Hibs Cling To Parity, As The Plumbers Run Into The Featherstones…
Coventry Plumbing 2-2 Leamington Hibs
This was a keenly fought contest between Hibs, in 15th place in the league and the hosts Plumbing, riding much higher with eight wins and two losses from their ten games so far. Connoll Farrell led the overall scoring chart for the Plumbers with 31 and he would add another brace to his tally during this encounter. Leading scorer for Hibs was Jordan Featherstone with just five. Indeed, Jordan would be influential on the outcome of this match, as would brother Zach, who played a skipper’s role in centre defence, alongside the ebullient Nathan Ley, whose kicking of the ball was often thunderous. Farrell got away twice and netted twice but Hibs countered with a fine volley by right-sider Luke Woolley and an audacious lob by central striker David Jones, both goals contested by the Coventry management team because they felt that the use of a hand might have been involved.
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| PLUMBER CONNOLL FARRELL AND HIB' ZACH FEATHERSTONE: BOTH REALLY INVOLVED... |
It was interesting that two other incidents were critical to the way the game unfolded, for a trip on home winger Joe Gardner by Woolley before the break was surely inside the penalty-box, as illustrated by the video evidence but maybe because the referee had tried to play an advantage, for Gardner had got in his cross anyway, the official might have felt nervous about awarding a spot-kick (surely more of an advantage anyway to Coventry?) and thus blew his whistle for a free-kick OUTside the 18 yard box instead… Hmm. Later in the match, Jordan Featherstone certainly bundled home skipper Jordan Powell to the ground as the Plumber moved goalwards but the officials failed to spot anything amiss.
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| BLOOMER SHADOWS FARRELL... |
However, Hibs battled for a point and won one, despite one or two awkward defensive moments after the interval but subsequently Plumbing’s finishing wasn’t clinical and visiting goalie Sean Wilson was pleased to tidy up a few situations by grabbing loose balls before Coventry’s lurkers could pounce. Leamington had surely warned each other about the danger of Farrell’s rushes through defences on his left side, yet their concerns were dashed in the opening minute when Farrell broke forth and slipped a low shot past Wilson from inside-left. Oooops…
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| 1-0... |
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| FARRELL (LEFT): THE SCORER... |
Other than that shot on target during a frustrating opening period for Plumbing, only rarely was Wilson forced into meaningful action, something that the Coventry coaching staff would have been irritated by. Ryan Alexander shot well wide, found space to drive too high from 25 yards and clipped a free-kick onto one of the metal stanchions supporting the goal-net. Farrell drove a low effort wide, left-back Joe Sharman shuffled two early shots past a post and busy midfielder Joe Tobin stretched to lift an attempt beyond the right angle of crossbar and upright. Wilson’s two saves were from Gardner and Kyle King. First King, who would be caught offside a few times during the affair, drove in an angled effort from the right which Wilson dived down for and gloved away for a corner and then Gardner’s low drive was fumbled away by the ‘keeper but in attempting to get to the rebound, King was, er, flagged offside… Headers by Matt Wyatt, Powell and Tobin lacked direction and power, as Hibs defended stoutly.
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| THE TWO EIGHTS, THE TWO JORDANS: POWELL AND FEATHERSTONE... |
In response to Plumbing’s often inaccurate approach play, Hibs relied heavily on Jordan Featherstone’s midfield influence. The equaliser was certainly a surprise, for it came from Sharman’s clearance on the 18 yard line which appeared to strike Woolley’s forearm, unintentionally, enabling him to swivel and lift a lovely left-boot volley into the top right corner of the net, leaving Dave Allen in the home goal purple in the face, as well as in his wardrobe…
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| 1-1... |
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| WOOLLEY AT FAR RIGHT, IS THE SCORER... |
When the guests did manage some offence, left-side forward Caleb Myton struck three efforts at goal and Jones so nearly scored with another unusual effort. Myton clipped an acute shot from beyond the left stick, courtesy of Jordan Featherstone’s cross but Allen leapt gracefully to catch the ball. I did film that, Dave… A wasted Myton shot from a good position was pulled well wide of the right post and finally, the winger shot a free-kick from 28 yards, inside-right channel but the ball dipped too late. Jordan Featherstone’s long range shot had flown way too high but when Allen roved from his penalty-box, Bruce Grobbelaar style and Jones poked a 24 yard effort past him and goalwards, it took the resolve, the anticipation and the sheer concentration of Sharman to rush back and hack the ball from his goal-line.
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| KING CAN SMELL THE DOG FROM WHERE HE STANDS... |
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POWELL, LEFT:
"NO REF, MY PULSE IS NORMAL, I DON'T NEED TO CALM DOWN BUT I CAN STAND LIKE MY LEGS ARE ATTACHED TO THE WRONG HIPS.
YOU IMPRESSED?..." |
The break arrived after Ley absolutely smashed a ball some 60 yards into the countryside to waste a few valuable moments, despite the fact that other balls lay in wait nearby but he, Zach Featherstone, full-backs Craig Cunniff and Solomon Bloomer had stuck to their tasks well, Lewis Barry and Kent Brewster had worked really hard in the trenches and Jones had chased everything except the dog which had been allowed to enter the field of play by its owner. Powell and Tobin had featured often for the hosts and Gardner certainly had some tricky skills, albeit he was rarely served with decent passes.
