DROITWICH SPA 5-2 WRENS NEST: THE MATCH REPORT + IMAGES...

The Saltmen Edge Out The Combative Wrens To Go Top Of The League 

Droitwich Spa 5-2 Wrens Nest

Nasty rain on the M42 and M5 made it seem likely that the Walshes Meadow pitch wouldn’t have survived for this WMRL Division 1 clash, which was only Droitwich’s third league encounter at home this term. Remarkable then that they swept to the top of the division after this seven goal entertainment, which really was worth travelling to watch. The deep puddles inside the entrance, the mud, the slippery matting and the fact that the loos were locked, didn’t augur well for the evening, so I was forced to pee behind the soon to be extended clubhouse and that was after I was grudgingly admitted free of charge, as if it wasn’t believed that I was filming and reporting on the match…

READY TO GO THEN...

However, a heavy shower of rain sent the officials back outside to check whether conditions had worsened but it was deemed that play would begin as arranged and the players really got stuck in, sliding about and getting splattered with mud. I miss those days of heavy, slime laden kit, boots which took time to clean and the opportunity to slide-tackle and travel several yards in the process. Yet during this contest neither team simply lumped the ball about but attempted to pass it and to their credit, this led to an offensive, rather than a defensive spectacle and both teams might have scored several more goals. The early Jordan Cox strike was nullified by one of the best individuals on view, the Wrens’ Jordon Sangha but Cox struck again before the break to edge Spa back into the lead. A brace by Connor Collins shoved the hosts 4-1 ahead, before a deserved goal by quick Wrens Nest forward Arnold Chaponda closed the gap. It wasn’t enough though, for home replacement Haydn Morris finally settled the affair late on.

A WRENS NEST PLAYER CHOOSES A FINE TIME TO COLLECT BUTTERFLIES...

A poorly marked Cox fired a 16 yard shot past visiting goalie Todd Henderson early on to open the scoring and he was a regular danger for visiting skipper Tom Rann, who had only declared himself fit minutes before the kick-off. Cox also drove an effort wide of the right stick after cutting inside from the left. James Lemon, Collins and Ben Tilbury were all unable to get in a shot as a goalmouth scramble was survived by the Wrens, before Jack Davies saw a low 19 yard drive saved by the slithering Henderson, who also saved well from right-back Alex Dugmore, who had sneaked in near the right post onto a free-kick. However, Collins went really close, following a run to the left byeline by Cox, for the striker’s rising shot smacked against the face of the crossbar. Collins also failed to control a fine through-pass by impressive home left-back Lewis Phillips and the central striker attempted a 40 yard shot, after Henderson had raced from goal to hack the ball clear but Collins’ effort from downtown was well off target.

STICKING TOGETHER AWAITING A SET-PIECE...

It had seemed rather harsh on the visitors to be behind, for their work ethic was splendid, despite missing three players who had been unable to make the game, due to work commitments. An early cross by Matt Holland fell onto the roof of the home net but speedy strikers Chaponda and the bustling Ethan Delaney really caused the home defence problems in turning and making covering runs on such a slippery and mucky surface. Chaponda made good ground to the right byeline but home ‘keeper Matt Oliver turned his angled shot aside for the defence to clear, then Chaponda struck a fine rising drive from 17 yards which deflected over the crossbar via the alert Phillips’s head. Chaponda squandered an opportunity though when he rapped the ball too high at the near upright, from Sangha’s right-side delivery. Alex Idoine drove wide from 25 yards, Lee Salt (ironically playing against the Saltmen) shot way too high but Delaney did rather better. He fell under a challenge by Dugmore but no penalty was awarded by a referee who did so well in such awful conditions, Delaney’s near post glancing header from Sangha’s right-flank corner was hacked from in front of his own goal by Tilbury, before the striker miscued a shot but recovered, only to fire wide of the right vertical.

IT'S LIKE WE ARE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GIVE THE REF A GENTLE PUSH...

Delaney shot just wide from inside-left too but when he did break and get a shot on target, Oliver advanced to save smartly, although he was indebted to Tilbury again who blocked brilliantly as Chaponda struck an effort from the rebound. The Wrens regained parity when a set-piece was defended by Spa on their own 18 yard line but Sangha’s snap-shot flew low past Oliver for 1-1. Subsequently though, Cox would grab the lead again for the hosts, albeit on the break and actually Lemon might rue not scoring himself. Lemon broke away but Henderson rushed from goal to make a fine block, only for the loose ball to be rapped low into the net from 19 yards by the unmarked Cox.

WORDS SPOKEN TO TOM RANN & SANGHA...

Thus half-time arrived for hot cocoa and chocolate fingers, with the game in the balance and with the promise of more pleasing offense to litter the second 45 minutes. Why, even the guys with their phones permanently on, checking the progress of the evening’s professional matches, were forced to watch the tussle on the field on occasions… 

COX: 2 GOALS, 3 ASSISTS...
NOT BAD.

