COVEN ATHLETIC 6-4 WARSTONE WANDERERS: THE MATCH REPORT...

Ten Goals To End 2019 In The Gloomy Black Country

Coven Athletic 6-4 Warstone Wanderers

This encounter was quite a dramatic one, for visitors Warstone had surged into a 0-2 lead early, through smokin’ poachin’ striker Connor Forrester taking advantage of slight errors in the home defence. Then home ‘keeper Andy Richards, who had admitted to me before the match that he was concerned about his previously injured knee, went down, unable to continue. Enter player/manager Ryan McDonagh as goalie, who had afforded me a fine welcome to Bentley Street South and strangely, perhaps due to McDonagh’s fearsome beard and frown, Wanderers failed to trouble him before the break. In fact, Coven scored a brace of quick goals, two from free-kicks then another from a sliced Warstone clearance and suddenly Athletic were 3-2 ahead as the players left the field to chew on saveloys and sip Vimto. Things needed to improve for the guests and they did somewhat but the second period became a topsy-turvy affair and in the end, the hosts ran out 6-4 winners, despite losing more players injured and despite Wanderers missing several acceptable chances. 

SKIPPERS BLAGROVE & PROSSER GET READY TO TOSS...

DAVIES TO START THE GAME...

In fact, after those two early goals by Forrester, just two more shots were struck at the home goal, both went low and past the  left upright after being deflected. They were struck by Ash Brown (someone asked me if I wanted hash browns on my full English breakfast plate last year, strangely) and the lively Warstone playmaker Dan Thomas. Coven’s Sam Conway, who would later make two superb defensive interceptions then leave the field hurt beyond half-time, appeared to lose possession to Forrester in the opening minute and the forward smacked a rising drive from 15 yards, right side of the penalty-box into the far corner of the net to open the scoring.

0-1: FORRESTER...

GOCAN & CAMPBELL: GOOD TUSSLE...

The second goal stemmed from Forrester getting past Chris Williams at 19 yards and hitting a low shot past Richards. Williams would make some vital blocks as the game wore on, offering his manager some good protection, as his team attempted to hold onto three separate leads. 

0-2: FORRESTER AGAIN...

During the first period, wayward shots by Dom Latham and Michael Davies, who also saw a back-header collected by visiting gloveman Peter James, were added to by decent shots from Fred Mtumbe which flew wide of the left angle of crossbar and post, then Jordan Gocan, who grubbed an effort past the near post. Yet the three goals were well taken, the first following a foul by Andrae Brown and Latham struck a fine free-kick beyond James high into the right side of the net from 20 yards, left of centre. Goal two arrived moments later when a sliced kick by Warstone led to Mtumbi finding himself in a race for the ball with James as it rolled towards the 18 yard box. The Coven forward got there first, poked it goalwards and parity was subsequently attained…

RICHARDS: ABOUT TO LEAVE THE FIELD...

THINGS TO SORT OUT...

MCDONAGH HAS HIS OWN PERSONAL FAN-CLUB...

FREE-KICK TO COVEN...

1-2: LATHAM HAS SCORED...

2-2: MTUMBI THIS TIME...

Another foul, this time by Chris Campbell on the Wanderers’ defensive left, was at first allowed to pass by the referee who was impressive throughout this game but then, realising no advantage was possible, he blew to signal the indiscretion. Athletic’s strong left-back Callum Fairfax-Henry curled the ball in from deep on the right and Gocan was left horribly unchecked to move onto the ball just 4 yards out and head past the rooted James easily. 

GOCAN, RIGHT, HAS NODDED HIS TEAM 3-2 AHEAD...

Quite a turnaround then but despite the efforts of Pinder Deo for Warstone in midfield, little was seen of winger Isaac Matongo and Forrester had become less of a threat as the half had worn on. Mtumbi and Meggoe had been effective for Coven and the width offered by Latham and Gocan seemed to stretch Warstone considerably at times. Amil Saman for the guests and Williams for the hosts had looked in control in their defensive roles generally and Rob Turner, at right-back for Coven, had tussled well with Thomas on several occasions.

Following the recess, a miss by Davies was followed by a fine goal from the replacement for Matongo, Dan Lawrence, but very quickly, Coven regained the lead, only to lose it again when another visiting substitute, Ben Salter shot in from close range. Then Wanderers really ought to have taken a stranglehold on the game but misses by their other replacement Kane Lewis and then Salter, allowed Athletic to finish off their opponents with two late goals.

2ND HALF TO START...

