NUNEATON GRIFF 2-1 CADBURY ATHLETIC: THE FULL MATCH REPORT...

Griff Grab Victory In Spite Of The Wind, As The Camera Fails Like Cadbury’s Hopes…

Nuneaton Griff 2-1 Cadbury Athletic

So, I travelled to the Pingles Stadium on a blustery Wednesday evening, where my welcome has always been fine… It was again and I was duly shown the new media building which looked impressive inside with its array of monitors, one of which was focussed upon one section of the pitch… Good to see a club and its stadium progressing in difficult times. Due to the open stadium however, the strong wind controlled the evening, liberally spiced by squally showers from the Arches end of the facility to the other. Filming in the open was a non-starter due to the howling gale and of course the expected showers and thus I was ensconced at the back of the grandstand, some distance from the football pitch due to a concourse and the athletics track. Add to that the not too bright floodlighting and I was left to try to distinguish not too clear numbers on shirts and somehow prevent the camera’s lens from losing focus as it was turned in my hands.

The results? I missed Adan Moore’s opening goal completely, I just about caught Joel Ayettey’s shot entering the Griff net to equalise but I did get Devontae Irving-Young’s rebound strike to win the game for Nuneaton, also just about… Not a good evening for The Mowdog… The other, if rather few, goalmouth incidents were all captured, frustratingly. However, at half-time, I thought: “Maybe the closed-circuit TV in the media room captured Moore’s goal…” I hastened to meet the guy in charge during the break, so that maybe I could have videoed the relevant clip with my iPhone and later added it to my movie but any hopes were soon dashed. He told me that the camera was honed in on the dugouts at the time… Unlucky? Me? Nah… 

Apologies to all three goalscorers then, for my footage was poor. 

The game? Untidy, frenetic, feisty occasionally and lacking any rhythm or creativity for much of the time but naturally, that was mainly due to the weather conditions. Tackles, blocks, losses of possession, balls hoofed upwards and inaccuracy all prevailed but what was odd, was that so few shots were struck at goal, wind-aided. Even Cadbury’s corners after the interval were out-swingers… Much of the pressure exerted during the opening period by Griff stemmed from the long throws of Liam Stringer, most of which were cleared by the imposing height and presence of Athletic’s Ben Alport, skipper Sam Delaney and of course the vociferous Dan Dineen. Goalie Sam Smith was surprisingly untroubled, as only a Nick Harrison header from Irving-Young’s right-side centre which rose too high, plus Moore’s goal really caused any consternation.

The goal I recall came from a kick clear by Smith which was held up in the wind but Moore was suddenly freed at inside-left and onside it seemed. The camera’s record button was instantly pushed but it failed to focus the clip, as Moore fired a clinical low drive past the advancing goalie. I saw the goal though, for I never watch action through the viewfinder… Sorry Aden…

Home skipper Ryan Aston was cautioned during the first period but despite managing some aerial pressure from free-kicks and long throws, Cadbury weren’t too despairing. Indeed, they regained parity through their strong-running and threatening central striker Ayettey, who barged through the middle to clip a really neat and calm right-boot finish over the advancing home ‘keeper Joe Salisbury, who for some reason I wanted to call Hastings… No idea why… 

An early Sean McCloughlin centre had been caught smartly by Salisbury but Cadbury’s James Ward missed a decent opportunity when he misfired wide of the right upright, with Salisbury plainly wrong-footed and scrambling…

Half-time arrived for Pringles at the Pingles and cups of Bovril, as the combatants reassembled hairstyles, plucked grass from beards and checked how Liverpool were getting on against Athletico Madrid. 

Surprisingly, Griff threatened more times than their guests after the recess and really ought to have won by more than 2-1. Incredibly, Cadbury rarely pressured their hosts, with Dineen getting his head to one long throw by Callum Allchurch, then nodding another cross wide late on. Ayettey headed into Salisbury’s gloves from an acute angle beyond the right stick from a deep free-kick but he would surely rue his dragged shot well wide of the far stick, as he rushed into the right side of the 18 yard box. One shot was struck from distance, just one and that was a 30 yard try by replacement Kennie Roberts which flew wide of the left upright.

Blocks and headers away by home players, including Ash Gray, Conor McEwan, Aston, Harrison and Stringer, plus midfielders Ross Proudlock and Jake Perry, snuffed out any mild threat by Athletic during the second-half but in truth the visitors were generally disappointing on the evening. The hosts though won the game when a hard shot by the impressive Moore was not held onto by Smith and the lurking Irving-Moore shoved the rebound into the net from close range at the left vertical pole.

Right-back Ben Martin had proved to be a strong overlapping defender for Nuneaton and one run to the byeline set up Moore for a low shot which was deflected wide. Apart from his caution, Moore also drove in another hard shot which again Smith could only parry but Proudlock shot the inviting rebound wastefully past a post. Proudlock and Moore then set up a chance for substitute Baillie O’Reilly but a fine challenge by lively Cadbury full-back Stuart Cooke denied the replacement a goal. Whilst keeping the ball in a corner for the final moments, Martin suddenly broke along the right byeline but he was blocked off at the near post, spoiling what was some smart ingenuity by the defender.   

Picking out individuals was not easy because of the weather, the scrappy play, the many set-pieces and also the difficulty in identifying players from afar but certainly both defences did sterling work against the elements and the midfielders usually tucked in to help too. Ayettey was a force for Cadbury, Moore was decent in attack for Griff, Cadbury left-back Ulrich Mbeukam was never far from the action and Irving-Young ran the channels well, even though the provision offered him was often affected by the gusty conditions.

A deserved win for the struggling Griff lads and something to build upon…

TEAMS:

NUNEATON GRIFF:

JOE SALISBURY, BEN MARTIN, ASHLEY GRAY, RYAN ASTON (CAPT), NICK HARRISON, LIAM STRINGER, ROSS PROUDLOCK, JAKE PERRY, ADEN MOORE, DEVONTAE IRVING-YOUNG, CONOR MCEWAN.

SUBS:

REECE WILLIAMS, ALEX LOCK, CONNOR WILKINSON, BAILLIE O’REILLY.

CADBURY ATHLETIC:

SAM SMITH, STUART COOKE, ULRICH MBEUKAM, BEN ALPORT, SAM DELANEY (CAPT), DAN DINEEN, JOHN BAKER, CALLUM ALLCHURCH, JOEL AYETTEY, JAMES WARD, SEAN MCLOUGHLIN.

SUBS:

RAMZI SHAHEEN, DEON COLSTOCK, SAMUEL HART, KENNIE ROBERTS, THOMAS PARSONS.