BUCKINGHAM TOWN 5-2 RUSHDEN & HIGHAM UNITED: FULL REPORT & IMAGES...

Buckingham Offense Lands Lankies In Dire Straits…

Buckingham Town 5-2 Rushden & Higham United

The quickness, skill and finishing ability of the Robins would eventually overpower the more patient Lankies at Manor Fields, Bletchley. The power and pace of forwards Kelvin Osei-Addo and Chris Wreh, alongside the rapid and intelligent running of Dan Simpson regularly threatened Lankies Sam Fowler and Ryan Kalla but added to the aforementioned Town trio, in midfield, the Robins possessed a busy and effective worker in Jelani Blair, plus the deeper lying Taylor Brown and significantly the excellent Orlando Joao, who was clever in possession, confident, speedy and creative. All he lacked on the night was a deserved goal…

TOSSING...

In truth, despite their slower passing game, United rarely threatened home ‘keeper and skipper Ryan Thrussell, usually due to some wayward final passing. Central striker Dylan Wilson didn’t get in a shot on goal, despite his voracious work ethic but although wing-attacker Nat Gosnal-Tyler made several smart rushes, his delivery wasn’t always accurate and turnovers certainly hurt the guests. A goal up through a penalty, the Lankies had been grateful to goalie Kyle Swailes for making saves, until he was beaten by two shots which squirmed beneath him to hand the hosts a well earned 2-1 half-time lead.

ABOUT TO BEGIN...

Fowler turned from ‘fouler’ to scorer to tie the game but the forceful Osei-Addo and the bruising Wreh netted a goal apiece and Brown rapped in a 27 yard free-kick which Swailes might just be disappointed about again, giving the Lankies a lesson in fast, effective attacking. Certainly the visitors tried hard and a missed header by Steve Ainge at 1-1 might have proven crucial but in the end, the hosts romped to a thumping victory.

THE LANKIES...

THE ROBINS...

Listening to Dire Straits during my 78 mile journey home, I reckoned that Rushden had been put in dire straits by the Robins’ performance on the night and to that end, twelve song titles from the Mark Knopfler-led band appear in the match report below. ‘Going Home…’ was a total pain on the M1, due to lane closures but the music kept me sane… At one point, home seemed ‘So Far Away’…

THE ALBUM...

To be fair, after arriving on the field via the ‘Tunnel Of Love’ (is that right?), R&H were a little slow starting and the hosts capitalised; Swailes having to make two low near post saves from the brick-built Osei-Addo. After racing to 18 yards and hacking Osei-Addo’s pass for Simpson clear, the ‘keeper was forced to dive low at his left upright to keep out Osei-Addo’s angled drive and then from almost the same position, the advancing Swailes got a left boot to another low Osei-Addo effort from an angle on the right, as the forward latched onto a Wreh pass. The resulting corner was beaten away by Swailes and subsequently Blair fastened onto the ball from deep but following a snake-like run, his shot was weak and off target. 

THE PROGRAMME COVER...

Strangely then, it was the Lankies who netted first, when an innocuous clipped pass by Mann struck home defender Steve Gavrovski on an arm, in space inside his own penalty-box. It was a soft incident but the officials awarded a penalty and Mann rapped a rising spot-kick into the middle of the goal, as Thrussell dived to his right.

0-1...

PENALTY BY MANN (7)...

Wreh drove a shot over the crossbar for the hosts but then Joao assisted Osei-Addo and with his insistent third attempt from the right side of the penalty-area, the bullish striker finally succeeded. Swailes fell right but the angled shot skidded beneath him and into the net.

MAKI: CLEVER ON THE LEFT FOR THE ROBINS...

1-1 NOW...

OSEI-ADDO THE SCORER...

Again the guests threatened to spoil the party though and when Gosnal-Tyler’s left-side centre dropped onto the tall and unmarked Steve Ainge’s head 10 yards from goal, it looked like the Robins might concede again but the Lankie nodded his effort past the left angle of post and crossbar. This proved to be an unfortunate miss for the visitors because soon afterwards Wreh fed Simpson on the right side of the 18 yard box and the striker turned inside to shoot from 15 yards. Sadly for Swailes though, the ball squirmed beneath his dive again and rolled into the left corner of the net. 

HAVING A MOAN...

AIDULIS FINDS THE SLIPPER DOESN'T FIT...

SIMPSON, RIGHT, SCORER OF GOAL 2 FOR THE HOSTS...

Blair cleverly fed Simpson at inside-left for a run at goal but managed no height on his attempted chip, then at the opposite end a free-kick from the left was headed goalwards by Kalla but Thrussel took off like a throstle (is that right?) to punch the ball clear. Soon Wreh fed Simpson for a shot from 25 yards which flew not too far off target and the unmarked Osei-Addo let his feelings show to his strike partner. Swailes raced out to smother the ball as Simpson chased a Blair pass and then the glove-wearer held onto a drive by the continually impressive Joao, before a rare Robins attack saw a 25 yard effort by Gosnal-Tyler rise too high from the inside-right channel.

HAVING A BELLOW...

NOT HAPPY...

The players trooped off at the interval, with Buckingham reasonably pleased, like ‘Brothers In Arms’ but the disappointed Lankies were doubtless preparing for Wayne Abbott’s ‘Private Investigations’ in the dressing-room. I walked to a new standing position on the dugout side of the pitch, where one of the Town coaches would soon conjure up the quote of the evening and I tweeted the half-time score, my own version of ‘Telegraph Road’…

HALF 2 BEGINS...

