COVENTRY COPSEWOOD 1-1 TRIUMPH ATHLETIC (4-5 ON PENALTIES): MATCH REPORT...

Cooper’s Sacrificial Dismissal Helps Athletic To Triumph At Copsewood… 

Coventry Copsewood 1-1 Triumph Athletic, 

(4-5 on penalties)

Triumph rode their good fortune but also performed rather heroically in defence to overcome favourites Copsewood and reach the Final of the Coventry Evening Telegraph Cup, to be played at the Ricoh Arena later this season. A shot against a post by Ricky Cutting, several goalmouth skirmishes, some splendid defending by the Atkins brothers in particular (skipper Rich and wartime hero Tommy), plus some profligacy in their shooting by the Copsemen kept the visitors in the game, despite a superb goal by home defender Matty Burt. His 27 yard drive flew high into the top left corner of the net and thereby lies a sad story from my point of view. 

THE TWO FIVES SHAKE HANDS...

It did seem dark at the facilities-end of the pitch and with the low floodlight pylons causing some reflection in the camera’s lens, losing clarity and focus were severe problems on the night. Annoyingly, both Burt’s goal and Cutting’s shot onto an upright became victims of focus trouble and I can only apologise to both players for the lack of footage. I was extremely upset…

HUGE CROWD OF ONE CHAP ROARS THE GAME INTO ACTION...

No further goals were netted by the hosts, despite their pressure, yet Athletic’s goalie Khane Barlow was actually rarely stretched. Shots flew off target and that was the main difficulty for the Copsemen. As often happens in these circumstances, the harassed opponents snatched an equaliser, a penalty scored by Nick Walker and the resilient Triumphians held out until the end. In fact, Tim Cooper sacrificed himself by fouling the escaping Cutting in the dying moments of the tie and earned a red card from the main official. The subsequent free-kick was struck against Athletic’s defensive wall and thus a penalty shootout ensued. Triumph won that by 4-5, to scenes of great joy from the visiting players, officials and supporters. Sadly for young Copsewood replacement Ryan Pedley, his spot-kick flew well over the crossbar, after the first nine shots had been successful…

WILSON-KING: IN AGONY AS THE FIRST PERIOD ENDED...

Triumph managed to concede a good number of free-kicks throughout this match but the Cops made little use of them, as Tommy Atkins made two superb interventions and brother Rich commanded his defence with aplomb. A low 18 yard effort by Chris Wilson-King, following a headed clearance by Tommy Atkins flew past the right upright, Burt nodded a free-kick past the left stick, then Luke McKiernan tried to surprise Barlow with a low angled shot to the near post but the gloveman booted the ball away for a corner. Late in the half, the industrious Sean Quirke slid and nearly converted a low Wilson-King centre then drove too high from 18 yards as the interval neared.

BARLOW MAKES A SAVE WITH A BOOT.
WHO NEEDS GLOVES?

Yes, Cutting had thumped a good 22 yarder against the left post and Burt’s fine shot had given his team the lead but in a generally messy half, the physical Triumphians held their ground and frustrated their hosts. On offense, the guests had the rushes of Luke Comasky, wearing 15, not 9 and the effort of Dave Freeman to boast. I did mistake Freeman for Comasky when the forward fired past the near post when put clear at inside-right by Cooper, for which I apologise to both players. A Freeman cross from an angle was struck too high but those efforts apart, only a couple of set-pieces caused home goalie Olly Manuel, whom I recall from his Southam United days, any real anguish. 

BURT, IN BLUE, AFTER HIS FINE GOAL...

After the break, chances fell to strong home skipper Ben Atkins (another Atkins?), Burt, Jamie Delahunty and Quirke but all their efforts were inaccurate. Ben Atkins drove over the target and then wide of it from corners, before a substitute for the injured Wilson-King, Craig Civzelis nodded on a flag-kick for Burt to ram wide of the left post. Fine work by the efficient and effective Brad Taylor on the Coventry left led to a shot wide by Delahunty and when Taylor excelled again, this time Quirke’s effort also passed wide of an upright. Another Burt shot rumbled wide and the last gasp Lee Waters free-kick which smacked into the hardy Triumph defensive wall were the only other close shaves for the visitors, bar a few desperate scrambles, again from set-pieces.

CIVZELIS SEARCHES A CREVICE AS THE SECOND PERIOD BEGINS......

Tommy Atkins, running along the right-flank like he was attempting to get supplies to the front line trench at Passchendaele, shoved a centre into the home penalty-box, where Freeman had already shoved Ben Atkins aside but with both players looking behind them for the ball, Freeman got in front of the Cops’ skipper and fell like he’d been caught in barbed wire. A penalty was awarded and Nick Walker converted it comfortably. A Nick Walker free-kick did strike a head in the home defensive wall, following a foul on the busy Comasky, before Athletic’s Rob Chamberlain was cautioned for trying to rip a shirt off an opponent’s back and then of course, Cooper was exiled to the facilities…

MORE DEFENDING FOR TRIUMPH TO DO...

UPTON (6): "LOOK, THAT NET HAS A LIGHT SHINING ON IT..."

And then the shootout began… One home player appeared to want the kicks to be taken at the dark end, where badgers scurried in and out of their setts but the referee had decided he could see better at the far end and so the fun began… Success for Triumphians Freeman, Rich Atkins, Chamberlain, Kyle Walker and finally substitute Owen Wassall, was countered by the successful Cops McKiernan, Quirke, Waters and Civzelis. However, the tenth of ten spot-kicks was lifted way too high by the immensely unfortunate Pedley and Triumph duly celebrated…

But would the sent-off Cooper be the toast of Triumph? Hmm…

WASSALL'S PENALTY WILL IN EFFECT WIN THE TIE FOR ATHLETIC...

Cops Jake Upton and Quirke never stopped, Taylor was good in attack and Cutting’s pace was often a threat but in the end, Rich Atkins’ defence won the day, with some real help from midfielders Lewis Normoyle and Harvey Suddick…

THE FALLEN ARC DE TRIOMPHE...

TEAMS:

COVENTRY COPSEWOOD:

OLLY MANUEL, LEE WATERS, MATTY BURT, SEAN QUIRKE, BEN ATKINS (CAPT), JAKE UPTON, CHRIS WILSON-KING, JAMIE DELAHUNTY, RICKY CUTTING, BRAD TAYLOR, LUKE McKIERNAN.

SUBS:

SAM HEWITT, RYAN PEDLEY, RYAN McCAULEY, CRAIG CIVZELIS, JOE TAYLOR.

TRIUMPH ATHLETIC:

KHANE BARLOW, TOMMY ATKINS, ROB CHAMBERLAIN, KYLE WALKER, RICH ATKINS (CAPT), HARVEY SUDDICK, NICK WALKER, LEWIS NORMOYLE, LUKE COMASKY, DAVE FREEMAN, TIM COOPER.

SUBS:

NATHAN FLETCHER, CALUM FLANAGAN, OWEN WASSALL, LUKE WHATSIZE, ROSS IRWIN.