CLAVERDON 2-0 WICKHAMFORD: THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT & IMAGES...

 Claverdon Nullify Wickhamford & Take Title Race To Final Game…

Claverdon 2-0 Wickhamford

Considering the importance of this encounter, in which league leaders Wickhamford needed only a point to secure the Stratford Alliance’s Aquaid Division 1 title, for a good deal of the time there was a total lack of atmosphere, as the hosts clammed up their guests, who simply played a poor game. An early scrambled goal by home skipper Tommy Williams and a smart last-gasp second strike from Marc Passey claimed all three points for Claverdon, although in truth, visiting goalie Luis Sone was rarely called upon to make a save.

Actually, home goalie James Bramwell was also able to spend a fairly under-worked evening too, for this match was untidy, uncouth, unrewarding for spectators and underwhelming. Too many fouls were committed and the game was constantly interrupted by free-kicks, lengthy lectures by the referee and a host of cautions, as well as the sin-binning of a pair of Wickhamford players, Sean Cooke and James Schembri. It did appear that the pitch was crowded with combatants and little space was afforded players, especially those in red uniforms, who were hassled, hustled and hindered by Claverdon’s hugely effective tactic of denying their opponents room and time to create, or even run with the ball. The Wicks were also weak in attack and unimpressive in midfield, often becoming embroiled in the physical nature of Claverdon’s game-plan on what seemed a tight pitch.

THE WICKS SEEM LESS THAN PLEASED...

One incident would be discussed afterwards, I am sure, for as Wicks’ Joel Haycock bustled into the left side of the penalty-box during the opening period, Heath Parker pushed him from behind with a flailing hand and the referee awarded a penalty from maybe 15 metres back, albeit with a clear view. However, the linesman on the far side of the pitch, with a lowering sun in his eyes and positioned maybe forty to forty-five metres from the incident was flagging for a foul by Haycock, which one would imagine was likely to have been spotted too by the much closer referee… It hadn’t been. A free-kick to Claverdon was awarded. I thought that there was nothing really in either challenge but to be overruled by an assistant from a worse viewpoint into a glaring sun, did appear to be rather questionable on the part of the main official…

CAUTION FOR JENNINGS...

Whatever the rights and wrongs of that scenario, Claverdon maybe deserved the win because they were effective, whilst Wickhamford were hugely disappointing. Yes, Bramwell saved from Schembri, visiting skipper Louis Brown struck a post and Nathan Tomkotowicz scraped the crossbar but my video ‘highlights’ last a mere 13 minutes and that includes two slow-mo versions of the goals and six stills. Not much to work with, then… Due to the fact that spectators were virtually standing on the touchline in front of me (I was at least behind the cricket square’s rope), several folks simply walked in front of the camera. Not wrong at all but the focus is instantly changed when that happens. Surprisingly, some of those folks seemed unaware that I was filming… Ah, well…   

WAITING TO START...

During the opening half, Schembri was unable to keep a lobbed delivery from the right by Haycock in play at the left byeline, before Schembri himself flicked the ball on for Haycock, whose sliced shot drifted well wide. Luis Sone’s punted clearance went so far upfield (the tight pitch?) that Schembri got clear at inside-right but Bramwell advanced to save smartly with his legs. Schembri also shot wide, a Brown free-kick struck the right stick from 27 yards, both Mike Jennings and Will Aspey saw efforts rise way too high and of course, Brown was cautioned, Cooke binned as a sinner and Jennings was yellow carded too. 

BOOKING FOR EDDY...

Claverdon scored from a long throw on the right, which was flicked on I believe by the effective Steve Nollett, built like a boulder and with the home defence dithering, Williams simply tapped the ball into the net at the left upright, with no defender on the goal-line. I couldn’t even see the throw being taken because leaning spectators blocked the view, so my video clip begins a second or two late, for which I apologise…

1-0: WILLIAMS THE SCORER...

The very influential Claverdon midfielder Henry Eddy swung a free-kick way too high when Nollett must have been hoping for an assist for a header,  the hard tackling Alex Litwinko, a decent guy who chatted to me pre-game, nodded a right-side Eddy free-kick across the face of the Wicks’ goal, before Jennings hacked it clear and there was also a goalmouth melee, which was sorted by Tomkotowicz’s hacked clearance. 

