COVENTRY PLUMBING 1-1 LEAMINGTON HIBS: THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

The Plumbers Fail To Wrench Victory From The Stubborn, Lively Hibs…

Coventry Plumbing 1-1 Leamington Hibs

Coventry Plumbing paid the rent to Bedworth United and booked the artificial pitch at The Oval, just to get one of their matches played and thus not have another contest added to their increasing list of postponements. Hibs came to compete and compete they did, causing the Plumbers all sorts of problems and creating the best of the goal chances, to be fair. A couple of good saves by home goalie Ross Davies and two efforts which struck Coventry’s goal frame shook the Plumbers and despite more pressure and possession, they failed to ignite on offense, with Kiam Galdins missing the target a few times, as did Connoll Farrell, who was superbly quietened by the Hibs defender Andrusca Vitalie (whose name was written in reverse on the club’s team-sheet, hence my references to ‘Andrusca’ instead of ‘Vitalie’ in the commentary). The surprise was that Farrell and Charlie Cook  didn’t switch flanks on occasions to cause Leamington some disarray. Thrusts by Plumbers Alfie Boylin, Joe Gardner and uncompromising skipper Jordan Powell were generally snuffed out by Hibs defenders Sam Smith and skipper Zach Featherstone, so that goalie Jack Marshall was well protected. 

SHOULD BE COIN TOSS, IS ACTUALLY COIN LOSS...
OR IS THAT A POOR IMPRESSION OF QUASIMODO?

It would take a cross-cum-shot by melodic replacement Liam Doyle (who likes the centre-stage, naturally…) to plunder a point for the Plumbers, after the enigmatic Jordan Featherstone had won and scored a penalty for the visitors during the second period. However, the main event during the contest was a nasty incident near the dugouts, which without doubt arose due to the ineptitude of the referee. He had seemed indecisive (having to discuss matters at length with an assistant several times), he had looked daunted by the proceedings (appearing stage-struck on occasions) and was certainly incredibly lenient during the second period in particular, wherein several really poor challenges by individuals from both teams went unpunished. Clearly, when the scuffling broke out, the official had been looking on, almost incredulously, as several players hacked at each other, which came to a head, literally, when the substituted Plumber Charlie Cook exited a dugout like a trooper from a Somme trench and waded into the fray, kicking out, as Hibs player Ryan McEvoy lay covering up his skull. I just hope Skyla (the daughter of Lozza, one of the Coventry coaches) didn’t take in much of that event, which took place right in front of the grandstand…

GALDINS TO KICK OFF...

Cook was dismissed, even though he had already exited the playing area and the red card was shown, er, to the tunnel, for the referee had again been conferring for some time with a nearby assistant. 

REF: "WHAT YOU GOT IN THE 4.15 AT WARWICK?"

Unsavoury, unpleasant, unnecessary, unwanted, unruly… I feel embarrassed to report the above and the video evidence only serves to confirm the melee’s horrors…

MCEVOY IS PRONE...

The match itself had been feisty but well contested, yet three players from Coventry were cautioned and one dismissed, although no Leamington players were booked at all, even Gary Joynes for a clinical ‘taking-out’ of Cook. Joe Tobin and Connoll Farrell were yellow-carded, before substitute Kyle Jaynes barged foolishly into Marshall to earn his caution. Awful finishing during the opening half by Coventry was eclipsed by Hibs’ accuracy in shooting. Cook shot low at Marshall, Galdins drove wide and then sliced horribly off target both from good positions 12 yards out, Farrell smashed a shot too high from 12 yards, Boylin glanced a header well wide and Powell’s low shot was deflected for a corner. And that summed up the hosts’ finishing, into a gusty wind on the carpet.

YEAH, A GOOD CONTEST HERE...

Leamington were aided by Powell’s misplaced pass, leading to Davis leaving his goal and saving well from David Jones, before Sam Watts (apologies to him for calling him Sam Davis on the commentary during this piece of action) drove a shot against the inside of the base of the left upright. Jordan Featherstone had a long shot deflected, then his lob was superbly gloved off target by Davis, after the physical Hibs midfielder had found himself clear at inside-left, with no offside flag waving. The same player smacked a 30 yard free-kick against the face of the Coventry crossbar too and McEvoy so nearly turned the ball past Davis at the left post but the ‘keeper smuggled the ball away. 

UNUSUAL KIT DESIGNS MEET...

