RACING CLUB WARWICK 2-6 WESTFIELDS: REPORT & IMAGES...

Westfields Leave Racers In The Stalls

Racing Club Warwick 2-6 Westfields

This League Cup tie began fairly evenly then got away from Warwick before the interval as the Fields led 1-4. Two more goals soon after the break by the impressive and tricky Carlos Moreira completely shut the stable door on the Racers and they could only point to a spirited canter towards the end of the match, when replacement Josh Cole scored and indeed inspired some possession which subsequently proved scant consolation for the well beaten hosts. Slick passing, even from free-kicks and corners, neat support play and smart thought were all too much for the weakened Division 1 Warwick team, minus the recently departed Slevin, also Knight, Powell, Malley, Price and Billington. RCW were no match for their Premier Division guests, who were also missing players, including Gwynne, Hurrell, Miller and Josh Thomas who all started in Saturday’s 2-2 draw v Coventry United.  

0-1...

...& AN EARLY GOAL FOR COOPER...

Certainly Westfields looked good from the start, shunning the long-ball game and weaving passing patterns, although just prior to their opening goal, home forward Ben Mackey had forced ‘Fields’ goalie Ian Havard down to stop a low drive. The response was clinical however and when Ben Hayes clipped a neat pass towards the edge of the 18 yard box, Keanu Cooper shot past Charlie Bannister, just inside the left upright. Visiting right-back Alex Hainhault was then cautioned for a foul, before makeshift home left-back Josh Smith did well to pass out towards the right where Trea Bertie accelerated clear, apparently not offside and although his shot past the advancing Havard struck high against the right post, Mackey gobbled up a 15 yard rebound into the empty net to regain parity for the Racers.

COOPER SCORES...

MACKEY LEVELS FOR THE RACERS...

RCW CELEBRATE...

HAINHAULT IS CAUTIONED...

A fine pass by visiting skipper Craig Jones left Racer Smith wanting as Ben Hayes took the ball away on the right but Bannister raced forth to block the Fieldsman’s low angled shot. The deep lying and thoroughly effective Jamie Molyneux drove a low effort off a defender for a corner but at the other end, Mackey fed a decent pass left for Jack Jeys to latch onto but after rounding Havard, Jeys was foiled by the retreating Kane Kahaki, who blocked the forward’s conversion attempt at the base of the left upright. The second goal really took the stuffing from Warwick and again Jones was the architect, utilising the lethal dribbling skills of Moreira, who moved inside Marc Passey from the left byeline and assisted Molyneux, whose slow poked shot rolled past Bannister into the bottom left corner of goal. Jeys’ response, from another Mackey pass, struck Havard’s patella as the ‘keeper fell and really, another sliced Jeys effort apart, that was it for the stuttering RCW before the break.

1-2...

SCORER MOLYNEUX...

Westfields however scored twice more but also went close on a few occasions. A low Jones strike flew across the goalmouth, aided by a Bannister touch, a Molyneux shot was deflected wide and he drove another effort well off target, Ben Hayes shot wide and Moreira’s later effort flew past the left post. It would be central striker Mark Magee who took centre-stage however, for apart from having an angled drive from the left stopped by Bannister’s legs, he fired in a brace, as the RCW defenders seemed mesmerised and disjointed in their zones. First Magee took a Hainhault pass and cleverly switched the ball to his left boot before shooting low past the goalie, then following a right-flank corner, Jones fed the striker and he shot low into the left corner of goal from the right edge of the 6 yard box. 

1-3: MAGEE...

1-4: MAGEE AGAIN...

MAGEE ACCEPTS THE JOY...

LEAVER IS CAUTIONED...

FREE-KICK FOR WESTFIELDS...

Warwick simply couldn’t match the movement of the Fieldsmen and Moreira was causing havoc on the left touchline, leaving Passey far too exposed. Indeed, three Racers were cautioned before tea and biscuits were served at 8.30pm, Henry Leaver, Smith and Jeys, as too often the shadows chased were stopped by nefarious means. It had been tough to distinguish the numbers on the Westfields shirts yet again, light blue on claret in poor lighting and so apologies from me for a lack of identity sometimes on my video highlights commentary. 

