ROTHWELL CORINTHIANS 1-2 COGENHOE UNITED: FULL MATCH REPORT, PLUS IMAGES...

Too Many Busy Cooks Spoil the Vase Broth For Corinthians

Rothwell Corinthians 1-2 Cogenhoe United

(FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round Replay…)

The weather was forecast to become stormy during the evening at Rothwell’s Sergeants Lawn and sure enough, strong gusty winds vomited slanting rain at whichever goalkeeper was defending the ‘trees end’ of the ground. Strangely though, neither team capitalised upon the elements by shooting from distance and indeed, the Cooks netted both of their goals from inside the 18 yard box. The Corinthians did manage a goal against the wind before the break but apart from a chance for skipper Jordan Henson just into the second period, little offensive play was evident by the hosts whose guests battled really well into the gale. In truth, the most effective attacking player for the visitors was Luis Viera, complemented well by the very presence of Ryan Ansell and the Cooks really should have added to their goals tally during the final five minutes of the tie, for they missed four decent chances, including a penalty… 

THE SKIPPERS WAIT FOR THE TOSSED COIN TO BLOW OVER HENSON'S HEAD IN THE WIND...

THE COOKS PREPARE TO SPOIL THE BROTHWELL...

Pushed on in midfield by Sean McBride, who featured heavily for the Cooks, and Jacob Cox, the visitors bit at and harassed their hosts throughout, forcing Corinthians’ central striker Henson to drop very deep at times to make things happen. With some early sterling work in the home midfield by the tall, lean Tom Mills, Rothwell went close against the elements early in the first-half, then were forced to contain some Cogenhoe pressure, usually through the rapid running and trickery of Viera, before succumbing to the first goal. A revival of sorts led to an equaliser but the guests responded to retake the lead minutes before the interval, as the weather worsened.

HENSON STARTS IT...

Surprisingly, the only real effort at goal the hosts mustered in the second period was when Henson miscued in front of goal, for the sheer belligerence of the visiting defence, in which Dan Smith and Dan Stevenson were excellent, carried the Cooks to a successful result, even going on the offensive as the game became stretched and understandably desperate for the hosts during the final minutes.

A SPECTATOR WATCHES A YELLOW CARD ATTEMPT TO FLY FROM THE OFFICIAL'S GRASP...

Yet had an early attack by the Corinthians brought a goal instead of two timely interceptions, both I believe by Cook Smith, this tie’s outcome would have been so different. A free-kick had been cleared to the Rothwell offensive left by the visitors’ defence, Mapeo Mendes slipped a pass to Henson, whose low feed into the 6 yard box saw home defender Robson Kightley poke a shot against Smith’s legs, then the rebound by the falling Mendes was well blocked by Smith just a couple of yards from his goal-line. Despite Mills’ prominence, Viera’s pace began to worry the home defence and Tom Scarratt in particular. Following a caution for home defender Daniel Cooper, a Viera cross from the right was headed back across the goalmouth by Ansell for Ali Duncan to nod downwards at the far post but the ball bobbed against the foot of the upright with Corinthian ‘keeper Martyn Thorpe skidding across his goal-line in an attempt to cover. Rothwell survived that dangerous moment but after McBride had fed Viera for an angled shot which was comfortably saved by Thorpe, then a left-wing Ansell corner had bounced off the top of the home crossbar and a 25 yard drive by Ansell had drifted off target, the guests struck an important opening goal.

THE COOKS ATTACK DOWNWIND...

Viera slipped a pass left for Ansell to move onto inside the 18 yard box but Thorpe reacted well to palm the forward’s effort away to his left and Duncan did well to lay the ball back into Viera’s path whose 12 yard shot flew past Thorpe and into the left corner of the net.

VIERA (7): NETTED GOAL ONE...

In fairness, Rothwell made a positive reaction to the concession and after Kightley had headed a good Lewis O’Dell free-kick over the United cross-beam, a pass from the left by Scarratt was cleverly flicked into the penalty-box from the 18 yard line by Henson for O’Dell to run onto, beating ‘keeper Stuart Lutter to the ball and driving a low shot into the right corner of the net. Henson nearly benefited from a break on the left too, as Lutter retreated but the forward’s angled shot was rapped into the side-netting. Incredibly, the visitors won another left-flank corner and scored what turned out to be their winning goal.

VOSS: UPENDED...

THE CORINTHIANS HAVE REGAINED PARITY & THE COOKS PREPARE TO RESTART...

