CLANFIELD 85 2-0 PERSHORE TOWN: THE INDEPENDENT & LIGHT-HEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Robins Ease To Victory Over Less Than Ripe Plums

Clanfield 85 2-0 Pershore Town

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

The clattering, clanking cacophony of a steam traction engine hauled a hay laden farm wagon past the Radcot Road ground during this match and the folks getting a ride on it would have been rather more excited by looking at Clanfield's early September village life than watching this rather forgettable Hellenic League encounter. 

JOSH 'COCK ROBIN' GIBBENS BREAKS SEVERAL OF THE REFEREE'S FINGERS...

There was a dearth of goalmouth action, there were precious few moments when goalkeepers were called into meaningful endeavour and much of the ‘action’ involved negative passing and inaccuracies. However, no particular fault could be laid at the players’ boots, for they battled manfully but in truth, decent offense was sadly lacking for much of the time. 

The first goal was almost an accidental header by home skipper Josh Gibbens in an amateurish goalmouth scramble, whilst incongruously, goal two was superbly struck by Robins’ forward Jamie Wyatt.

WYATT, LEFT, AFTER SCORING...

The huff and puff approach by the visitors brought only half-chances, mostly squandered by central striker Corey Virgo-Broom and, interestingly, left-back Roland Krol, who missed with three headers, the third of which forced a decent save from home goalie Luke Haley.

VIRGO-BROOM: FIRED HIS ONE REAL CHANCE WIDE...

Losing possession was a regular occurrence from both teams and in all honesty, combative home midfielder Craig Connor was fortunate that the referee was sympathetic to his first two rather wild challenges and thus he only received a caution for his third, which saw him slide like he was going for a personal best in a Greasy Floorboard event on his butt. When he jogged to the home dugout for a drink, he appeared to be smiling with some relief… Plums’ skipper Steve Webb, whose presence was a calming influence for his often erratic team, shoving sideways passes from deep midfield, was lucky too, for his second period hack at a prone opponent went unpunished, rather surprisingly…

A SPOOKY HAND REACHES OUT AT THE REFEREE AS HE CAUTIONS CONNOR...

 WEBB, 'THE TIDIER', MIGHT HAVE BEEN YELLOW-CARDED.
BUT WASN'T...

This was a game which a draw might have fitted but Clanfield scored the goals and that was critical…

Jamie Wyatt…

A quiet game overall but when he received a pass from central striker Jozef Fullerton on the right-flank, he cleverly cut inside Krol and sent a superb curling left-booted drive beyond Plums’ ‘keeper Rob Sims and high into the left corner of the net. Cue shock, admiration and gasps from the spectators who had been awaiting the reappearance of the traction engine for something interesting to enjoy…

AFTER GOAL 2...

A fine tackle by Wyatt late on precluded his replacement, after which he was ‘patted on the back’, a 1950s gesture, by his crew near the dugout… Well, maybe he was fist-bumped and smiled at.

FULLERTON, LEFT, WHO ASSISTED FOR WYATT'S GOAL...

Josh Gibbens… 

In a battle of light heavyweights, he came out on top versus Virgo-Broom, whose only real chance to score came in the first period when he escaped the Robins’ offside trap but drove wide from a good place, 16 yards out, inside-right channel.

Otherwise, Gibbens was Cock Robin, in control and he nearly scored again with a looped header which drifted too high. The skipper was in his element in a physical match, yet he showed calmness in possession and formed a good defensive screen with the rather good Karl Dickenson.

His goal stemmed from a corner which was unexpectedly nodded forward by Oli Isaac and right in front of visiting goalie Sims, Gibbens’s skull somehow glanced the ball over the goal-line in rather untidy fashion with his back to the net.

GIBBENS, 2ND FROM RIGHT, AFTER SCORING...

Roland Krol…

He provided the width on the Town left-flank from full-back and indeed caused some danger with three headers, two wide before the break and one which Haley turned over the crossbeam during the second forty-five, although the second of those attempts was the best chance, from right in front of goal.

He also saw a shot blocked by the head of Cock Robin and all told, Krol certainly performed well.

Sam Clark…

The tall Pershore defenseman played heartily and not only defended with aplomb but moved forward strongly in possession on occasions too. He and right-back Curtis Townley were often in the action, with the harassed Dave Goldsby doing the stopper’s job. Certainly Oli Isaac tried to make inroads on the Clanny left but typically the deliveries from wide places by both teams lacked accuracy.

CLARK IS IN THE BACKGROUND HERE...

The final comments… 

 

Overall this was a disappointing contest, although there were a few chances missed. An early right-side centre touched the face of the Pershore crossbar, industrious home midfielder Rory Linford-Pill flicked a close range effort too high and Isaac thought he should have been awarded a corner when his header struck a defender’s upper arm but the officials decided it would be a goal-kick. Late sorties by home replacement Jack Bellenger should have brought another goal but first he tried to pass to fellow substitute Kieran Day instead of shooting and the assist was intercepted, then he did find Day at the left edge of the 6 yard box but the recipient poked his shot into the side-netting.

GOLDSBY & FULLERTON...

Two poor efforts at goal after cutting inside from the left by Plum Josh Farnsworth, plus a shot over the bar by Goldsby from Virgo-Broom’s rare head-on and a shot from downtown well over the target by right-flanker George Skelton were all the visitors could muster until Farnsworth somehow smacked the ball well wide of the goal-frame from 8 yards, following Virgo-Broom’s insistent assist.

Three points for Clanny but only talking points for the Plums and I left Radcot Road to pass the steam traction engine, dragging another group of customers in the hay-filled farmer’s cart and I felt like I was exiting the past and entering the present, as the drive home took in Burford, Stow and Moreton, from where their ‘show’ visitors were leaving, jamming the main road south. Fortunately, I was travelling north…

GAME OVER...

It’s what I do…

TEAMS: 

CLANFIELD 85:

LUKE HALEY, TOM TAYLOR, RYAN MOORE, RORY LINFORD-PILL, JOSH GIBBENS (CAPT), KARL DICKENSON, JAMIE WYATT, CRAIG CONNOR, JOZEF FULLERTON, ELLIOTT HERITAGE, OLI ISAAC.

SUBS:

JACK BELLENGER, JOSH GRANT, KYLE CHESTER, CAM PIRIE, KIERAN DAY.

PERSHORE TOWN:

ROB SIMS, CURTIS TOWNLEY, ROLAND KROL, SAM CLARK, DAVE GOLDSBY, STEVE WEBB (CAPT), GEORGE SKELTON, JAKE CAVENS, COREY VIRGO-BROOM, TOM MILLS, JOSH FARNSWORTH.

SUBS:

NIKOLAY SILVA, LUCAS EDMONDS, JACK FARR, HARRY WILLIAMS, ELLIOTT HART.