RACING CLUB WARWICK 1-0 ATHERSTONE TOWN: FULL MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

Adders Bitten By Late Kavanagh Strike

Racing Club Warwick 1-0 Atherstone Town

A slight slope, a breeze rushing down it and a heavy pitch which was bound to slice apart during this tense, hard fought Midland League 1 encounter, were bound to affect these two teams both with aspirations to finish in the top three, or even higher. The conditions and the rivalry caused the match to offer few genuine goalscoring opportunities, although in truth, both defences were tough to penetrate. Certainly the Racers wrenched an advantage before the interval but the Adders definitely became the more dominant force during the second period, especially after replacement Sean Kavanagh surged forward to fire the only goal of the game for RCW. A slick back-heel by Josh O’Grady had opened up the Town defence for the excellent Jack Taylor to assist in the goal which I saw clearly, even though my camera was thwarted partially by the upwards-leaping of two Warwick followers in front of me, like they were doing star-jumps in a Primary School P.E. lesson. I was only in that particular grandstand because someone had nicked the ladder up to the gantry opposite and also due to the showery rain which fell, so I apologise to the goalscorer for the blight on the film coverage. I should be taller, I guess.…

TOSSED...

RCW skipper Alex Price was missing from the line-up due to a motor accident en route to the game and so Martin Slevin skippered the Racers, going on to perform really strongly in a deep and central midfield role which involved making several critical interceptions. However, the Adders’ Mark Williams played a similar role, similarly well and his crucial challenges in midfield took pressure from his defence too. An early decision by the referee to award a free-kick for a foul on O’Grady by Scott Goodby incensed the visiting contingent so much that they were unable to control their emotions towards the official from thence. Similarly, the RCW bench members were equally critical of the officials and so it continued, on and on and on…

SHORTHOUSE STARTS IT...

However, following that first free-kick, a deep right-flank centre by Martin Hutchcox was headed upwards by Rich Powell and Luke Cole launched himself into an overhead attempt which flashed not far off target. Goodby was then cautioned for his next ‘foul’ which angered the dugout of Adders to screaming point and in fairness, there did appear to be little in the tackle which merited such an early yellow card. Cole shot over from an offside position, following Jamie Coleman’s long boot forward, Slevin drove well off target from 27 yards and visiting skipper Kyle Baxter escaped even a warning for a rough challenge on O’Grady but Cole immediately slid into an opponent in much the same way and was warned by the harassed referee. Ah, the inconsistency was beginning to show…

MARTIN SLEVIN DOES HIS NORMAN WISDOM IMPRESSION FOR THE REFEREE...

MARKER COLEMAN'S BODY & HAIR ARE BOTH SHORTER THAN THE MARKED SHORTHOUSE'S...

Powell flicked on a right-side cross by the impressive Taylor but Cole was unable to get in a telling header as he fell and Baxter was warned for his next foul tackle. Finally, the Racers conjured up two good chances but both were missed by Marc Passey, playing in a midfield role, although in truth, two marvellous pieces of defending denied the Racerman. Both chances were set up by O’Grady, playing, oddly, on the left side and first he moved inside to clip a far post ball onto Passey’s right boot but somehow, visiting ‘keeper George Woodward flung out his left boot to make a stunning goal-line save. Then a low drag across the penalty-box, left to right by O’Grady again found the right boot of Passey but this time a fine thwarting challenge by the leaping left-back Ash Grey blocked the Racerman’s attempt. Head in hands twice for Passey, then…

O'GRADY'S FREE-KICK WOULD HIT THE DEFENSIVE WALL...

COLE: OFF TARGET...

Cole was cautioned for what was pointed out to him by the official, to be his third or fourth foul, before finally, Atherstone looked like they might cause Tom Cross in the home goal a problem. He had knocked away one corner but he wasn’t even called into action when the quick-footed right-sided Adder Jon Gould powered a left-footer from 22 yards which veered wide of the left upright. Half-time beckoned, rain had fallen, the breeze had hurried the showers into Woodward’s face, the pitch had made slick passing almost not worth attempting and the two defences were in control of a tense match in a toxic atmosphere.

IS THAT REALLY A FINGER, REF?

AN ADDER HEAD-BUTTS A TEAM-MATE IN THE BACK...

COLE: SPOOKY INNOCENCE...

"YEAH, REF, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH..."
SLEVIN THEN ASKS COLE WHAT THE REF WAS ON ABOUT...

A low Slevin shot from 21 yards zipped well wide of the right stick after the interval, during which the Adders’ Chairman had been usurped in front of me, as I stood at the back of the grandstand, by three Warwick stalwart and ever so committed fans. Two are graduates in Semaphore Coding, for their flag placements at grounds say a lot about them… Williams drove way too high from distance as Town began to utilise the breeze, the slope and the occasional rain which were now in their favour. Baxter skittered wildly into Cole but again escaped a caution, leaving Goodby wondering just what the referee had had in for him earlier in the game. The quiet Alan Miller and Goodby, possibly to avoid the chance of a second booking in his case, were withdrawn by the Adders and Ryan Quinn and Kurtis Mewies joined the mud games.

TROUBLE IN THE PLAYGROUND...

O'GRADY: NOT HIS SURFACE...

SLEVIN POSES FOR HIS WAXWORK...