Ansell’s set-piece saw Stevenson rise for a header under a defensive challenge but the ball fell against home defender Bleu McNeil and in the melee which ensued it was apparently Viera’s boot which edged the loose ball past the fallen Lutter on the goal-line. The goalie’s vehement complaint about the concession of the goal to a linesman resulted in a caution for him… 

1-2 NOW...

...& VIERA AGAIN THE SCORER...

Half-time had arrived, the sheltering spectators leaned into the wind to make weary walks to get refreshments like figures on a painting by L.S. Lowry and the two teams’ substitutes enjoyed some free time being blustered by the wild wind and drenched by the rampant rain… 

THE INTERVAL...

A long throw from the Rothwell right by McNeil was carried by the wind, headed on by Mills and then nodded forward by midfielder Pernell Taylor-Jacobs, who often displayed some neat skills on the ball but his effort deflected to Henson off Stevenson, only for the striker to miscue near the right stick. Ryan Cooke was withdrawn for the hosts and he was replaced by Joe Wright, a free-kick delivery by Rothwell’s O’Dell drifted past the right post, the incessant pressing by McBride brought the Cooks’ midfielder a caution, a frustration-based foul by Corinthian Henson was also yellow-carded and two more substitutes appeared for Rothwell, Dom Page and Aiden Smith. The tall left-flanker for the visitors, Langley Voss, was replaced by Harry Chipchase and the half rolled on with both teams scrapping, both teams misplacing passes, both teams ignoring the elements and both teams giving no quarter.

SECOND-HALF BEGINS...

VIERA & SCARRATT: A GOOD TUSSLE...

Eventually, with only minutes remaining and the visitors still holding the Corinthians fairly comfortably, Viera exploded into action again, racing clear on the left this time, cutting inside and lashing a fine rising drive goalwards which Thorpe did really well to tip onto his crossbar with an arch-backed leap. The rebound was secured by Ansell on the right and he drove the ball low towards goal from an angle, Thorpe spilled it onto the right boot of Duncan, lurking on the 6 yard line but his finish cleared the crossbar. Cox made way for Cook George Barnell and after Ansell, free-running on the right, had forced Thorpe to dive left and save his angled drive, Barnell raced onto an error by the hosts, he was chased by Aiden Smith and down went the attacker as he was challenged. The referee decided it was a foul and thus a penalty but despite the Rothwell protests, Ansell subsequently lifted his penalty well over the goal-frame.

McBRIDE IS BOOKED...

ROTHWELL SEEM UNHAPPY ABOUT THE PENALTY AWARD...

...BUT ANSELL MISSES ANYWAY...

Still time for a Rothwell goal to prolong the windy, wet saga into overtime again then, but that was not to be for after the latest Cook substitute Nathan Burrows had driven a low shot across the goalmouth and wide of the left upright, the game ended.

GAME OVER...

This was a deserved victory for the visitors, sealed by the competence of full-backs Munya Matienga and Kiel Mullen, the diligence of the two defensive Dans, Stevenson and Smith, the resilience of midfielders Cox and especially McBride but mainly by the persistence of forward Ansell and the cleverness of winger and goalscorer Viera.

The hosts could point to some decent defending by Cooper and Kightley, an effective all-round performance by O’Dell, who surely deserved his goal, some good work by Mills and certainly a wholehearted captain’s game by Henson…

The Cooks thus moved on to the next round… 

TEAMS:

ROTHWELL CORINTHIANS:

MARTYN THORPE, BLEU McNEIL, TOM SCARRATT, MAPEO MENDES, DANIEL COOPER, ROBSON KIGHTLEY, LEWIS O’DELL, TOM MILLS, JORDAN HENSON (CAPT), PERNELL TAYLOR-JACOBS, LANGLEY VOSS.

SUBS:

JOE WRIGHT, CALLUM PLOWRIGHT, AIDEN SMITH, DOM PAGE, DAN STEWART. 

COGENHOE UNITED:

STUART LUTTER, MUNYA MATIENGA, KIEL MULLEN, DAN STEVENSON, DAN SMITH, SEAN McBRIDE, LUIS VIERA, JACOB COX, ALI DUNCAN, RYAN ANSELL, RYAN COOKE.

SUBS:

GEORGE BARNELL, HARRY CHIPCHASE, HARRY SOUTHGATE, NATHAN BURROWS, MATT LONG.