COVENTRY PLUMBING 0-5 ROMULUS: THE MATCH REPORT...

Quick, Slick, Tricky Roms Savage Plumbers

Coventry Plumbing 0-5 Romulus

Division 3 Plumbers were harshly and ruthlessly beaten by Premier League Romulus on a warm evening at Westwood Heath Road. Rarely were the hosts allowed to build an attack and indeed, during the opening half, central striker Connoll Farrell struck two 20 yarders for Roms’ goalie Billy Spink to field and managed to nudge the ball past the ‘keeper on one occasion, only for the tall Niall Rowe to clear the ball away to safety. Other than those rare Coventry incursions, Romulus were in total command. The harried their hosts, they were fast, they were smart on the ball and they exploited some lax, indifferent and sometimes quite undignified defending by Plumbing. The home back line was ‘all over the place’ at times and in truth, gloveman Dave Allen did well to make the saves he did. 

0-0 AT THIS POINT...

In attack, Roms were so well served by Sim Colbourne, who netted twice, also Trea Bertie, ex-Racing Club Warwick, who scored a goal and caused Plumber Joe Sharman a shed-load of trouble. However, before the break, it was solid skipper Tom Weale and the clever Lewis Hayden who ran things for the guests. Weale took long throws and corners, struck the upper regions of the right upright with a fine free-kick and assisted Colbourne to score the opening goal, although it had taken almost forty minutes for that strike to materialise. Hayden was smooth in possession, wily, inventive and he affected the game regularly. He brought a low near post save from an acute shot on the left but also sliced another effort and scooped a rebound way high later in the half, to his disbelief…

14, LEWIS HAYDEN: A DECENT 45 MINUTES...

Colbourne it was who latched onto Weale’s pass and beat Allen from 15 yards, inside-left but the striker saw the ‘keeper smother another effort, save one on the break and yet another with his legs, although when Colbourne did beat the goalie, there was harassed Plumber Joe Tobin to get back and hack the ball from his goal-line. Tobin had already headed the ball off his goal-line once from a back-header by Roms’ steady defender Joe McNulty, when Weale’s delivery caused havoc in the home defence. Rowe too had almost benefited from a Weale throw but his early overhead effort dropped wide of the near upright.

0-1 & THE REF DEMONSTRATES HOW TO OPEN A BIBLE...

Midfielder Josh Willis had a header caught by Allen and drove a shot well wide, Demi Smikle struck a low shot at Allen’s legs and another shot off target, following some shambolic defending again by Coventry. Bertie was denied by the lower limbs of Allen too but added goal two before the interval. Slow, hesitant defending by the Plumbers ended with Sharman being mugged by Bertie, who lashed the ball past Allen from 15 yards. Visiting defender Maxwell Ngbeke was proving to be a lively, tall and lithe competitor, which culminated in a fine rush forward after the break, only to be denied by a packed Plumbing defence. 

0-2 & BERTIE HAS STRUCK...

That second period was more of the same by Roms, despite changes, although when the away team had Dean Rathbone at their disposal, things were not going to get better for Coventry. Rathbone was strong, influential and fired in four telling shots. One was blocked and another smacked the crossbar, which, in the failing light wasn’t clear on the video clip, due to its going out of focus, which I apologise for. However, moments later he nudged a pass at Bertie on the 18 yard line, who maybe knocked the ball on for Rathbone, surrounded by defenders but he forced himself into the penalty-box and struck a smart left-booter low past replacement goalkeeper Harry Dipper. Not finished, Rathbone then whacked an 18 yard first-time drive from a low Chris Cowley corner but Dipper rose like a buzzard to turn the effort away superbly. Before Rathbone’s goal four, Bertie had benefited from a blocked Coventry pass, he had rushed clear on the left and subsequently set up a tap-in for Colbourne’s brace, at the far stick. Colbourne also saw Dipper make a low save from an acute shot, following a neat pass by substitute Ryan Pace.

JORDAN POWELL, LEFT:
WOT, NO HEADBAND? 

Bertie drove against the top of the crossbar, again from a Pace pass and late on, following a one-two with the so effective Rathbone, somehow fired wide from a central position, 15 yards out. Rathbone set up goal five with a smart pass through inside-right and there was Cowley, his left shoe lifting the ball past Dipper and high into the left side of the net  from 16 yards. A near post flick by Cowley nearly brought a sixth goal, from Dom Perkins’ centre, if he was indeed wearing 16, and Perkins also drove a shot too high, as the pressure continued on the beleaguered Plumbers.

FRUSTRATED PLUMBERS...

Positives for Coventry? The two ‘keepers, certainly, also Tobin, some deft play on occasions by David Moyo and the efforts of Farrell and skipper Jordan Powell. Defensively, the Plumbers were in desperate need of, er, plumbing… 

COWLEY, LEFT, HAS ADDED GOAL 5...

The Roms look to have secured the services of some really useful players for the new season and right-back Kieron Donnelly really looked the part on his flank, along with the guys mentioned above. Selection could well be a problem however and I guess that close eyes will be kept on pre-season performances by individuals, who will be unable to coast…   

MCNULTY, 8, WAS CONFIDENT FOR THE ROMS...

Quick, slick and tricky… Says it all, really…

SQUADS: 

(THANKS TO THE TWO CLUBS FOR PROVIDING ME WITH NAMES & NUMBERS, ALSO ALLOWING ME TO PLAY A GUESSING GAME… APOLOGIES FOR ANY ERRORS!)

COVENTRY PLUMBING:

DAVE ALLEN, JOE TOBIN, JOE SHARMAN, NATHAN OSBOURNE, DAZ HUTCHINSON, SEAN WOODFIELD, DAVID MOYO, JORDAN POWELL, CONNOLL FARRELL, JOE GARDNER, KYLE JAYNES, TOBY DIPPER, HARRY DIPPER, KYLE KING, JOSH ARNOLD, MATTY LENDON, DAVID JEFFRIES.

ROMULUS:

BILLY SPINK, KIERON DONNELLY, NIALL ROWE, JOE MCNULTY, MAXWELL NGBEKE, TOM WEALE, TREA BERTIE, LEWIS HAYDEN, DEMI SMIKLE, JOSH WILLIS, SIM COLBOURNE, JAY D LIONGA, DOM PERKINS, RYAN PACE, JASON WOOD, CHRIS COWLEY.