STRIKING A COMFORTABLE POSE...

One would normally expect a team 1-4 behind at half-time to limit the damage, even in a cup-tie at home but Warwick weren’t really given that chance, for after a Jones shot had been blocked by Warwick’s defence, Moreira rapped in two fine goals and RCW, now minus the hurt Luke Cole but with Josh Cole relieving him for the second period, collapsed further, like a sadly deflating inflated Santa Claus on someone’s doorstep on January 4th. Winger Moreira exchanged passes with Magee at the edge of the penalty-area, drove towards the penalty-spot and slipped a clever shot inside the right stick, as Bannister advanced. The quality of Magee’s return pass though was sublime and the RCW defenders were left helpless like fallen cones in a training session.

1-5 & MOREIRA STRIKES...

Moreira’s second goal soon afterwards came courtesy of a strong midfield run by Molyneux, whose pass from a deep central position was played splendidly into the path of the anticipating Moreira, rushing inside from the left, who reached the ball a second before the advancing Bannister to steer home a superb finish. 

1-6...

GOALIE DOWN...

MOREIRA THE SCORER...

The job done, Westfields kept possession as much as possible and used two replacements, although only four more attempts at goal were worthy of mention. A Jones free-kick from 25 yards at inside-right curled wide of the left post, a Magee drive struck both home skipper Scott Turner and also Passey on its way into Bannister’s grateful grasp, a fine 27 yard shot by Kahaki flew past the left upright and Molyneux drove a free-kick into a Warwick defensive wall. As the match wore on, RCW managed at least to regain some sort of control and pride, mainly urged on by Josh Cole but little was created in truth. Mackey was well annoyed with his left-booter on the turn from 17 yards which went past the left post (“Fiddle…” he yelled…), Leaver sliced a shot wide of the right upright, Smith shot way too high and Jeys had a close range finish disallowed, following a free-kick.

JOHNSON GETS A YELLOW CARD FOR A FOUL ON MOLYNEUX...

PAINFUL...

Josh Cole did score though, after a smart one-two with Bertie from just outside the 18 yard box. Bertie took the midfielder’s pass cleverly and Cole ran onto the ball to clip a rising shot beyond Havard’s right hand from 14 yards deep into the net. Bookings for Racers Turner and Chris Johnson made five altogether and that list could have been longer… 

2-6...

JOSH COLE, LEFT, THE SCORER...

I was impressed by Westfields, simply that. The defence, without tall, stout fellows, coped admirably, with Sam Rawlings, Kahaki, Sam Plane and Hainhault very competent on the night. And I guess that RCW will take that defeat on the chin and should they be fortunate enough to gain promotion soon, they will know what kind of performances to aspire to, for ‘Fields played with zeal, with zest, with know-how and without the humping of free-kicks and clearances. They arrived at Townsend Meadow to play. And play they did.

THEY KNOW IT'S ALL OVER...

The Racers’ skipper Scott Turner wore a head band before the match even started and I reckon whatever headaches he might have had prior to this match, surely they would have deteriorated into a migraine by 9.35pm when his team trotted off, unsaddled, unbridled and broken…

...IT IS FOR RCW NOW...

TEAMS:

RACING CLUB WARWICK:

CHARLIE BANNISTER, MARC PASSEY, JOE SMITH, SEAN CASTLETON, SCOTT TURNER (CAPT), HENRY LEAVER, LUKE COLE, CHRIS JOHNSON, BEN MACKEY, TREY BERTIE, JACK JEYS.

SUBS:

JOSH COLE, CALLUM MASPERS, MADUNDO SEMAHIMBO, RILEY DAVEILE, NEIL STACEY.

WESTFIELDS:

IAN HAVARD, ALEX HAINHAULT, SAM PLANE, KANE KAHAKI, SAM RAWLINGS, CARLOS MOREIRA, CRAIG JONES (CAPT), KEANU COOPER, MARK MAGEE, JAMIE MOLYNEUX, BEN HAYES.

SUBS:

GEORGE HAYES, LEWIS FLETCHER, KIERON BLACKBURN.