Racer Adam Knight shooting a clear one-on-one chance wide of the target, the second period rose to a kind of crescendo after both teams had managed to score once. Set-pieces by the Bees, wherein tall central defender Lewis Clarke was the aerial weapon, saw a couple of messy efforts scrambled from the Racing goal-line but the guests really did threaten in the latter stages and although neither outfit perhaps deserved to lose, Warwick will wonder how late chances which fell to Henry Leaver, Ryan Billington and substitute Dildale Linton in particular, didn’t find the net. An early injury to home skipper Danny Ludlow saw the introduction of the exciting left-back Shane Smith and he looked elusive for much of the contest. 

IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THIS GROUP OF FELLOWS ARE SWAPPING ARMS...

An early but inadvertent shot by Leaver was fielded under his crossbar by impressive home ’keeper Ryan Young but apart from a challenge by the combative Bee Luke Dugmore, which he was only warned about, the only real offense for the hosts was executed by a headed flick-on from Clarke which was then glanced further across the goalmouth by Racer Marc Passey’s skull and goalie Tom Cross was forced to shovel the looping ball over his crossbar. Much passing was attempted by the two teams, there was control and discipline too but precious little attacking creativity. Racer Louis Bridges, unfortunately described as ‘Louise’ in the match programme, was Warwick’s main threat however, forcing Young to fall left and save a soft shot following a headed clearance by Bee Matt Powell, then seeing his chipped centre spectacularly caught by the ‘keeper, before poking a low Adam Knight centre wide of the near stick. His final opportunity came after the rapid Knight got away at inside-right, outpaced the home defence but then dragged a low shot past the far upright. Billington’s left-side cross just prior to the break was chested wide of the near post by Bridges, who didn’t reappear after the break, probably because he was searching for the person who described him as ‘Louise’…  

DUGMORE LOOKS FOR SUPPORT FROM HIS COLLEAGUES.
HE FINDS NONE...

KNIGHT HAS MISSED...

...SO HAS BRIDGES...

Oli Manoochehri, who I saw play for Littleton a few times, alongside Joe Lolley and Jamie Clarke, replaced Bridges, who to be fair had taken a knock earlier in the match and indeed, the visitors caused some consternation for Young as the second-half began when Luke Church’s delivery from the right flank seared towards goal and the gloveman did well to twist, turn and tumble, flicking the ball away from danger in the process. Some pressure from the Bees, with willing striker Andy Nicol and tricky winger Aaron Westwood usually involved, led to a couple of set-pieces from the right-side. Clarke at the near post, then Chris Cowley, got in headers from the first delivery which led to Nicol nodding the ball goalwards from a few yards out but Jack Taylor scrambled the ball clear for the Racers. Soon, another header won by Clarke against the reliable Warwick defender Martin Hutchcox led to the ball dropping towards the grounded Cross but it seemed that Passey was the one who cleared the effort to safety on this occasion. Oddly, after lively Racer Jack Taylor was cautioned, the guests wrecked the hosts’ party somewhat by scoring…  

GOAL FOR THE RACERS...

The assist came from Church, divinely, who took a pass from left to right by Leaver, such a good name for a player who levers much of the Warwick midfield play, before passing the ball inside to Manoochehri and the busy forward rapped a straight, low shot from a central position 19 yards out past defender Powell and into the left corner of goal, leaving Young helpless.

POWELL HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT BY LEAVER, WHO IS TO HAVE A TRIAL AS A CORNERBACK WITH THE MIAMI DOLPHINS AS A RESULT OF THAT BLOCK...

Newly-wed Gareth Evans (no, not Gary Jones, as I described him in the recent win at Pershore…) replaced Cowley for Studley and the hosts looked more menacing, for after Manoochehri had miscued a right-side centre then Racer winger Liam Naven-Jones had headed a Bee cross clear for Oli Casey to strike low at goal from 20 yards, an effort saved easily to his left by Cross, Dugmore was substituted, Craig Oldfield was introduced and the Bees subsequently scored the equaliser. Nicol (strange, for my laptop just changed ‘Nicol’ to ‘Nicole’… What IS going on?) provided the assist, slipping the ball left for Evans to latch onto and his low 18 yard left-footer from the inside-left channel was well aimed into the bottom right corner of the net.

1-1...

MARRIAGE MUST SUIT NUMBER 14 GARETH EVANS, AKA GARY JONES...

A leaning header by Bee Oldfield rose just too high from a right-side centre, Clarke deflected a Billington drive for a corner at the opposite end and under pressure from Clarke, Cross had real trouble at his back post with a high, deep, right-flank Bee free-kick but was awarded a goal-kick decision. Matt Taylor replaced Church for the Racers, Oldfield floored Manoochehri and was booked, Knight was replaced by Linton and Powell was spectacularly scythed to the ground by Leaver, who was deservedly cautioned, before Leaver’s shot from inside-left was superbly deflected over his crossbar, I think by Clarke. 

Naven-Jones cut inside from the left and powered a drive which was caught beneath his cross-beam by Young, a fine Billington effort from 16 yards was cleared from the goal-line splendidly by Oldfield and the rebound was struck first time by Leaver from 20 yards but his rising power-drive passed centimetres wide of the right upright. In a strong finish by the guests, Slevin freed Linton centrally but with only Young to beat, the forward shot against the advancing Young’s left boot and in the closing seconds, a right-wing free-kick by Billington found the head of Linton beyond the far stick but his connection was poor and the ball bounced down and weakly wide… 

PLAYING BENEATH THE STUDLEY SKIES...

Parity was probably acceptable to Studley’s manager Keith Draper Senior, in the light of those late squandered chances by Warwick but maybe Racers’ boss Scott Easterlow would have been reasonably happy with a point too, UNTIL those late opportunities. Slevin was always busy for the visitors, Leaver was too, Knight was a running threat and yet obscurely the danger from Warwick came after both Knight and forward colleague Church had been replaced. Hutchcox and Passey held the defence together but in Jack Taylor and Billington, Warwick have a pair of good attacking full-backs. Haven-Jones had a quiet game on the left flank and goalie Cross, made a father recently, wasn’t too pressured.

NOT QUITE THE SAME AS PLYMOUTH ARGYLE'S AWAY SUPPORT BUT JUST AS LOYAL...

Keith Draper (not the Senior one) was decent at right-back for the hosts, Smith was adventurous, Casey and Dumore as belligerent as always but Wynne-Wilson was quietly effective in midfield. Nicol was generally available, Westwood a constant danger in possession and Evans (aka Jones…) was there to snatch a point when it mattered… It’s what he does…   

TEAMS:

STUDLEY:

RYAN YOUNG, KEITH DRAPER, DAN LUDLOW (CAPT), MATT POWELL, LEWIS CLARKE, OLI CASEY, AARON WESTWOOD, EDDIE WYNNE-WILSON, ANDY NICOL, LUKE DUGMORE, CHRIS COWLEY.

SUBS:

SHANE SMITH, GARETH EVANS, CRAIG OLDFIELD, LUCKY NWOSU, DAN DINEEN.

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

TOM CROSS, JACK TAYLOR, RYAN BILLINGTON, MARTIN HUTCHCOX, MARC PASSEY, MARTIN SLEVIN (CAPT), HENRY LEAVER, LUKE CHURCH, ADAM KNIGHT, LOUIS BRIDGES, LIAM NAVEN-JONES.

SUBS:

DILDALE LINTON, OLI MANOOCHEHRI, MATT TAYLOR, ALEX BAIRD, BOBBY BIDDLE (GK).