I had appreciated the form of Robins’ attacking left-back Merdy Maki before the break, but an injury late in the opening period meant a substitution at the start of the second-half, whereby Rob Levi Squillance took over Maki’s position. I played in that slot in my earlier days and it is always pleasing to see a player being so adventurous, as Maki had been. And then Mann  was accidentally caught in the face by some part of an opponent’s arm, resulting in a stoppage of play because it was a ‘head injury’. One Town coach wasn’t impressed, yelling: 

“It’s not a head injury, it’s a face f*****’ injury…” 

I liked that one.

SQUABBLERS...

A 30 yard Gavrovski effort flew wide of the right post for the hosts, a bouncing Joao shot was fielded by Swailes and home goalie Thrussell fell at his left upright to smother a 23 yard dropping shot by United’s well involved right-back Craig Harrower. Rushden though gained a free-kick on the right side and skipper Jed Ainge’s delivery was punched by Thrussell, although not definitively and Steve Ainge’s touch onto Kalla’s head in a melee saw the ball drop at Fowler’s feet and he poked the ball into goal from a yard or two. Parity had been regained and suddenly, one wondered whether the guests were going to get ‘Money For Nothing’ and steal a point from the Irish Centre.

BLAIR WANTED TO TAKE A FREE-KICK QUICKLY.
HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO...

2-2: GOAL FOR FOWLER, RIGHT...

However, after Steve Ainge was unable to capitalise upon a Gosnal-Tyler feed, the hosts roared straight back into the lead, following more fine play from Joao. He surged towards the left byeline and his delivery left the Lankies in disarray as the ball bounced off hard working United left-back Ben Aidulis and then Osei-Addo towards the edge of the penalty-box where Wreh struck a clinical low drive into the bottom left corner of the net.

3-2: WREH THIS TIME...

THE LANKIES NEEDED TO REGAIN PARITY AGAIN.
BUT DIDN'T.

Lankie Louis McMahon replaced Mann between cautions for Aidulis and Gavrovski, Salam Amoako replaced the effective Simpson for the Robins, before Joao fed Osei-Addo at inside-right but after beating the challenge of the sliding Aaron Cormack, Osei-Addo’s low 8 yard effort was well saved by the falling Swailes. However, the hosts won a free-kick around 27 yards out, left of centre and the old Labour Party duo of ‘Romeo & Juliet’, er, sorry, Blair and Brown lined up to take the kick. Blair wandered off to discuss Iraq with the American President and so it was left for Brown to deal with. Only THIS Brown was more successful than ex-Prime Minister Gordon and struck a straight right-booted shot which bounced up and surprised Swailes as it entered the net near the goalie’s left upright…

A BOOKING...

GOAL FOR BROWN: 4-2 NOW...

Steve Ainge was replaced by Jake Reynolds, who had started against Highgate United in the FA Vase on Saturday and Raheem Khan replaced the splendid Blair for the Robins. Naturally Osei-Addo had to close the show for Buckingham when he fastened onto a fine threaded Joao pass at inside-right to hold off Kalla and slip inside to wrong-foot the stranded Swailes and rap a left-footer into the left corner of the unguarded net from 8 yards.

5-2: OSEI-ADDO...

GAME OVER IN REALITY...

Jed Ainge left the field to be replaced by Lankie Jayden Carter, a fine pass forward by Gavrovski found Joao attacking at inside-right and he attempted a shot which was blocked, although a certain man on a hat-trick, Osei-Addo didn’t look best pleased… Kalla assisted Reynolds on the United left as time ran out but the forward shot inaccurately past the near stick and thus the game ended 5-2…

SWAILES: LOOKS UNHAPPY...

I liked watching the fast movers in the Buckingham midfield, I also enjoyed the physical presence of Wreh and Osei-Addo, the ‘Sultans Of Swing,’ reminding me of Alan McInally and Dalian Atkinson in their Aston Villa days. Indeed, on one occasion, Wreh’s shoulder barge on Harrower was harrowing to witness… I also appreciated Simpson’s play and he is a little similar to Lankie Wilson but clearly Simpson benefited from the thrusts from his midfielders, whereas Wilson received scant support. Sam Tamakloe was quick and smart at right-back for Town, Warren Garcia was comfortable alongside Gavrovski but certainly the game was decided by pace, creativity and some decent finishing. And Joao? I kept looking at his control and thinking, “What’s going to be ‘Your Latest Trick’?”

THE LANKIES DEFEND LATE ON...

Rushden will point to some decent footwork by Gosnal-Tyler and the tireless running of Wilson, as well as the efforts of full-backs Harrower and Aidulis but too often patient build-up play ended with squandered possession. Cormack and Jed Ainge battled hard but this was a night to forget for the Lankies.

REYNOLDS HAS A MOAN...

For the hosts, the joy of victory was a case of ‘Love Over Gold’, as I made the latest ‘Walk Of Life’ through yet another car-park, at yet another new ground, to find my way home, yet again…

It’s what I do… 

TEAMS:

BUCKINGHAM TOWN:

RYAN THRUSSELL (CAPT), SAM TAMAKLOE, MERDY MAKI, STEVE GAVROVSKI, WARREN GARCIA, JELANI BLAIR, TAYLOR BROWN, ORLANDO JOAO, DANNY SIMPSON, KELVIN OSEI-ADDO, CHRIS WREH.

SUBS:

RAHEEM KHAN, SALAM AMOAKO, ROB LEVI SQUILLANCE, DIEGO VASQUEZ.

RUSHDEN & HIGHAM UNITED:

KYLE SWAILES, CRAIG HARROWER, BEN AIDULIS, AARON CORMACK, SAM FOWLER, RYAN KALLA, JORY MANN, JED AINGE, DYLAN WILSON, STEVE AINGE, NAT GOSNAL-TYLER.

SUBS:

WAYNE ABBOTT, LOUIS McMAHON, JAYDEN CARTER, JAKE REYNOLDS, CONNOR l’ANSON.