STAFFORD TOWN 1-3 RACING CLUB WARWICK: FULL REPORT & IMAGES...

Dominant Racers Take the Points & Retire Into the Stafford Sunset

Stafford Town 1-3 Racing Club Warwick

Upon the Evans Park 3G surface, Racing Club Warwick were more creative, more offensive and more dominant than their hosts, whose positive approach was also predominantly a passing game. The Racers though forged more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities and the margin of victory really might have been greater for the guests. True, bulky home forward Tom Duffy wasted a fine chance with the match scoreless by shooting wide with only visiting ‘keeper Tom Cross to beat but that would have been a goal against the run of play. Racer Henry Leaver performed much of the toil and spadework for his colleagues, Rich Powell was a deep-lying threat but Josh O’Grady used his experience, his accurate if often languid passing and his trademark body-sway to good effect during this encounter. I reckon singer Danielle Bradbery’s song ‘Sway’ was written about Tricky O’Grady, whose hips uncannily travel in totally the opposite direction to either his head, his legs, or his feet and usually the ball remains under his control.

LOOKS LIKE TWO OPPONENTS ARE ABOUT TO DO A CUMBERLAND REEL...

MARTIN SLEVIN KNOWS THAT TO BE SKIPPER YOU HAVE TO STAND WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HIPS...

O’Grady was supported on the right flank by Jack Taylor’s speedy runs and smart play, thus forging a real danger to Stafford on their defensive left. Luke Cole was the buffer for attacks, centrally and he worked manfully alongside the enigmatic and deceptive Sean Kavanagh who nabbed a brace of goals and might have netted more. Powell had opened the scoring for the visitors and in fairness, had it not been for some good goalkeeping by Town’s Josh Moreton, plus two goal-line clearances and some resolute defending by the rugged Town pair of Tom Wright and Dave Wilcock, Stafford might have been on the end of quite a beating.

STAFFORD: UP FOR IT...

SLEVIN HAS A LAPSE & UNFOLDS HIS ARMS...

Driven on by the impressive Ryan Pace, Town employed the quick feet of both Remi Mongeaud and Jack Milgate to create limited opportunities for Duffy and the two tall, lean wide players, Jordan Dodd and Taylor Allen, who contributed regularly. Certainly Town had an aerial advantage but despite snatching a late, soft first-half goal to reduce the arrears to 1-2, their bright second period opening was dulled by Kavanagh’s deft header for 1-3, before more chances for the generally slicker Warwick were either saved or spurned during a more than watchable, if cold afternoon’s entertainment. 

MARTIN... YOUR ARMS...

...THAT'S IT...

Moreton did well to save from a freed Cole early on but an offside flag was wagging vigorously anyway then soon, from a throw on the right, O’Grady teed up a centre for Taylor, whose drifting delivery was clawed onto his crossbar by the leaping, reaching Moreton but Kavanagh was unable to get any kind of real purchase on the rebounding ball beyond the far post under pressure. Town managed a header by Allen from a right-side Dodd centre which was easily claimed by Cross, before the visitors put their hosts into some difficulty with their next offensive salvos. First skipper Martin Slevin shot low though the hands of Moreton, who was fortunate that his meagre touch on the ball took it for a flag-kick. Leaver took the corner and Mongeaud blocked Slevin’s near post flick on the goal-line but when a Powell back-heel shortly afterwards allowed left-back Ryan Billington to get in a cross, Kavanagh’s flick drifted wide of the near upright.

WARWICK ON THE MOVE...

THIS ATTACK WAS SURVIVED BY STAFFORD...

A fine pass from the middle towards the right by Powell found O’Grady onside and his side-boot effort as Moreton advanced towards him, struck the goalie, allowing O’Grady to cross the ball to the far post where Cole wasn’t quite able to reach the trajectory. The hosts, having survived the scares, mugged Slevin in midfield and some nippy feet by Mongeaud and interplay with Duffy, left the latter alone, 10 yards out but he muffed his shot which rolled past the left stick. Back came the Racers and O’Grady combined with the always available Cole and the overlapping Taylor to offer Slevin a shot which was well blocked by Town’s Wilcock. Slevin and influential Powell then combined to free Billington to the left byeline and he sought out and fed Cole for a great chance, 11 yards from goal but the striker pulled his left-footer wide of the right post.

