COVENTRY PLUMBING 0-4 RACING CLUB WARWICK: MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

Two Double-Strikes Leave Plumbers Flushed…

Coventry Plumbing 0-4 Racing Club Warwick

This was a decent watch… Despite the heat, despite the hard pitch (which had been hosed a little before the game) and despite the playing area being somewhat smaller than many others, both teams used the exercise to hone their fitness levels further. Indeed, Warwick skipper Alex Price felt that the width of the pitch was really tight but he would prove to be the one midfielder on view who appeared to find time on the ball. He liked a bit of physicality too but he lit up the final moments of the third 30 minute period with a delightful 25 yard volley in-off the underside of the crossbar upon which I believe he wanted leave his autograph after the end of the match.

CONNOLL FARRELL FINDS HIS WAY TO THE CENTRE-SPOT WITH HIS EYES SHUT...

I must thank Alex though, also Martin ‘Mav’ Hutchcox from RCW for helping me out with the identification of Warwick’s players during the game. The Warwick manager, Scotty Easterlow was so switched on that he could recall, er, just one: goalkeeper Ryan Young… Thanks for that, my good mate! Kev Kingham, the Plumbing manager and new dad again, kindly sent me his team list in three separate cartoons for me to decipher… I was so grateful for that though… However, please excuse any errors in the spellings of names, or even wrongful identification which occur below…

THE REF DOES A PASSABLE IMPRESSION OF MAX BYGRAVES...

YEP, CONNOLL OPENS HIS EYES TO KICK OFF...

During the opening third of the game, two players featured, one for each outfit. Connell Farrell made three searing rushes at the RCW defence, whereupon one shot flew low and wide, another rose straight at Young following a run from inside his own half and the third offered left-flanker Kyle Gorman a shot which he sliced too high. Certainly Price was the calm creator for the guests although with the trenches crowded, it was almost impossible to avoid interceptions and several pieces of mis-control by individuals led to turnovers. The most innovative moment for the Racers stemmed from the moment Marc Passey threatened on the right. He nutmegged Adam Branigan, beat another defender and fired an angled drive which goalie number 1 for the hosts, Ross Davis nudged wide for a corner. The other offensive near things for RCW involved a Price delivery and a double-block by home midfielder Gary Jones, wearing 8. First Sean Castleton nodded a centre from his skipper over the right angle of crossbar and upright but when Plumber Ryan Alexander’s well intentioned defensive header caught ‘keeper Davis advancing, Jones blocked Ben Mackey’s shot and then immediately got in the way of a centre from the left by Ronee Hendricks too.

HUTCHCOX GETS THOSE SORE TOES OFF THE GROUND AGAINST POWELL...

The second period saw the lowering sun affecting Young’s eyes instead of those of Davis and in truth, home forward Jordan Powell came to the fore, missing with a pair of headers and so nearly assisting Liam Doyle for a shot at goal. Maybe Powell might have driven in an effort himself but his unselfishness led him to slip a pass towards Doyle but it was intercepted inside the 18 yard box. A slight glance off Powell’s forehead from Cam Knight’s fine free-kick flew well off target and then an unmarked near post header by the forward from Loz Woodroffe’s right-side corner was also well wide. Warwick had a goal disallowed during the second third of the game but also netted twice to distress their hosts. Price, Passey and Trea Bertie combined well but Mackey was flagged offside as he shot into goal, before a near post flick by Ross Quartermaine was spooned to safety by Plumber goalie 2, Martyn Glover, like a volleyball dig on a beach in Marbella. But then the Racers struck a pair of goals…

THE RIGHT-FOOTED VERTONGHEN...

MARTIN SLEVIN BOOGIES...

A TYPICAL LUKE COLE POSE...

First, Bertie and Passey combined to set up a low shot from 18 yards by Mackey but although Martyn dived right to save, Sam Beasley was close by to shoot into the right corner of the net.

0-1...

BEASLEY THE SCORER...

Soon afterwards, Luke Cole, who worked hard in attack during the middle and last thirds of the match for the visitors slipped a pass through inside-left for Mackey and he shot low into the right corner of the net and the result was thus effectively decided. 

0-2...

MACKEY THIS TIME...