Something needed to change for Coventry but Hibs’ game plan seemed to be working fine and would continue thus, but still Farrell remained on the left flank after the break, Cook remained on the right and the attempts at goal by the Plumbers continued to be profligate. The interval for blood oranges and spiked toasted teacakes was accompanied by a few howls of wind and the proceedings subsequently dipped into a spate of spiteful fouls, often waived by the official, some verbal baiting by a few players towards opponents and a significant drop in the temperature, so that the spectators realised that winter was still about.

THE BIKE IS ALREADY THERE FOR THE REF TO CLIMB UPON...

ZACH FEATHERSTONE (4) DOESN'T WANT THE REF TO TOUCH HIM...

Farrell had one shot blocked, struck an angled volley wide and drove too high on a couple of occasions, whilst Galdins could get no power behind one strike and sliced a left-booter well off target. Boylin went closer though, with a low drive just wide and another just too high, yet once again Marshall remained largely redundant, until the final seconds…

THE REF BLOWS THE BALL OFF THE CENTRE-SPOT...

THIS WAS A GOOD BOUT: POWELL v FEATHERSTONE J. ...

A Jordan Featherstone free-kick against the wind for Hibs was easily dealt with by Davis but the midfielder was then challenged by Tobin and fell to secure a penalty, which took a lengthy conversation between the main official and an assistant to actually award. Featherstone rapped his spot-kick high to the right of centre and into the net, as Davis fell the other way. The remainder of the half was one of protecting the lead for Hibs, albeit against a wasteful Coventry offense.

JORDAN FEATHERSTONE SLEDGES AFTER SCORING...

BOYLIN & WOOLLEY...

ASSISTANT: "YOU GONNA BOOK TOBIN?"
REF: "SHOULD I? OH, ALL RIGHT, THEN..."

Eventually Doyle’s right-wing delivery drifted beyond Marshall’s leap and into the far left corner of the goal to regain parity for the Plumbers but the most dramatic moment (the Broad Street, Birmingham night-club fighting apart, that is…) came at the very end of the match. Farrell’s acute shot was stopped at his near post by Marshall or possibly a defender and the diverted ball ran across the goalmouth to the unmarked Doyle who surely HAD to score but his left-foot shot from 7 yards was incredibly bravely blocked by Smith, who lunged in front of the singing striker. The game ended instantly…

DOYLE (14) CELEBRATES WITH A CHORUS FROM ONE OF HIS SHOWS...

Luke Woolley had prowled the midfield lethally for Hibs, Jones, plus Davy and Sam Watts had run the attacking channels smartly on occasions but the Featherstones had been huge for their team, as had Smith and Vitalie, who stuck close to the out of sorts Farrell and thus largely eliminated the leading scorer from affecting the outcome of the contest. Brandon Walker was used as a replacement and he too enjoyed one or two lusty challenges under the close scrutiny of the ineffectual by-standing referee… 

JAYNES IS CAUTIONED...

Plumbing? Struggled… Tobin and George Whitelaw assisted the stuttering offense from wide when they could, central defenders Phil Chesters and especially the powerful Chris Hayden were effective enough though but the team’s best creativity was seen when Boylin and Gardner were on the ball. If Cook and Farrell did manage the occasional centre, very little was achieved by their team-mates from the deliveries, as Marshall’s gloves, usually unchallenged, snatched them. Powell foraged but he, like several other combatants on the day was fortunate to have escaped a caution…

Badly done referee…

As I moved my car away from where I had parked it, it was sad to see Cook walking alone behind a goal-frame, using his mobile-phone. He looked up and saw me, then waved and I waved back and I wondered what would become of a player with such talent but such anger too…

TEAMS:

COVENTRY PLUMBING:

ROSS DAVIS, GEORGE WHITELAW, JOE TOBIN, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), PHIL CHESTERS, CHRIS HAYDEN, CHARLIE COOK, ALFIE BOYLIN, CONNOLL FARRELL, JOE GARDNER, KIAM GALDINS.

SUBS:

TOMMY PROBERT, LIAM DOYLE, RYAN ALEXANDER, KYLE JAYNES, JAMES CHAPPELL.

LEAMINGTON HIBS:

JACK MARSHALL, LUKE WOOLLEY, ANDRUSCA VITALIE, ZACH FEATHERSTONE (CAPT), SAM SMITH, GARY JOYNES, RYAN MCEVOY, JORDAN FEATHERSTONE, DAVID JONES, DAVY WATTS, SAM WATTS.

SUBS:

HARRY PALMER, LEWIS BARRY, LEE RYCROFT, BRANDON WALKER.