POWELL: STRONG GAME FOR THE RACERS...

A MISS FOR LUKE COLE...

A fine run by Mongeaud again, saw Dodd run into the penalty-box but as Cross advanced, the ball ran out for a goal-kick before a snap-shot by Racer Kavanagh from 25 yards soared past the left angle of crossbar and upright. A Mongeaud shot struck Martin Hutchcox and flew for a corner, Wright became incensed with the linesman to his left yet again and then O’Grady provided the assist for Powell’s goal. He picked up possession left of centre and threaded a fine pass through the middle for the alert Powell to run onto and he beat the advancing Moreton with great confidence.

GOAL FOR POWELL...

0-1...

Wright was really losing his temper with the linesman on my side by this time, who was small and wiry and must have been terrified but still the guests continued to spoil the party for Stafford and Marc Passey, O’Grady and Powell were all involved to provide a first-time shot from an angle on the right by Taylor which swerved and dropped, forcing Moreton to leap and tip the effort over his goal-frame. O’Grady’s ensuing near post corner from the right was nodded goalwards by a leaning Kavanagh and claims for a penalty went unheeded as the ball certainly struck Allen’s arm before being cleared. A second goal was imminent and this time O’Grady fed Powell who made the killer pass for Kavanagh at inside-left and he side-stepped Wilcock just inside the penalty-box and shot a low 16 yard drive into the bottom left corner of the net.   

LUKE COLE IS HOPING FOR A KNIGHTHOOD...

0-2...

SEAN KAVANAGH THE SCORER...

LUKE COLE SO LIKES HIS BLUE SUEDE SHOES...

Fair play to the Townies though, for they rallied just prior to the interval and Cross punched a corner away, Hutchcox deflected a Dodd shot for a corner and then suddenly the hosts grasped a lifeline. Wright won the ball as Cole slipped, attempting to shield a clearance from his defence and the Town defender shoved in a deep cross which Passey’s head nudged on towards Mongeaud on the right. Right-back Lewis ran towards the byeline onto Mongeaud’s pass inside but he fell, yet Mongeaud was switched on enough to regain possession and pass inside, this time to Dodd whose kick into the middle was shot by Allen onto the lurking Duffy’s leg and the ball wound up in the Warwick net. Scruffy but effective…

1-2...

INTERVAL SKY...

The break arrived, the cold became colder and the hosts began the second period brightly, culminating in a low shot by skipper Ben Gutteridge from 20 yards which drifted past the right upright. A typical O’Grady move inside from the right ended typically with him being fouled. Wilcock, typically, was unimpressed but O’Grady’s free-kick from 23 yards was not typical and easily dealt with by Moreton. Interestingly though, before the shot was taken, Hutchcox was seen behind the Stafford defensive wall bouncing up and down like he was at Camp Randall in Wisconsin, bouncing like the Badgers’ fans do as House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ blasts out around the stadium. 

O'GRADY FINDS TOUCHING HIS TOES RATHER BEYOND HIM NOW THAT HE'S REACHED 46...

O'GRADY HAS COLLAPSED AGAIN...

The third goal effectively killed the game and it stemmed from a short corner by Leaver and interplay with Slevin which saw Leaver make for the left byeline and deliver a short centre which Kavanagh, again leaning, lifted on with his head and as Moreton stretched, the ball dropped agonisingly over him and bounced into the net.

Leaver fed a pass right for Kavanagh to strike from an angle but Moreton dived to palm the ball away to his right but Billington drove the rebound into the side-netting. Kavanagh passed to O’Grady, who cut into the 18 yard box from the right with his customary slippery body twists but his subsequent shot lacked any power as Moreton picked it up, then after Lewis had been replaced by Town’s Ollie Butler, O’Grady rapped a low cross-shot across the face of the home goal from inside-left. Luke Cole was replaced by Josh Cole, Billington took a break and Lewis Hudson appeared for the Racers, before Ryan Downing replaced Stafford’s lively midfielder Mongeaud. Powell drove well wide from Kavanagh’s headed pass, Michael Ellis replaced Racer Slevin and Hutchcox took the skipper’s armband.

