COVENTRY PLUMBING 0-2 SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR: THE MATCH REPORT...

Shipston Damage Plumbers’ Title Hopes

Coventry Plumbers 0-2 Shipston Excelsior

Shipston set about their task at drizzle-soaked Westwood Heath Road with some aplomb and it is some measure of the excellence displayed by central defenders Freddy ‘Mercury’ Murphy and Will Brocklehurst, who performed like he was hand-to-hand fighting German soldiers alone in a World War 1 trench, that Excelsior goalie Marcus Ireland had relatively little to do all evening. Bolstered by the belligerence of skipper Chris Mills, the visitors belied their league position and won a deserved victory over wretched Coventry. Plumbing were missing key players in truth: skipper Jordan Powell, Joe Tobin, plus central defenders George Swain and Charlie Ward were all absent from their draw at Alcester last week but little could excuse the erratic Coventry defending during this encounter. Poor final passes on offense didn’t help either, despite the efforts of Connoll Farrell, who portrayed a frustrated figure on the well turned out surface. 

A QUICK TOSS...

FARRELL KICKS OFF...

A goal late in each half won the match for the guests, a totally and criminally unmarked header by the powerful Brocklehurst and a neat flicked finish at the near stick by replacement Wes Mack, which killed the contest late on. The Plumbers became fractious as the game wore on, possibly exacerbated by what they thought were some poor decisions by the rattled main official. Jason Evans was uncharacteristically dismissed for two claps towards the referee, following a caution for his challenge on a touchline. This was early in the second-half and cautions would subsequently follow for Rhys Lyons and Cam Pringle-Andrews of Coventry and Nick Shurmer of Excelsior. Shipston simply contained their hosts, having the outlet of striker Shaye Eden to feed for breaks throughout the contest. He deserved a goal but it wasn’t to be.

DOYLE DOWNED...

JUST BEFORE THE RAIN...

During the opening period, Farrell was seemingly alone as an attacker, for Kyle King and Liam Doyle were unable to make their marks, both being replaced by Coventry at the interval. First an angled effort by Farrell was knocked away by Ireland, Evans miscued the rebound and the goalie nabbed Farrell’s next rebound effort. Farrell then shoved a low delivery across goal, drove a shot wide of the right upright, saw another shot charged down, possibly by a hand and finally sliced a left-boot drive well wide. Otherwise, Doyle drove disappointingly too high from Farrell’s assist and midfielder James Chappell missed the best chance of the half, nodding wide at the left post, following Evans’ fine right-flank centre. 

HALF-TIME...

The visitors were dangerous courtesy of Eden’s swift and neat running, also due to Brocklehurst’s aerial presence, for the home defence failed miserably to deal with the defender’s leaps during that opening half. Eden rapped a low centre across goal, nodded a Nick Shurmer corner onto the roof of the net, rushed forth and sliced an effort past the right upright and broke again but unselfishly didn’t shoot, laying the ball off for Shurmer, whose drive flew well wide. Alex Welsby, I think, shot off target, follow a foul on home skipper Darren Hutchinson in front of the referee, which was not penalised and Brocklehurst then nodded too high from Welsby’s long throw, before glancing another header wide from a free-kick. His goal was scored far too easily as Shurmer took a quick corner on the left but the standing Plumbers were still looking for their tools as Brocklehurst rose to head the ball past a helpless Paul Lawrence and deep into the net.

0-1...

Thus half-time arrived with Coventry having been less than creative on offense and shaky on defense, whilst Shipston had been resolute on defense and lively on offense. A short interval, due to the gloomy weather and fading light would simply serve the proceedings to continue in the same vein, as Plumbing failed to score, rarely threatened and following the sending-off of Evans, they looked even more ragged, even more irritated but even less like a team challenging for promotion. Shipston were quicker to many balls, remained resolute in defence and rallied round their Flying Corps wide-boy Matt Partridge’s bellows, minus his flapping scarf and leather helmet…

2ND HALF TO BEGIN...

Certainly the Plumbers became more offensive after the break but apart from a deflected James Keller header, a run and shot by Lyons which rose well over the target and a late drive by makeshift forward Matty Wyatt which Ireland dropped a glove upon to stop, it was left yet again to Farrell to bear the brunt of the attacking. He saw a low angled effort smashed away from near the goal-line by Robbie Okines, who was a stalwart in defence for the visitors and he did well to block another Farrell shot but the striker also pulled a shot wide of the right stick. Otherwise, stuff broke down where Mills, Brocklehurst and the splendid Murphy defended for much of the time, around the 18 yard line. 

BEFORE EVANS IS DISMISSED...

Murphy made a very fine late attacking rush too, but fired his 20 yard shot wide of the right post, Eden delivered a cross-shot from right to left and also cut inside from the left but drove off target. A lifted header by Mack was the other real chance for Shipston but the return of the Mack brought about the spanner in the Plumbing works… Ed Caswell passed right to Shurmer, whose deep centre was flicked into the top of the net at the near post by, er, an unmarked Mack. Two Shipston goals, two Shurmer assists, two pieces of lax Coventry defending and the game was up…

0-2...

The teams play each other again on Saturday and surely Shipston’s confidence will be high. Plumbing must go again and try to win again, as their games in hand might still bring a reward of some kind, before they retire to play at Kenilworth next season… 

MORE TROUBLE...

Two of the officials for this game were Cox and Organ. 

‘Nuff said… 

TEAMS:

COVENTRY PLUMBING:

PAUL LAWRENCE, RHYS LYONS, JAMES KELLER, JAMES CHAPPELL, DARREN HUTCHINSON (CAPT), MATTY WYATT, JASON EVANS, CAM PRINGLE-ANDREWS, CONNOLL FARRELL, KYLE KING, LIAM DOYLE.

SUBS:

FRANCIS OFFOETE, SEAN WOODFIELD, KYLE LEWIS-AUBREY, JOE GARDNER, JOE TOBIN. 

SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR:

MARCUS IRELAND, ROBBIE OKINES, MATT PARTRIDGE, ALEX WELSBY, FREDDY MURPHY, WILL BROCKLEHURST, NICK SHURMER, ED CASWELL, CHRIS MILLS (CAPT), JARED RANDALL.

SUBS:

ALI EDEN, WES MACK, CHRIS DOLCE, RICH MOSS.