CASTLE VALE TOWN 4-3 SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR: THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

Shipston Penalised At Henry’s House

Castle Vale Town 4-3 Shipston Excelsior

An artificial pitch, a protective grandstand and willing players combined to defeat Storm Dennis at Vale Stadium, which served up seven goals, a slightly dubious penalty and Shipston’s central striker missing the final minutes of the match, having been sin-binned. The result was in doubt right to the very finish, whereby Excelsior’s Richard Moss clipped a 21 yard free-kick off-target. Certainly, from an unbiased point of view, the visitors didn’t really deserve a loss but when a team is floundering at the foot of a league table, rarely does any good fortune ooze its way. 

THE TOSSING...

Vale opened strongly but their early lead was overturned, as Shipston began to overcome the squall, mostly blustering in their faces but then the hosts regained parity before the break. With the swirling elements mainly behind them during the second period, most of the chances fell to the guests but it took a smart assist by Nathan Cox which freed replacement Alex Obi to get Vale level, before a soft penalty decision offered burly and effective home forward Alex Henry the opportunity to snatch the victory with a firm spot-kick. 

HENRY STARTS IT...

The sounds of the game were somewhat unusual at the stadium though, for rain pattered upon the grandstand’s roof, the gale often howled, trying to reach the higher notes of the Castle Vale Boys' Soprano Choir, which meant a lot of screeching and screaming drifting about the ground, nestling below the busy M6. It was just a shame about some of the profane lyrics, which I guess some opposition teams might take exception to but overall the impression was that the Choir was supporting their team, er, enthusiastically…  

GRIM EXPRESSIONS...

After Elkhalifi ‘Zak’ Abereeak had fired a low drive for the hosts which visiting ‘keeper Marcus Ireland did well to push away for a corner, it was Cox who lit the touch paper of the encounter when he benefited from Mickaell Galloway’s long low pass. Henry didn’t collect it on the half-way line which dummied his marker and Cox was gone on the right-flank. He turned inside into the inside-right channel and struck a low left-footer beyond Ireland but not as far as the Atlantic, into the bottom left corner of the net.

CASWELL: LED HIS TEAM WELL...

Skipper Dale Jackson tested Ireland, Henry was off target twice but also shot at Ireland, yet Excelsior had rarely conjured up any offense. When they did, they scored twice and nearly added another goal from a free-kick by Moss. First, a deep free-kick from the left was flicked on by the tricky and useful Stan Dube and there was Josh Gibb, facing away from goal to  shove what was like a back-heeled effort into the net from 7 yards. Before Vale could recover, Grant got onto a right-side delivery and forced the ball past two defenders and the plunging goalie Luke Mauldridge from a few yards beyond the right post. The ball rolled into the opposite side of the net…

REF: "MY MIDDLE NAME IS CANUTE..."

Moss then took a free-kick from 19 yards with most spectators expecting a curling shot methinks but he hit the ball low and it cannoned off Grant’s boot just 5 yards from goal and flew by the right stick. The hosts managed to shake themselves into a reaction however and a neat pass by Cox set up Ryan Day at inside-left and he managed to score from 18 yards with a shot across Ireland, not as far as Wales but just inside the right post. There was still time for the tenacious Evander Beckford to shoot from 19 yards but his low drive struck the body of the fallen Cox and looped only just over the crossbeam…

WILKINS MARKS COX...

Half-time arrived and the players exited to re-gel their hair, drink Prosecco and gobble a packet of Rolos. They reappeared and the Choir stopped booting a ball about in front of the grandstand and settled back into their choir stalls to bellow their feelings about the second period.

GRANT AWAITS THE SECOND PERIOD WHISTLE...