GUESS WHO'S GONNA TAKE THE FREE-KICK?

A VISION APPEARS TO JOSH O'GRADY, TELLING OF THE BIRTH OF A SAVIOUR IN BETHLEHEM.
HE CAN BARELY BELIEVE IT...

A Josh Cole drive was deflected for a left-side corner which Cole headed well wide from a good position, at the opposite end Milgate fed Pace for a low shot wide from 23 yards, before Connor Grant replaced Duffy for Town and Milgate drove a decent rising effort just off target following a Stafford corner. Passey rumbled forward for Warwick but shot with little power to Moreton, despite O’Grady standing unmarked to his right but then Kavanagh saw the words ‘hat’ and ‘trick’ swirling about. O’Grady’s astute pass sent Taylor scurrying towards the right byeline and his low centre found the right boot of Kavanagh but Moreton did so well to save with an outstretched foot. Wilcock was unfortunate at the other end when his glancing header from a superb Allen free-kick on the right seared across the face of goal.

ATMOSPHERIC...

The closing minutes saw a fine move by Warwick so nearly bring a goal. Powell fed O’Grady to run towards the right byeline from whence the tricky chap slipped a near post pass to Powell but Moreton excelled himself with a point-blank save at the foot of the upright and then a second block from Powell’s rebound effort. O’Grady then must have thought he was going to score when he made space cutting across the edge of the penalty-area and drove in a 15 yard shot which not only took a slight deflection but also forced the heroic Moreton to dive left and claw the ball to safety. There was still time for a low, partially deflected Pace shot for Town to be smothered by Cross but then moments later the game ended. 

WE LIKES THIS...

This had been a decent match to watch and it was particularly pleasing to see two teams displaying technical ability and encouraging individuals to run with the ball. Certainly Mongeaud and Milgate were bright in possession for Town, Gutteridge was expansive in his play from left-back and Allen and Dodd refused to fade from the game. Wright and Wilcock were stolid in their defensive approach… 

O’Grady, Powell and Slevin worked so well in midfield though for the Racers and several of the moves devised were clinical, slick and clever. Taylor in particular was offensive for RCW, with Billington making rushes along the left flank too. Hutchcox and Passey rarely panicked in defence and Leaver proved to be a powerful workhorse. Kavanagh snagged two sniper’s goals in attack but he certainly benefited from the effort displayed on his team’s behalf by the wily and brave Luke Cole as the target guy.  

Stafford should edge away from the lower reaches of the league when some of their inventiveness pays off with more goals but RCW have to go again on Monday at Coleshill’s 3G pitch against Chelmsley Town then on Saturday they have a tough FA Vase encounter with the higher ranked Wisbech Town (4th in the United Counties Premier League) to grapple with, minus the cup-tied O’Grady and Jamie Coleman…

TEAMS:

STAFFORD TOWN:

JOSH MORETON, BRAD LEWIS, BEN GUTTERIDGE (CAPT), DAVE WILCOCK, TOM WRIGHT, RYAN PACE, JORDAN DODD, REMI MONGEAUD, JACK MILGATE, TOM DUFFY, TAYLOR ALLEN.

SUBS:

RYAN DOWNING, LIAM DAY-DOWNING, CONNOR GRANT, OLLIE BUTLER, RYAN WHORDLEY. 

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

TOM CROSS, JACK TAYLOR, RYAN BILLINGTON, MARTIN HUTCHCOX, MARC PASSEY, HENRY LEAVER, JOSH O’GRADY, MARTIN SLEVIN (CAPT), LUKE COLE, RICH POWELL, SEAN KAVANAGH.

SUBS:

MICHAEL ELLIS, JOSH COLE, LEWIS HUDSON, PAUL HOLLAND, JOE CARTER.