LYDNEY TOWN 1-3 ABBEY RANGERS: MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

Latecomers Leave Lydney Languishing

Lydney Town 1-3 Abbey Rangers

The M4 held up Rangers’ journey to River Severn land and Lydney’s Recreation Ground, so that the kick-off for this FA Vase tie was put back until 3.50pm. Arriving just prior to 3.10, the frustrated visitors still looked the more effective outfit for much of the game, with Brad Sweeney, Brad Thomas, Spencer Maw and Alex Hendrie featuring strongly, offensively. Top goalscorer Sean Bradley was hurt during the opening period however but replacement Luke Robertson actually scored the first Abbey goal just before the interval. Despite some fine runs in possession by both Sweeney and Maw, plus some smart positional play by deep lying attacker Hendrie, few clear goalscoring opportunities were created by Rangers before half-time but to be fair, the hosts managed a good deal less offense than their hosts. 

"HEY LADS, SMELL MY SOCK..."

THE REFEREE DOES A SPOT OF WATER DIVINING BEFORE RANGERS KICK OFF...

IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING...

One low drive by George Jelley quivered well wide of the left upright for Lydney in that first period, whilst both Hendrie and Sweeney bothered home goalie Richard Thomas a few times, although the ‘keeper wasn’t really called into making difficult saves. Two early chances fell to Hendrie, whereby he slipped a low shot wide from 10 yards, following decent set-up play by Bradley and Sweeney, then he poked a near post effort wide too, after Bradley had fed Maw on the right flank. Hendrie did nudge a shot through the goalie’s legs but a linesman’s lifted flag cancelled the strike out. Maw’s runs were stretching home skipper Dan Morgan in truth and Sweeney’s movement from the left, drifting inside with quickness onto his right foot, was causing consternation for Town.

THE SOURCE OF MOST OF THE NOISE...

FIRTH JUMPS AS HIGH AS THE FORTH BRIDGE...

FRANKIE JOHNSON & BRAD THOMAS...

Ranger Sweeney soon passed left to right to Maw, whose angled delivery surely took a deflection as it oozed past the far post, although a goal-kick was awarded to Town, before the industrious Brad Thomas shot wide. Sweeney shot left-booted to Richard Thomas, then Robertson’s goal arrived, after which Sweeney also chipped a 25 yard effort too high and saw a low drive held by Richard Thomas. Sweeney’s assist fed substitute Robertson inside the penalty-box at inside-right and the forward pushed his low shot past the advancing Richard Thomas, who was slightly hurt as he fell. 

A CELESTIAL RAZOR APPEARS IN THE SKY AND IT SEEMS THAT TOWN'S LIAM SHEPPARD NEEDS IT MORE...

AWKWARD IS THIS TWO-HEADED RACE... 

THE ANGEL GABRIEL REALISES THAT HE LACKS WINGS...

0-1...

ROBERTSON FOR RANGERS...

A 0-1 lead at the break was what Rangers needed, for their previous general play had lacked only a goal reward but Town’s offense really hadn’t got going at all, despite the charging around of top scorer Ross Gabriel, whose aerial challenges with visiting skipper Joe Macklin had been well worth watching. Visiting gloveman Liam Stone had been statuesque (stone statue?) for much of the first-half, as Brad Cole, Jelley and Gabriel failed to trouble him at all.

ATTENTION: HALF TWO TO BEGIN...

Half-time arrived at around 4.40pm, just as most games around the country were edging towards their finishes but down by the Severn, spectators were to remain in the often pallid sunlight until nearly ten minutes to six. The second period was contested well enough but two goals in quick succession by the guests killed the match as a real spectacle and Sweeney would claim another assist, as well as a very deserved goal, albeit with a slight touch off Town right-back Keelan Hamblett’s shoulder and the inside of an upright.

NEAT APPAREL...

HIS BELLOW APP HAS BEEN REBOOTED AT THE BREAK...

RICHARD THOMAS...

LIAM STONE...

