RACING CLUB WARWICK 2-1 ALSAGER TOWN: INDEPENDENT REMEMBRANCE REPORT & IMAGES...

Late Alsager Strafe Not Enough To Advance, As Warwick Trenches Hold Firm…

Racing Club Warwick 2-1 Alsager Town

(FA Vase Round 2…)

A late surge by Alsager’s Bullets just failed to prolong the skirmish at Townsend Meadow on Remembrance Day at the spiritual home of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. I’m certain there were warhorses just beyond the rails, as small airplanes swooped and climbed above the racecourse beyond, adding more atmosphere to the confrontation… The Racers began the game in dominant mood, whereas the Bullets struggled to find any range at all and RCW forged a 2-0 interval lead. However, brought up from the reserve trenches, two Staffordshire footsloggers were made to stand-to and go over the top. Thus despite losing a player to ‘jankers’, imprisonment for a red card, the counter-attacking Bullets began to find gaps in the enemy lines, whereby Captain Alex Price, goalie Sergeant Tom Cross, his central defender Corporal Martin Hutchcox and right-back squaddie Jack Taylor had to pull out all the stops to foil the dangerous Jordan Cobley, who must have fed upon hard tack at half-time, for he reappeared ready for the offensive, albeit without his battle bowler (helmet)…  

A strike under the ‘very lights’ by Cobley ensured a rearguard action by the Racers in the latter stages though, as the chin-strapped hosts held onto their ground, defended their duckboards and cleared their lines with headers and desperate kicks away with their studded ‘daisies’. Cross made two fine saves, one from Michael Pino and a better reaction stop from visiting officer Captain Paul Taylor but when a late, late header dropped onto the top of the Warwick net, the siege ended, so that the boche (obstinate) Racers survived and were seen mafficking (celebrating) all the way to their rest trenches inside the facilities beyond. Nervous spectators and coaches alike lit up their tobacco coffin nails as the action subsided and the ‘fashy’ (annoyed) Alsager troops, were forced to swallow their feelings and greet their victors like it was Christmas Day in Flanders in 1914 after rival forces celebrated with a soccer game between the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and German soldiers…

AWAITING THE SIGNALLERS...

TAYLOR & PRICE: THE SKIPPERS...

WARWICK RESPECT...

ALSAGER RESPECT...

RARE SILENCE IN & AROUND THE TWO DUGOUTS...

KAVANAGH GETS THE GAME UNDER WAY...

Early sorties by RCW came to little, bar a wild shot from Luke Cole, who won a fair amount of aerial ball for his team through the opening half in particular. The bearded Rich Powell was evidently a force for the Racers too and his anticipation and sheer effort added much to the hosts’ first-half ascendancy. He headed on a free-kick by Ryan Billington for Sean Kavanagh (ex-Coventry United like Hutchcox and also substitutes Josh Blake and Lewis Hudson) whilst Jamie Coleman is at Warwick now too, although ‘cup-tied’ for FA Vase matches. Kavanagh’s subsequent spectacular volley rose too high but a flag wagger was signalling offside anyway. All the visitors had managed to produce by this point was a long throw, grenade-like by sturdy left-back Kyle Stubbs, whose left boot struck the ball powerfully on occasions too, but after initial confusion, Warwick cleared the ball to Taylor Attrell and the midfielder’s low shot from inside-left rolled well wide of the far upright.

KAVANAGH: JUST OFF TARGET BUT OFFSIDE ANYWAY...

HOLMES: ROBUST BUT HURT THIS TIME...

Cole rose superbly but headed a Powell cross too high from a good position, then the Racers’ striker not only nodded another long Stubbs sling over his own goal-frame, he headed the subsequent corner clear too, thus displaying his worth in defence. Eventually though, the enterprising hosts took the lead and the goal stemmed from a dummy by Kavanagh of Jack Taylor’s low pass, then a scuffling challenge on the 18 yard line by Cole on rugged Bullet David Harry and the loose ball reached Luke Church on the right side of the penalty-box, from whence the midfielder shot low across goalkeeper Matt Conkie and into the left corner of the net from 12 yards.

LENNON: OLD CONTEMPTIBLE...

1-0 TO WARWICK...

CHURCH REARRANGES HIS VESTMENTS...

Church missed a good chance to increase the hosts’ lead soon afterwards when Conkie took a back-pass from Paul Taylor and kicked the ball straight to Church, 24 yards out but the Racer lifted a wasteful shot so high that a barrage balloon might have been endangered during World War Two. Michael Lennon, an ex-pro’ of course, was doing what he does so well for Town: holding up the ball, shielding it and turning cleverly to bring others into the game with short passes but little was materialising thus far. Indeed Lennon was soon warned possibly for comments made, by the referee who was often admonished by players and coaches alike. A short Cross free-kick to Hutchcox led to a long punt forward by the defender which was again won aerially by the battle-hardened Cole but he had just edged offside and so Kavanagh’s smart finish into the left corner of the net was nullified by another wag of a signaller’s flag. 