 A superb first involvement by Lawrence, cutting in from the left and sending a rasping shot beyond McDonagh and high into the right corner of the net from downtown would be followed by an untidy goal by Salter, after Mtumbi’s second strike for Coven. Profligate finishing wrecked Warstone’s ambitions, however. Charlie Cook (not THE Charlie Cook, now of Coventry Plumbing, once of GNP Sports and Coventry United) had replaced Conway and he cleared a Lewis cross only for Deo’s miscue to fall in front of goal for Lawrence but his instinctive shot was kicked from the goal-line by McDonagh’s right shoe. Salter shot well wide, both Lewis, with a free-kick and Thomas shot over the left angle, both Forrester and Lewis shot inaccurately into the right side-netting and Deo made the left byeline but McDonagh held onto the visiting skipper’s rising shot from the narrowest of angles.

3-3: LAWRENCE HAS SCORED FROM DOWNTOWN...

 The hosts had missed a good chance at the beginning of the half when Davies was offered a shooting opportunity by Mtumbi’s pass but James saved smartly, before Mtumbi dispossessed Andrae Brown on the byeline and Davies’s ensuing shot was blocked by Saman. Then Lawrence scored and Mtumbi struck back, fastening onto replacement Seb Haldron’s pass and shooting past the advancing James comfortably from 16 yards in the inside-right channel. Davies shot in from a clever free-kick move but he had drifted offside but then the response from the visitors was simple; Deo’s short pass into the penalty-box allowing Salter to rush towards the right post and angle his shot past the helpless McDonagh, although Coven thought that Fairfax-Henry had been fouled during the build-up to the goal.

4-4: SALTER HAS NETTED...

THOMAS (11): WORKED HARD...

"I NEED A WORD..."

4-4 it was and then Salter squandered the best chance of the match… Lawrence fed Lewis at inside-right, his shot beat McDonagh, yet the trusty Williams hacked the ball from his goal-line but only to Salter, who blazed wide with the goal at his mercy. Cook was unable to get touches to a couple of set-pieces as Coven attacked again but then Meggoe was freed at inside-right by Haldron and he shot low past the advancing James to basically win the encounter. He displayed his gymnastic ability with a spectacular goal celebration and even McDonagh jogged upfield to congratulate Meggoe, whose relative I saw play as a substitute for AFC Wulfrunians last Saturday.

EXPRESSIONS...

A KNOCK FOR MCDONAGH?

THE REF KEEPS CALM...

The last goal saw Mtumbi get away at inside-right but James dropped right to stop his shot, only for the ball to fall perfectly for Davies who must have thought he was doomed not to score on the day, but he converted easily from inside the 6 yard box.

5-4 NOW...

6-4: GAME OVER...

Certainly Coven would be overjoyed by the victory but equally Warstone would be wondering how they gave up a 0-2 and comfortable lead against a team with a replacement goalie and then after regaining parity twice, missing a great chance to maybe win the match, before succumbing twice late on to sucker goals. Thomas and Pinder worked hard in midfield for the visitors, Chris Campbell was uncompromising, as was skipper Joe Prosser, who was cautioned for a foul on Davies. Forrester and Lawrence took their goals well but goalkeeper James was put under some tough pressure.

The hosts fielded two decent full-backs, skipper Paul Blagrove was unrelenting, Williams did well throughout but Latham and Gocan showed mild threat, Davies grabbed a late a reward for his efforts in attack but Mtumbi and Meggoe were invaluable for Athletic…

And Forrester? And yet a poacher? Do those terms not seem opposites? And smokin’? Ah, that was the fag he was puffin’ before the start of the second period… 

TEAMS:

COVEN ATHLETIC:

ANDY RICHARDS, ROB TURNER, CALLUM FAIRFAX-HENRY, PAUL BLAGROVE (CAPT), CHRIS WILLIAMS, SAM CONWAY, JORDAN GOCAN, FRED MTUMBI, MICHAEL DAVIES, ISAAC MEGGOE, DOM LATHAM.

SUBS:

LEE BLAKE, CHARLIE COOK, SEB HALDRON, RYAN MCDONAGH, ADAM ROBERTS.

WARSTONE WANDERERS:

PETER JAMES, JOE PROSSER (CAPT), CHRIS CAMPBELL, ANDRAE BROWN, AMIL SAMAN, ASH BROWN, ISAAC MATONGO, REECE CAMPBELL, CONNOR FORRESTER, PINDER DEO, DAN THOMAS.

SUBS:

BEN SALTER, NICK WARSOP, ALEX HENRY, DAN LAWRENCE, KANE LEWIS.