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| FARRELL STARTS THE SECOND PERIOD BY BREAKING WIND OVER THE BALL... |
After the break, the teams traded goals and then Hibs, apparently notorious for second period failures, dug in, scored a goal on the break and were encouraged by their coaches to ‘play their own game’ and nullify the Plumbers. Indeed, the visitors took a shock lead with a goal by the toiling Jones. Again, Coventry felt that a hand had been used but he did ever so well at inside-left, saw Allen well out of goal and lobbed the ball right-footed into the empty net from outside the 18 yard box.
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| "GET UP DAVE, NOBODY'S GONNA NOTICE A BRUISE WITH YOU WEARING THAT COLOUR..." |
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| 1-2... |
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| A WELSH SOUNDING SURNAME, SO HOW ABOUT 'JONES THE LOB'? |
This goal apart, Hibs managed a Myton run and shot which Allen gathered, a Jones volley too high and a fine effort by replacement Rahman Mawi, who picked up a smart Jordan Featherstone pass to the right flank and clipped a cross-shot over Allen but wide of the far upright from quite an angle. Farrell had already driven a 25 yard effort too high for Coventry, before a deep free-kick was headed on twice, by Wyatt then King, freeing Farrell inside the penalty-area and his lashed right-footer bounced high into the left side of the net off Wilson’s torso.
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| 2-2... |
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FARRELL IS IN SHOCK THAT HIS RIGHT FOOT HAS DONE AN IMPRESSION OF HIS LEFT...
THE LINESMAN MAYBE WANTS TO BE A MORRIS DANCER... |
Powell fell under the challenge of Jordan Featherstone, as already described, central defender George Swain hit a low shot into the right side-netting, a close-range Gardner header from Sharman’s fine centre was collected easily by Wilson, before Alexander’s low shot from the right was deflected for a left-wing corner. Farrell’s flag-kick was headed back across to the middle of goal by Powell but Swain’s header at goal was clawed out by Wilson to the right boot of King, who simply couldn’t believe it when Ley leapt at the right post to nod his effort away for a corner.
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| CAUTION FOR MYTON... |
Farrell slipped King in on the right but the striker rifled an errant shot behind the near post, typical of the forward’s fortune on the day, Farrell’s free-kick was nodded from beyond the far stick by Powell onto substitute Kyle Jaynes’ head but he was unable to get his effort on target, then Wyatt was involved twice offensively. First, his header from another Farrell set-piece was grabbed by Wilson, as Gardner jumped in front of the gloveman and finally another Wyatt header was deflected for a corner, which was not spotted by the rather serious referee and a goal-kick was given instead. Sometimes, the reaction to players’ appeals appears to sting officials into making their decisions but I’m certain that this didn’t happen on the day… I’m absolutely certain… I’m sure I am.
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| CAUTION FOR LEYS, AFTER USING NASTY WORDS LIKE 'DAMN', 'HOLY BUTTOCK' AND 'GOSH'... |
And thus the game ended, Allen having rushed from goal to grab a through-pass and Plumbing having huffed and puffed, creating opportunities mainly through the deliveries by Farrell from set-pieces. Hibs held firm, Coventry failed to capitalise and drew for the first time in the Midland League this term. Changes made by Hibs were slightly less than appreciated by their skipper, especially the withdrawal of Myton, who at least had the ability to run at opponents in breaking-out situations but parity was duly protected and the hosts were left frustrated. Ley’s long kicking was strong for Leamington, Cunniff defended with aplomb and Bloomer played his part too, whereas for Coventry, right-back Daz Hutchinson was effective, as was Sharman but Gardner was probably underused and Farrell was not assisted enough times by those through-passes he so thrives upon…
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ALL THAT FUSS AND THERE'S NO WINNER...
WOULDN'T HAPPEN IN THE STATES... |
Four second period cautions stopped play: Swain (for not allowing Wilson to clear the ball) and Josh Palmer (a foul on Jordan Featherstone) for the hosts and Myton (a foul on Wyatt) and Ley (amazingly, for the unwise use of the English language…) for the guests.
Interesting that Hibs have a ‘Jamie Plummer’ on their playing roster… Did he give an insight into Coventry’s strengths? It’s not every day you wrench a point from the Plumbers…
TEAMS:
COVENTRY PLUMBING:
DAVE ALLEN, DAZ HUTCHINSON, JOE SHARMAN, JOE TOBIN, GEORGE SWAIN, MATT WYATT, RYAN ALEXANDER, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), CONNOLL FARRELL, KYLE KING, JOE GARDNER.
SUBS:
KYLE JAYNES, ANT GLENN, JOSH PALMER, JAMES CHAPPELL, CAM KNIGHT.
LEAMINGTON HIBS:
SEAN WILSON, CRAIG CUNNIFF, SOLOMON BLOOMER, ZACH FEATHERSTONE (CAPT), NATHAN LAY, KENT BREWSTER, LUKE WOOLLEY, JORDAN FEATHERSTONE, DAVID JONES, LEWIS BARRY, CALEB MYTON.
SUBS:
RAHMAN MAWI, LOUIS SWEENEY, MASON WILLIAMS, LEE RYCROFT, ISAAC BLOOMER.