"IT WAS HIM... HE KEEPS CALLING ME 'TOM' COBLEY FROM WIDECOMBE FAIR..."

And then Alsager’s offside trap failed them when Church’s low pass from his own half of the field saw Kavanagh at pains to remain onside which allowed Cole to surprise the visiting defence with a well timed rush forth and like a solitary infantryman running foolishly across no man’s land, he approached the advancing Conkie. Cole’s low shot was not powerful at all but although the ‘keeper got a touch on the effort, it rolled past him into the net and Warwick were 2-0 ahead.

CAPTAIN TAYLOR IS SO ANNOYED THAT HE KICKS THE BALL OUT OF SHAPE...

2-0...

THE MUDDY COLE...

An excellent sweeping right-flank centre by Hutchcox was kicked out by Conkie at his near post with Cole and Church lurking like snipers, before the half began to ebb away. However the referee allowed Attrell’s handling of the ball to go unchecked and suddenly Cobley struck a low 20 yard shot but it was rather a dud for there was little power behind it and Cross fell to smother the ball. There was still time for effective Bullet midfielder Warren Holmes to slide into an unwise challenge on the busy, bright and bouncy bantam Martin Slevin and he was probably relieved to see only a yellow card in the main official’s hand.

HAVING A MINGLE...

HALF-TIME...

Half-time arrived, the spectators exited for the purchase of grog, bully beef, a pozzy (jam) sandwich with axle grease (butter), followed by a leak in the jakes, or perhaps a wiping of the buttocks with bumph… I stayed out in the fresh air and watched the aeroplanes diving, no doubt with utter disbelief visible upon my face… 

COBLEY STARTS PERIOD TWO...

Thus the two ersatz, or replacement players appeared for the guests following the interval: Fraser and Baibsley, both Bens and it seemed that Kiarno Samms and Attrell had napoo, gone. A break by the hosts though might have brought a better reward than a pass by Kavanagh, for a chipped shot from inside-right might have brought himself some glory. Hutchcox then fouled Lennon, 23 yards from goal, almost centrally and the howitzer left ammo boot of Stubbs was primed to strike a shot which cannoned into the Warwick defences, before the rebound was struck beautifully by Captain Taylor, only for the ball to rise only just beyond the right angle of crossbar and upright. 

FOUL BY HUTCHCOX, WHO KNEELS AWAITING A KNIGHTHOOD...

In response, the impish Slevin had a low shot deflected off Fraser for an unproductive corner then at the opposite end Baibsley crossly headed a cross to Cross but soon the Racers were slowed down by the clever footwork of Michael Pino, whose skills on the ball were evident for all to see. The influential Cobley slipped a clever pass into the left side of the 18 yard box for Pino, whose low shot was parried for a corner by Cross. Lennon refused to take a short corner though then planted his flag-kick too long but Captain Taylor was soon in trouble for a late tackle on Powell and he was shown a yellow card. When Hutchcox fell with no little drama and hoped for a free-kick, the referee played on and Captain Taylor’s pass was neatly threaded into Lennon’s path by the intuitive Cobley but as Cross advanced, Lennon’s high boot lifted the ball too high with Cross cross about the flailing hobnails.

LENNON (10) LOOKS AGHAST AS BAIBSLEY IS DISMISSED...

And then Baibsley ran at a loose ball in midfield but Slevin got there first and the Bullet’s studs looked harsh as they flew towards the Racer, who must have thought he’d copped a Blighty as he fell to the turf. Instead though, after a few stretches with wry and pained expressions on his face and a few choice words flying his way from the Alsager dugout, the body snatchers were sent away and Slevin managed to carry on regardless, as Baibsley about-turned and headed for exile ‘toot sweet’, the official’s red card flashing angrily in his head.  

SLEVIN AWAITS TREATMENT...

LENNON & HOLMES RECEIVE ORDERS...

SLEVIN LOOKS HARASSED...

A Slevin free-kick was well defended by Town as Hutchcox moved towards the near post but suddenly, Alsager began to believe in themselves more and a long, left-side Stubbs throw bombed into the home penalty-area, where Holmes glanced the ball on at the near post, wrong-booting the home defenders, allowing a downward header from Cobley to beat the statuesque Cross, only for Hutchcox to lever the ball away from his goal-line. Shell-shocked, Warwick managed a shot by Cole which deflected to Conkie off Harry but soon from a Lennon corner, the Bullets found the target.