CAUTION FOR TOMKOTOWICZ...

And that was all the offense managed by the teams before the recess. No room, to time, no real creativity and a dearth of shots in a physical contest…

Players like Barney Knight on the right-flank for Clav’ and Jennings on the left for Wicks must have rued the lack of pitch width and it was interesting that Cooke, who makes clever runs during matches, was unable to get going on more than a handful of occasions. So, stifled, the guests still needed a goal but it would never come and with home defenders Damien Cartwright and Rich Heath in excellent and ebullient form, Wicks were unable to change up and find any real form.

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME FRICTION HERE...

Certainly the visitors ran half two, which began with an instant caution for Eddy for a hack on Brown and from then on the hosts created virtually nothing after Knight’s free-kick flew too high, until the final minutes, when Williams shot way off target, replacement Oscar Metcalf drove too high and Passey rapped his goal. Wickhamford had already seen a Brown free-kick go over the crossbeam, before Tomkotowicz hacked the ball at Heath’s head as the home defender went to ground. The Wickerman saw yellow… 

THE REF SHOWS YELLOW TO ASPEY, WHO SHOWS A LEG IN RESPONSE...

No advantage was allowed to Wicks when Haycock swung a fine shot into the net from downtown on the left but the official blew for a foul to the guests instead, which again caused derision from the visiting contingent. Then Brown messed up a 25 yard free-kick ruse, although after regaining possession, Cooke slipped the ball right to Schembri but couldn’t reach the striker’s low return pass at the near stick. Cooke was then booked for a foul, before he and the strangely off-colour Wicks’ replacement Robbie Sone combined to set up Tomkotowicz but his 27 yarder scraped the crossbar with Bramwell well beaten.

COOKE-BOOKED...

A wild left-footer by Tomkotowicz really was awful, then Robbie Sone’s low shot was easily picked up by Bramwell, although maybe Sone could have travelled first, before getting off his shot… Sam Penfold, who, along with Ben Bearcroft were strong enough in central defence for the guests, was cautioned, then Schembri was sin-binned, as almost everything appeared to be going wrong for Wickhamford. 

PENFOLD & NOLLETT...

In truth, little offense came from Wicks in the closing minutes, which was testament to the ‘bodies on the line’ closing-down tactics by Claverdon’s Shay Roberts-Nicholson, Sam Muller, substitute Dan Rist, Cartwright, Litwinko and Eddy. Passey too, added steel and an experienced, commanding presence at right-back for the hosts and subsequently it was his rush forward at inside-right, pointing to where he wanted the ball passed to by Eddy and thus settling the outcome of the contest. He rattled a low angled drive past Luis Sone into the left corner of the net…

2-0: PASSEY...

At the restart, Robbie Sone jogged forward thinking the kick-off had been taken and was forced to jog back to the middle, at which point the referee whistled for full-time…

PENFOLD BOOKED...

Not much to write home about then all told, except the expertise with which Claverdon carried out their orders and restricted, restrained and stymied Wickhamford’s hopes of winning the league title, during a tough, uncompromising, irritable encounter…   

SCHEMBRI IS SIN-BINNED...

SQUADS:

CLAVERDON:

JAMES BRAMWELL, HENRY EDDY, ALEX LITWINKO, SAM MULLER, RUBEN ASTHEIMER, DAMIEN CARTWRIGHT, MARC PASSEY, OSCAR METCALF, BARNEY KNIGHT, STEVE NOLLETT, HEATH PARKER, JOE KNIGHT, SHAY ROBERTS-NICHOLSON, RICH HEATH, TOMMY WILLIAMS (CAPT), DAN RIST.

WICKHAMFORD:

LUIS SONE, JOSH GREAVES, HARRY NAYLOR, NATHAN TOMKOTOWICZ, JACK MILWARD, LOUIS BROWN (CAPT), JOEL HAYCOCK, JOE NISHIGAKI, JAMES SCHEMBRI, ROBBIE SONE, WILL ASPEY, LOUIS SUTTON, BEN BEARCROFT, SEAN COOKE, SAM PENFOLD, MIKE JENNINGS.