The most influential Shipston player had been skipper Ed Caswell and he continued to dominate in midfield, soon making a fine run towards the right byeline before making an awkward delivery with the outside of his right boot. Moss miscued in the middle but the ball fell perfectly for Redshaw, who poked the ball to Mauldridge’s left from 7 yards. 2-3 and really, apart from a close range shot by Abereeak following Beckford’s byeline centre which was clawed away by Ireland, then a Cox shot blocked by James Coe and the subsequent rebound struck wide, the pressure came from the guests. Redshaw’s right-wing lob dropped too late, Mauldridge dived right to make a fine save from Moss, who also cut inside from the left but his resulting low shot flew wide, albeit possibly with the aid of a minor deflection. Grant was busy, causing home defenders Joshua Walker, Rodney Dame and Micquel Small some problems with his positional play and he tested Mauldridge twice, once seeing an effort bounce off target from the ‘keeper’s gloves. Grant also flicked a left-flank corner past the near post, as his team sensed another goal. However, it was the hosts who netted, courtesy of Cox’s pass and Obi’s clever run.

OBI (16): A WELL TAKEN GOAL...

3 OF THE 4 VALE DEFENDERS ARE TALL LADS... 

Obi raced clear and dragged the ball left past the advancing Ireland, allowing him to turn it low into goal from a few yards away. Incredibly, the hosts took the lead shortly afterwards, when a determined run by Henry took him towards the right side of the 18 yard box, where recent Shipston substitute Chris Dolce covered the move. However, a hand on Henry’s back, quite likely outside the penalty-area, sent Henry sprawling and the two officials nearby decided on a penalty-kick. Henry drove it low into the middle of the net and really, the game was over, especially as Grant was removed from the contest as Shipston restarted.

REF: "I GRANT YOU A 10 MINUTE REST..."

It remained only for Vale to mess up a three-on-one, whereby Henry, Obi and Cox failed to test Ireland, although Henry’s right-hook into Ashfield’s belly at the end of the play went unnoticed by the officials… 

WHACK...

OOF...

For Shipston, left-back Lee Ashfield rattled the home crossbar with a swirling free-kick from 28 yards and Moss clipped his added-time free-kick well wide. Play was halted when a young lad climbed over the barrier to fetch the ball he’d been kicking about, oblivious to the fact that the game was going on… 

GRANT: WORKED HARD...

Finally the referee ended the match, leaving Cox to race towards the Choir and leap into their midst: the baritone harmonising with the sopranos…

THE REF SHOWS HOW HE CAN RUB HIS HANDS TOGETHER AND MAKE HIS WHISTLE DISAPPEAR...
DUBE (FRONT OF IMAGE) IS NOT IMPRESSED...

Jackson was busy for the hosts, the Vale defence battled hard, Mauldridge made crucial saves and Beckford and Galloway were lively in midfield. Henry though was strong, Day was often a threat but Cox, with two assists and a good goal, would be pleased with his contribution. Replacement Ashley Hyde shored up midfield for Vale in the latter stages, too. Unfortunate Shipston could point to decent performances by Caswell, Dube, Grant and Moss, although defenders Steve Wilkins, Rhys Pugh and Coe all put in shifts too, along with Redshaw and Ashfield.

THE REF EXPLAINS TO HENRY HOW HIGH HIS PET GOAT IS, AT HOME...

Thanks to Vale for the kind welcome and to the Choir for actually chanting a neat song about ‘The Mowdog’, minus the profanities… 

IS CASWELL OFFERING THE HURT GRANT ONE OF HIS LEGS?

THAT has never happened before…

TEAMS:

CASTLE VALE TOWN:

LUKE MAULDRIDGE, ELKHALIFI ABEREEAK, RODNEY DAME, JOSHUA WALKER, MICQUEL SMALL, DALE JACKSON (CAPT), EVANDER BECKFORD, RYAN DAY, NATHAN COX, ALEX HENRY, MICKAELL GALLOWAY.

SUBS:

GEORGE DAINTY, JEROME GREAVES, ASHLEY HYDE, ALEX OBI, LEE PAINTAIN.

SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR:

MARCUS IRELAND, STEVE WILKINS, LEE ASHFIELD, RHYS PUGH, JAMES COE, JOSH GIBB, STAN DUBE, ED CASWELL (CAPT), CONNOR GRANT, GEORGE REDSHAW, RICHARD MOSS.

SUBS:

WILL BAXTER, CHRIS DOLCE, MAX MORRIS, ADAM FOSKETT.