A fine Holmes header was well saved on his goal-line by the leaping Cross, only for the hovering Cobley to convert the rebound ably. 

2-1 & A DESERVED GOAL FOR COBLEY...

Michael Ellis replaced the wholehearted Racer Powell, before Slevin drove wide of the left post but certainly the impetus was with the visitors and after Church and Slevin combined to feed Kavanagh on the right and Cole hadn’t been able to reach the striker’s low centre, Blake replaced Kavanagh. Cobley then somehow contrived to miss two decent chances inside the Warwick 6 yard box. First another immense chuck by Stubbs was nodded down by Harry and maybe Hutchcox’s challenge distracted Cobley but whatever the reason, he failed to strike a shot. Soon afterwards, Lennon reached the right byeline and fed the ball short for Cobley to strike but this time Jack Taylor threw his frame at the striker’s drive and deflected it away to safety.

TIME ELAPSES...

Slevin was withdrawn, meaning that the two most influential midfielders for RCW were missing, ‘on the wire’ and the Bullets made full use of the chance to exert more attacks upon their hosts. Hudson was the replacement for Slevin but soon Pino fed a pass to Cobley on the left and his fine centre towards the penalty-spot was met by a glancing header from Captain Taylor but just as Town must have thought that parity had been regained, Cross sprang low to his left and clawed the ball away for a corner. A game saving piece of goalkeeping… Captain Taylor’s hands went to his head in disbelief as he slid to his knees. The ensuing right-side flag-kick by Lennon was cleared but Ryan Goodwin clipped in a 21 yard shot which curled wide of the right upright. 

The hosts were ravaged by funk, the ack-ack was upon them, their regimental defence was on full alert as bodies fell like Wipers (Ypres) under siege but they were up for the rough house and although a rare break allowed Cole to head a looping effort from a free-kick into the safe gloves of Conkie, the final assaults came from the Bullets. Captain Taylor was removed from the scene injured, to his chagrin, Joe Booth replaced him but after one set-piece had been survived by Warwick, a final chance was offered by a left-side corner from the old sweat (experienced) Lennon. With Conkie adding height in the home penalty-box, Goodwin rose magnificently to loop a header goalwards but to his agony, the ball dropped onto the roof of the net…

‘San fairy ann’ for the hosts then, for they had held firm in the face of a strong late examination by their guests, whose venture into the FA Vase was ‘fini kaput’, or indeed ‘pushing up the daisies’. Their resolve, through their skipper, Paul Taylor, their two forwards Lennon and Cobley, plus the clever Pino, not to mention the huge throws of Stubbs hadn’t quite been enough but in truth almost all of this good work had been evident after the break, not before it, when Warwick’s midfield and defence had commanded the affair and most importantly, two chances had been taken. Cole’s aerial ability, Slevin’s hard work, Jack Taylor’s support play and Powell’s effectiveness had really racked Alsager at times but when those threats had eventually been dealt with, the visitors really did cause the Racers some problems, with ten men too… Home skipper and midfielder Alex Price had been so consistent during the match and his defensive assistance had been so valuable for his team. 

The referee took a lot of stick about his timekeeping during the second period and one ‘spectator’ mounted a tirade of verbal hate and profanity towards Warwick’s Cross, unfortunately within earshot of very young children. Badly done…

The players returned to civvies clobber, Cross was hugged by a Warwick coach, Alsager took the defeat with grim faces but good nature, it appeared and I was left wondering how to fit the World War One phrase ‘goggle eyed booger with the tit’ into my match report… The British gas mask… Maybe the players would have been keen to use one in the latrines, if one of their colleagues had eaten a curry on Friday evening… Had to get that one in…

It’s what I do.

TEAMS:

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

TOM CROSS, JACK TAYLOR, RYAN BILLINGTON, MARTIN HUTCHCOX, MARC PASSEY, ALEX PRICE (CAPT), MARTIN SLEVIN, LUKE CHURCH, SEAN KAVANAGH, LUKE COLE, RICH POWELL.

SUBS:

MICHAEL ELLIS, HENRY LEAVER, JOE CARTER, JOSH BLAKE, LEWIS HUDSON.

ALSAGER TOWN:

MATT CONKIE, KIARNO SAMMS, KYLE STUBBS, DAVID HARRY, PAUL TAYLOR (CAPT), RYAN GOODWIN, TAYLOR ATTRELL, WARREN HOLMES, JORDAN COBLEY, MICHAEL LENNON, MICHAEL PINO.

SUBS:

BEN FRASER, BEN BAIBSLEY, JORDAN ERDMAN, JOE BOOTH, JOE MELLOR.