Following a 25 yard Hendrie shot which Richard Thomas fielded, hurt home forward Jelley was replaced by Jacob English who did manage to cause a few late problems for the visiting defence, as Town battled to redeem their position. Gabriel headed a Morgan free-kick too high and the home skipper fired a disappointing free-kick from 24 yards into Rangers’ defensive, protective wall. Robertson and Sweeney then combined on the left for the visitors, Sweeney’s right-foot centre was challenged for by Hendrie but the ball fell kindly to Hartlebury, 13 yards out and he rapped a hard shot past Richard Thomas.

TIME TO WASTE A FREE-KICK...

0-2: HARTLEBURY HAS STRUCK...

...HENDRIE IS HURT...

...BUT THE GOALSCORER DOESN'T APPEAR TOO BOTHERED...

Busy home midfielder Dave Jenkins shot wide from 25 yards, before the guests settled the tie with a third goal. Elliott Firth, always involved in the Rangers midfield area, fed Brad Thomas on the left, who slipped a pass back to the edge of the 18 yard box, where Sweeney lurked and his curling right-booter flicked a centimetre or two upwards off Hamblett’s scapula as it dropped and beat Richard Thomas to the ‘keeper’s left, entering the net off the inside of the base of the right stick.

0-3...

SWEENEY THE SCORER...

HE FORGETS HIS BOOKING...

...AND GETS A HUG FROM JAMES 'JIM-BOB' SHANNON...

Brad Thomas and home midfielder Frankie Johnson battled in combat for much of the game and both were real engines in midfield for their respective teams but after Jenkins’ flick of Morgan’s right-side corner for Town had been palmed away by Stone, Rangers so nearly added a fourth goal. Smart play by Sweeney again, combining with Hendrie, resulted in Morgan deflecting Hendrie’s low 10 yard shot past a post. Yet the hosts finished the match more strongly, partly perhaps due to the late substitutions made by the guests but also surely due to the impact made by home replacement Charlie Powell, who was to drag a goal back for his troop.

ROBERTSON, AS USUAL, IN ACRES OF LEFT-FLANK SPACE...

A low shot by Jenkins was superbly blocked by Brad Thomas, before a Morgan corner on the right was punched back out to him by Stone and when home central defender Sam Elliott challenged for Morgan’s next delivery aerially, the ball fell for Powell to slam low into the net from 8 yards. 

OOOPS...

1-3: POWELL THE SCORER...

A couple of late Lydney flag-kicks failed to bring further rewards for the hosts, Ranger Tom Bentley collected a caution, to add to Sweeney’s earlier yellow card but Rangers subsequently and deservedly won through to the next round of the FA Vase. 

FRIENDS AGAIN...

The team-sheet trick by Rangers, placing players’ numbers out of order, not 1-11 but 1, 2, 6, 4, 10, 7, 8, 11, 3, 5 and 9, was confusing enough but to note down a 20, a 12, 14, 15 and 16 on the bench but send on numbers 12, 18 and 19 was a really clever touch…

Anyway, with Richard Thomas from ‘The Waltons’ TV programme having kept goal for Town, it remains only for me to add: 

“Good night, John-Boy…”

TEAMS:

LYDNEY TOWN:

RICHARD THOMAS, KEELAN HAMBLETT, DAN MORGAN (CAPT), SAM ELLIOTT, JORDAN VOSS, LIAM SHEPPARD, DAVE JENKINS, FRANKIE JOHNSON, ROSS GABRIEL, GEORGE JELLEY, BRAD COLE.

SUBS:

JACK JEREMIAH, JACOB ENGLISH, CHARLIE POWELL, PETE MACKLIN.

ABBEY RANGERS:

LIAM STONE, JAMES SHANNON, BRAD SWEENEY, JOE MACKLIN (CAPT), ALEX HENDRIE, TOM BENTLEY, ELLIOTT FIRTH, BRAD THOMAS, SEAN BRADLEY, DANNY HARTLEBURY, SPENCER MAW.

SUBS:

LUKE ROBERTSON, LUKE MULDOWNEY, JIMMY NORMAN, MICHAEL CAREY, DALE WEBB.