COVENTRY PLUMBING 12-0 CASTLE VALE TOWN: THE MATCH REPORT...

Flying Farrell Hits Double Figures 

Coventry Plumbing 12-0 Castle Vale Town

Tough to start anywhere but to admire Connoll Farrell’s finishing during an evening in which the visitors must have felt like Castle ‘Shady’ Vale Town. The leftie netted ten times, claiming one which took a slight deflection and deceived first-half Vale goalie Brad Carter. He had netted six before Joe Gardner and James Chappell struck too and at the interval the score was 9-0. At the break, Town striker Jack Garghan was seen heading for the dressing-rooms, goalie Brad Carter played as a forward after the quick changeover and Vale's influential midfielder Nick Wilson took over in goals. He conceded three, all to Farrell, who also blasted a penalty over the left angle of crossbar and upright.

IT WAS 0-0 AT THIS POINT...

Farrell’s goals: 

1-0: Taking a pass from Gardner’s clever turn, Farrell scored from an angle on the right, getting past Brandon Bryan and then beating the ‘keeper with his right boot.

2-0: He ran onto a central pass by Nathan Cadby and smacked a left-footer past the helpless Carter.

3-0: After being fouled inside the penalty-box by Bryan, Farrell rapped a low spot-kick into the bottom right corner of the net.

4-0: A quick turn at 18 yards and a low left-footer just inside the left post.

5-0: A left-footer from the right flank which took a slight deflection off Josh Walker and wrong-footed the goalie.

6-0: Cadby’s low shot was well saved by Carter but there was Farrell to poke a right-booter into the net from close range. 

9-0: A 20 yard free-kick from inside-right curled away from the static Carter and into the right side of goal.

10-0: Farrell raced past hesitant defenders onto a right-side pass from Gary Joynes and knocked home the ball from close range. 

11-0: A 20 yard free-kick from inside-left beat Wilson down to the ‘keeper’s left.

12-0: A low shot from the edge of the 18 yard box entered goal just inside the right upright…

What a night for the striker! And I don’t think he headed the ball either. It messes up the gel, I guess… 

THE START...

ANOTHER GOAL SCORED...

...AND ANOTHER...

Vale struggled through the match but credit to them for getting a team out and having three replacements named on the bench too. They barely managed to wake home goalie Paul Lawrence, who was forced to hide yawns inside his prodigious beard. A shot from the kick-off by Wilson bounced wide, Garghan threatened with runs and left-flanker Jiti Oboria hit an effort wide during the opening period, then ran a couple of times at Joynes after half-time. Vale skipper David Delaney was busy, often tetchy with his tackling but that was nothing compared to Bryan’s several fouls. He was eventually cautioned but so was home substitute Francis Offoete for catching goalie Wilson’s head as the Vale man dived at his feet. Offoete and Walker did not like each other either and threats of a fight after the game were heard. Something kicked off at the final whistle and it was thus a sad end to a lively match but naturally it was Farrell who first intervened bravely to keep the two pugilists at bay… 

FARRELL WANTS MORE...

Cadby drove a shot too high and had another angled effort deflected away by the goalie, then Brad Carter made a fine tip-over save from Jason Evans’ powerful 16 yard rising shot and after energetic skipper Jordan Powell won a left wing corner, he rose to head Cadby’s delivery over the target. Midfielders Gardner and Chappell both had shots well saved by Brad Carter, Chappell’s early angled drive flopping wide of the near post off the gloveman’s thighs. Both Plumbers scored too, Farrell cleverly shoving a reverse-pass into Gardner’s path for him to nick the ball past the goalkeeper, before Chappell moved onto a Cadby feed and lashed a 27 yarder into the top left corner of goal, which was a fine strike. Those were goals seven and eight, meaning that Farrell notched the first six and the last four…

MORE JOY...

...AND EVEN MORE...

It was tough to evaluate who was playing particularly well for Plumbing because they were so commanding against a backs-to-the-wall Vale outfit. Powell won aerial balls and displayed his usual appetite for physical contests, his headband adding a touch of Apache to his action, whilst Gardner and Chappell looked creative, although Evans was maybe slowed by a mean kick he took early on, symptomatic of some loose hacks by one or two Vale lads. Town’s Bryan mixed some strong defending with his bullish challenges and Alex McCarthy joined Delaney by getting off some hard tackles. Wilson was the most effective Valeman however and Oboria clearly possessed ability on the ball.

OH, DEAR...

Apologies to Castle Vale if there are any errors in identification, for number 12 started, whilst number 8 didn’t and therefore I might have named players incorrectly in my match commentary. But to start a second-half 0-9 down? Oh, dear… Wilson did fine as a goalkeeper but subsequently Farrell would beat him three times. Farrell also shot too high, had another 19 yarder deflected over the target, maybe by Wilson, then drew the ‘keeper along his byeline before seeing his clip deflect off Wilson then headed off the goal-line by a laughing Bryan. Farrell had a goal disallowed for offside, then a near post flick from Cadby’s corner blocked by McCarthy and of course drove his penalty over the left angle of bar and upright, following a foul on Offoete by McCarthy. 

A Chappell shot was sliced way off target, another struck Evans, who had an effort stopped by Wilson. Replacement Kyle King fired a free-kick at Wilson and struck another shot wide of the left stick, whilst a rampaging Joynes was denied when Wilson grabbed the ball at his feet. Another Plumbing substitute, Sean Woodfield powered in a fine header from a left-wing Cadby corner but Wilson excelled himself with a flying save to his right. A late error by Walker sent a right-side centre towards his own goal at the near post but again Wilson saved the situation, as the ball was about to squirm into the net.

WILSON GRABS...

WORDS SPOKEN...

And thus the game ended, Plumbing’s final competitive one at Westwood Heath Road, it appears, before their move to Kenilworth. And Farrell was the main man… 

FARRELL HAS REACHED 10...

Did he really take home three balls to correspond with a three-hat-trick haul?  

TEAMS:

COVENTRY PLUMBING:

PAUL LAWRENCE, GARY JOYNES, JOE TOBIN, JAMES CHAPPELL, CHARLIE WARD, GEORGE SWAIN, JASON EVANS, JOE GARDNER, CONNOLL FARRELL, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), NATHAN CADBY.

SUBS:

SEAN WOODFIELD, KYLE KING, FRANCIS OFFOETE, JACK DOBSON, DAN POVEY.    

CASTLE VALE TOWN:

BRAD CARTER, BRANDON CARTER, BRANDON BRYAN, ALEX MCCARTHY, JOSH WALKER, NICK WILSON, NATHENAL ALEM, ALEX OBI, DAVID DELANEY (CAPT), JACK GARGHAN, STEF BROWN, SAM HAWKER.