Strangely though, with even more new faces appearing for the Plumbers, they really pushed on in the final third of the encounter. Free-kick deliveries by James Chappell got more elevation and one of them saw Cole head clear almost out of Young’s gloves. Doyle was unable to reach a low Gorman centre but then, after Dan Wilde and Alexander did the spadework, a low drive by concrete pillbox James Brammell struck the foot of the surprised Young’s left stick and then the burly forward who possessed a neat touch nearly got a boot to a low Wilde centre. A Chappell free-kick was nodded on by number 12 Umberto Caoduro for Woodroffe to convert, albeit from an offside position then Caoduro headed wide from another Chappell set-piece. Finally, the well-involved Knight did well to set up Doyle at inside-right and although the forward’s lob beat the outrushing Young, it was going wide of the far stick, before bouncing high over Hutchcox’s head but unfortunately, Alexander’s half-volley soared too high.

10+10 = 18? SURELY NOT...

Shots wide by Cole and number 14 for the Racers mattered not, for a couple of superb goals by Bertie and Price subsequently left the Plumbers packing their tool-bags for the evening. A team goal was clinically engineered by the Racers, from Young to the number 6, to Bertie, who exchanged a long one-two with Mackey from the right flank to the left edge of the penalty-box, from whence Bertie’s low drive struck the foot of the right post and flew into the left side of the net, leaving goalie number 3, Dave Allen helpless.

0-3 & BERTIE GETS A HANDSHAKE FROM BOOGIEMAN...

The fourth goal was a deserved one for Price. Passey played a pass forward, Cole challenged for it, Price received the loose ball, clipped it forwards in the air towards the 18 yard line and the second of two clearing headers by Plumbing defenders came Price’s way again. The skipper, without any hesitation, thumped a 25 yard volley off the underside of the crossbar, down to the ground and up into the roof of the net. Spectacular stuff…

0-4: PRICE BLASTED IN A FINE VOLLEY...

And thus the game ended with Coventry having been more constructive during the third period, although they surely missed the threat of Farrell in attack, who had left the ground to receive an award for scoring 32 goals in 9 Leamington Sunday League games, making him the leading scorer last season. But at an average of 3.56 goals per match??? OMG… 

CONNOLL FARRELL WITH HIS AWARDS LATER IN THE EVENING...

Overall this was hard work for many players, for there was little time on the ball before tackles flew in and in fact, the Plumbers pressed the Racers for the full 90 minutes. Despite individuals wanting to pass the ball and possess it, the small pitch dictated otherwise sometimes and thus it would have been a useful workout for Warwick’s Scott Easterlow to witness. Coventry would be pleased, I’m sure but the clinical finishing by their higher ranked guests was the difference between the teams in the end.

And the Plumbing goalies played twice with the sun in their eyes… Perhaps a change at 15 minutes of the third section would have been good more sensible? But what do I know?

SQUADS: (HOPEFULLY NEARLY COMPLETE AND NEARLY RIGHT…) 

COVENTRY PLUMBING - RACING CLUB WARWICK

1 ROSS DAVIS   1 RYAN YOUNG

2 ALI WRIST   2 MARTIN HUTCHCOX

5 NATHAN TELFORD   3 JAMES FOOTMAN

6 JAMES CHAPPELL   4 RONEE HENDRICKS

3 ADAM BRANIGAN   5 SEAN CASTLETON

4 JACK DOBSON   7 MARC PASSEY

8 GARY JONES   8 ALEX PRICE

10 JORDAN POWELL   9 BEN MACKEY

7 RYAN ALEXANDER   10 TREA BERTIE

9 CONNOLL FARRELL   11 ROSS QUARTERMAINE

11 KYLE GORMAN   RHEECE CLEARY

18 LIAM DOYLE   12 MARTIN SLEVIN

22 JAMES BRAMMELL   15 SAM BEASLEY

14 WENDEL MOYO    17 ELLIOT POWELL

19 SHAMMI WILLIAMS   18 LUKE COLE

MORE PLUMBERS:

16 LAURENCE WOODROFFE

2 (LAST 30) DAN WILDE

17 CAM KNIGHT

4 (LAST 30) AARON WHITEHEAD

5 CURTIS GOODISON

12 UMBERTO CAODURO

ALSO:

GOALIE 2 MARTYN GLOVER FOR PLUMBING;

GOALIE 3 DAVE ALLEN FOR PLUMBING…