THE IRREPRESSIBLE COLE IS INVOLVED AGAIN...

"WHAT?"

AFTER THE SOUP AND BREAD ROLL...

Passey was replaced by Racer Kavanagh soon afterwards but Atherstone really ought to have taken the lead with two of their best three chances of the match thus far. The busy Gould shoved a pass forward to the generally heavily marked Luke Shorthouse and Coleman left Mitch Thomson alone at inside-right in an attempt to shut tall-house Shorthouse down centrally. The striker smartly fed Thomson for a shot though which Cross plunged right to palm into the path of Quinn who must have thought he might win the game for his team but his low 7 yard drive was superbly blocked, almost on the goal-line by the alert Taylor. Baxter then dived into another challenge and received, er, no card… Not his fault, I know, but Goodby must have been cursing his own bad fortune on the dugout bench and Cole must have been hoping that he didn’t commit another late or awkward challenge, for he was a card away from a red… 

OMG, IT'S COLE AGAIN...

Quinn, attacking at inside-left had an angled shot deflected for a corner by Hutchcox, who was probably expecting the man-of-the-match award for his efforts on the day again, Baxter’s left-side centre was back-headed goalwards by Thomson for the health and safety-first Cross to touch over his cross-beam but really, with Warwick backing off and Atherstone pushing forth, the encounter was becoming even more tense… Josh Cole replaced the battling Henry Leaver for RCW and suddenly, O’Grady jogged across to the right-flank where he has always been at his most effectively offensive and soon enough, he cut inside but failed to get any purchase on a low shot to Woodward. However, two attacks were thwarted, one by each team and the result was a swashbuckling goal for the hosts…

Around 12 minutes remained when Thomson’s loose control on a break from a Warwick attack allowed possession to fall to Hutchcox and he fed the muddied boots of O’Grady, whose impudent back-heel was read early by the rampaging Taylor along the right flank. Taylor made (tailor-made? Really?) ground forward and clipped a fine centre forwards into the middle of the 18 yard box where Kavanagh saw a gap and reached the ball before Williams to lash it past the helpless Woodward first-time… This would subsequently prove to be the winning goal…

KAVANAGH RECOVERS FROM THE CELEBRATIONS...

1-0 & A SINKING IN MUD FEELING FOR THE ADDERS...

A hopeful shot at goal by Gray from 22 yards, inside-left channel drifted past the right upright, Kavanagh couldn’t find a clinical pass for Cole on a break initiated by O’Grady, O’Grady then set up Kavanagh who was flagged offside on another counter-attack and Ryan Billington replaced the heavy legged O’Grady. However, the dropping back by Warwick coincided with a determined late flurry of attacking by the visitors although in essence, Cross wasn’t unduly troubled. Strangely, the third decent opportunity of the game for the Adders fell to Thomson again but when the very efficient Town defender Nathan Haines’ miscued shot fell into the path of Thomson at inside-right, the ball bounced from his boot like a grasshopper from a leaf and straight to the pleased Cross. Cross though became less pleased, indeed cross, for he felt that Thomson might just have left a boot low as he vaulted the grounded gloveman.

ENDSHAKES...

Pressure from the aggressive Adders was cranked up but Coleman and Hutchcox, aided by the dependable Slevin defended like they needed to in the middle of the pitch and with heavily involved full-backs Taylor and Lewis Hudson in good form, Cross was protected like a Pac A Mac over an old school blazer. Town were thus not able to grab the point that they no doubt felt they deserved on their second period showing, although on acceptable chances, maybe four to three, perhaps Warwick would have felt entitled to the three points…

Warwick’s generally effective defensive performance stymied the Adders’ offense and in reality, the dangerous Shorthouse was offered scant decent service, despite the admirable efforts of Baxter, Gould and later in the game, Quinn and the other replacement Danny Harris. Adam Bilic worked tirelessly in defence for the Adders, as did Haines but not enough was engineered from midfield to create danger for the home back-line. 

RCW were well served by Taylor and Hudson, the dependable Hutchcox (man-of-the-match in his own diary) and Coleman in defence, yet although Powell was rather quiet and Leaver and Passey were busy in midfield, Slevin was a real skipper for his team and there was also the implacable Luke Cole, who took all the beatings, gave some back and his unsmiling expression scared the crap out of unsuspecting spectators… 

But he smiled once just after the break…   

TEAMS:

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

TOM CROSS, JACK TAYLOR, LEWIS HUDSON, MARTIN HUTCHCOX, JAMIE COLEMAN, HENRY LEAVER, MARTIN SLEVIN (CAPT), MARC PASSEY, LUKE COLE, JOSH O’GRADY, RICH POWELL.

SUBS:

ALEX PRICE, JOSH COLE, RYAN BILLINGTON, SEAN KAVANAGH.

ATHERSTONE TOWN:

GEORGE WOODWARD, ADAM BILIC, ASH GRAY, NATHAN HAINES, MARK WILLIAMS, SCOTT GOODBY, JON GOULD, KYLE BAXTER (CAPT), LUKE SHORTHOUSE, ALAN MILLER, MITCH THOMSON.

SUBS:

RYAN QUINN, DANNY HARRIS, DARREN EGGLETON, KURTIS MEWIES, KYRON GREEN.