Ed Rann had, er, run and run for Nest but the real playmaker was Sangha, always seemingly finding time on the ball and even on this sticky surface he was still able to display accuracy with his often innovative passes. Chaponda and Delaney had certainly impressed and both continued to do so, whereas for the hosts, Cox had been a real feature. Incredibly, he scored the first two goals and would later assist with the other three, culminating in a fine evening’s work. Collins was a throwback central striker in those conditions and Lemon, often dropping deeper, looked very useful on occasions, although one late miss might linger in his memory for a few days yet…  

SANGHA: CLEVER AT TIMES...

Despite some real attacking intent by the Wrens after the interval, they were often caught out on the break by Droitwich and all three second-half goals were created within and scored from the inside-left channel. Collins had already shoved a low shot at Henderson, before he was fed twice by Cox to shoot low from 15 and then 12 yards into the right corner of the net past the partially advanced Henderson. The first of them came when Cox turned to pass the ball and Tom Rann deflected it into Collins’ path. The second arrived from a little nod inside by Cox and Collins accepted that opportunity with relish. Another Collins shot passed the left pole too but Cox wasn’t quite so clinical with his own attempts, for he drove one effort against Henderson’s feet, allowing the muddied goalie to leap onto the loose ball like a shoebill stork onto a lungfish in a muddy African pond. Another Cox shot thumped against the base of the right upright and although Collins fed the rebound into goal, he was foiled by a wagging offside flag.

COX IS MOBBED...

Cory Rudd fired wildly off target, Lemon clipped a right-wing centre behind the goal-frame on a promising break, before he had a low shot collected by Henderson, then from Tilbury’s unselfish pass, Lemon had the goal gaping before him, only to stun the helpless Henderson by shooting against the inside of the right post from 7 yards and the ball flew away to the left flank. The acceptable chance had been spurned and Lemon’s face displayed all the sourness of, er, a bitter lemon… 

CAUTION FOR DAVIES...

Replacements Morris and Brad Burgess both went close too, for Morris’s shift past two defenders saw his shot fly past the left stick and Burgess shot wide of the same upright following another assist from Cox. For the Saltmen, both Davies and Collins were cautioned as the tension and fervour increased towards the end of the match but still the plucky visitors battled away.

CORY RUDD IS ADMONISHED...

A header by Salt caused Oliver to fall and save the ball, Sangha created a smart move but when the ball was returned to him, 19 yards out, a slipping left shoe caused his shot to fly tamely wide, before Sangha clipped a free-kick into the side-rigging attached to the right post. Ed Rann shot wide, before the clever Chaponda got to the left byeline and crossed for Delaney at the far stick but Oliver smothered his downward header and the presence of Dugmore wrecked the rebound shot by the frustrated Wrens’ forward. However, a fine curled pass from inside-left by Sangha fell at Chaponda’s feet 7 yards out and he converted with ease to bring the score back to 4-2. 

BRILLIANT DROITWICH NUMBERS, MAKING IDENTIFICATION A LITTLE EASIER...

The hosts though finally settled the game in the closing moments when a smart assist by Cox rolled into the 18 yard box for the lurking Morris to help on its way past the downcast Henderson for 5-2.  

So, all in all, a fine game to watch but in truth, I wished I’d been playing in it, even in goals… Praise must be heaped upon both teams for their efforts on the night and both Spa central defenders, the inimitable Mike Seeley and skipper Matt Hunt knew they had been in a game, as did full-backs Dugmore and Phillips. Tilbury and Rudd worked hard in midfield but with Cox, Lemon and Collins in attack, surely Droitwich will remain as realistic title contenders.

THE START OF HALF TWO...

Wrens Nest did so well… Hard midfield work by Ed Rann and Idoine, some genuine pace and clever play in attack by Chaponda and Delaney, a sprinkling of Sangha skill behind the strikers and some good overlapping by Holland and Sam Bratt-Wytton meant that the result was in some doubt until Morris netted goal five for the Saltmen.   

ALL OVER...

I negotiated the mud, the pools of water, the slippery matting and the dark, riverside December night to locate my car in the parking lot, then drove through Stourport’s Yuletide lights towards the M5 again, passing the electricity-grabbing Wood’s Garden Centre, where their lights surely left the Walshes Meadow floodlights effectively in the dark…  

TEAMS:

DROITWICH SPA:

MATT OLIVER, ALEX DUGMORE, LEWIS PHILLIPS, MIKE SEELEY, MATT HUNT (CAPT), CORY RUDD, JACK DAVIES, BEN TILBURY, CONNOR COLLINS, JAMES LEMON, JORDAN COX.

SUBS:

BRAD BURGESS, HAYDN MORRIS, CHARLIE TILLEY, JONNY BROOKS, CHRIS DUGGAN.

WRENS NEST:

TODD HENDERSON, SAM BRATT-WYTTON, MATT HOLLAND, TOM RANN (CAPT), LUKE BROOKES, LEE SALT, ED RANN, ALEX IDOINE, ETHAN DELANEY, ARNOLD CHAPONDA, JORDON SANGHA.

SUBS:

LUKE COOKSEY, DANNY ROBINSON, NATHAN GUEST, JACK FELLOWS.