ARDLEY UNITED 0-0 CRAWLEY GREEN: THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Ardley A Thrilling Night…

Ardley United 0-0 Crawley Green

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

On the positive side, I received another decent welcome from Ardley United. Their forward Anaclet Odhiambo, injured but on holiday in Newquay, Cornwall had asked me to update him how the match was going but that proved to be tough, for this encounter was a drudge to witness.

It lacked creativity throughout. Long kicks forward, presumed to be passes, were too regular, passes were often poorly aimed and ball control was at a premium.

THE TOSS...

The opening half-hour was so low key that even the officials seemed to be stifling yawns. Indeed, the referee sent two home players to the 'sin-bin’ almost at the same time, some fifteen minutes from the end maybe to see if Crawley Green could mount some offense. They barely managed any until Ben Willoughby and Tom Franklin returned to the fray for the final minutes.

WILLOUGHBY (8) IS BINNED...

After Saturday’s defeat on penalties to Tring Athletic, Ardley’s James Casbierd, a central striker, was awarded his team’s MVP award yet was benched for this match as was Saturday’s goalscorer Jacob Blackstock, midfielder Callum Convey and left-back Caelan Isaac. OK, perhaps one or more of them had struggled to arrive early enough after work but with the team’s offense as blunt as plastic scissors, Blackstock and Casbierd were introduced rather late on.

The visitors lacked any kind of thrust at all…

Ardley fielded two Lewis Gabbidons. Remarkable I thought, so this report will refer to them as Captain Gabbidon and Gabbidon Blue Arms, in reference to the midfielder who wore a long-sleeved undershirt…

Home forward Oscar Uyamadu was closest to scoring with three attempts and wide-man Mason Courtney would have netted twice on another day. Visiting goalie and skipper Mark Blower made a trio of crucial saves to earn his beleaguered team a valuable point which perhaps, during those opportune closing stages, might have been three…

SHAPE? OR A CROWD?

The frustration, the trouble & the sin-binned duo…  

Certainly, Willoughby was one of the few players in the morass of midfield who had the ability to create but when so many long kicks were used in the match, those characters whose game was to show ability on the ball must have become so frustrated. Willoughby seemed like one such player but he was sin-binned for comments made immediately before his central defensive colleague Franklin was likewise punished for verbals towards the main official after Gabbidon Blue Arms crashed into an opponent which woke several spectators, caused a strong gust of wind and sparked a confrontation. Gabbidon Blue Arms was duly cautioned.

So, two home players were disciplined, Crawley had a two-man advantage but were clearly unable to make the most of the situation. When Willoughby returned he was cautioned for an ugly spat with visiting defender Marlon Burton who was also yellow-carded. 

TROUBLE.
FRANKLIN (BLUE SHIRT 5) TRUDGES OFF AS A SINNER...

Kai Bucciero…

This guy defended stoutly for Crawley and he possessed a fine left foot which struck the ball more in keeping with players higher up the non-league pyramid. 

He was cautioned too…

Before half-time he managed to block a shot from Gabbidon Blue Arms after fellow defender Burton had stopped an effort by Uyamadu.

Oscar Uyamadu…

His first ‘shot,’ left to right from downtown, was so far off target that Blower lost sight of it but the strongly built striker so nearly scored from  Courtney’s left-flank centre. Leam Howards attempted to connect with the ball at the near stick but missed it, leaving Uyamadu alone at the far post but the ball bounced off his right boot and bounced gently into the grateful Blower’s arms off the crossbar. Blower blew out his cheeks with relief…

After half-time Uyamadu really struck one drive from 19 yards well, a moment of real quality in a game which bumbled along untidily like a 19-a-side playground kick-about. Blower beat away the shot to make a telling save but Courtney failed to hit the target with a fine rebound opportunity. Over the crossbar it flew…

Finally, following decent work by Declan Benjamin and Howards, the ball fell for Uyamadu 8 yards from goal but his miscued left-footer was sliced badly wide.

NO OSCAR FOR UYAMADU...

Mason Courtney… 

Surely a freer role might have suited him on the night, in an attempt to link up more with the busy Willoughby but that simply didn’t happen. He drove too high from downtown before the break for crumpets and stewed tea then struck a cross-shot from Gabbidon Blue Arms’ assist which bounced off the right stanchion although a flag was waving for offside. Finally, Courtney forced the best Blower save of the night.

The rapid running of Casbierd, introduced too late to make a real difference, led to a fine right-wing centre which was reached at the far side of the penalty-box by Courtney, under extreme pressure from Crawley replacement Kieran Floyd. The ball maybe flew off Courtney’s head, powerfully, forcing Blower into an instinctive one-handed save. Several spectators were actually roused from their slumbers by that rare thrilling action…  

Crawley Green?

Probably liked the clean-sheet and a point on the road but subsequently would be disappointed not to have attacked with more verve in those latter stages.

Before the break a hurried Wesley Iroegbu shot rolled well wide then after the interval home goalie Freddie Lapworth beat an in-swinging angled free-kick by Dan Blackman away from his near post. 

"LOOK, THE NORTH STAR!"

With Willoughby and Franklin in the bin, Iroegbu shoved the ball across the face of goal as did Lewis Osborne but the closest Crawley came to a goal was when two shots were blocked by Ardley. First, Osborne’s shot was nodded clear by home left-back Captain Gabbidon and substitute Luke Andrews’ effort was cleared by Zarius Edwards-Giraud, the home central defender, alongside Franklin.

Little else emanated from Crawley forwards Iroegbu, Brendan Cowell and Zion Selassie-Yoseph…

Any more Ardley shots?

Howards rolled the only shot of the opening 25 minutes well wide then was denied by the advancing Blower as the half wore on. Willoughby fired well wide with an open play effort then repeated the trick from a free-kick but the only other offense came from a shot against a post by Benjamin who was offside anyway, a dipping volley too high by Casbierd and a very late Blackstock free-kick which also flew well off target.

FRANKLIN & NGATHE...

Oh, dear…

Final words…

Scrappy, too many stoppages, too little innovation, tired looking players… However, one incident did intrigue me.

There was a coming together, shoulder to shoulder of Uyamadu and a Crawley defender. Legitimate… But there was a mismatch of sizes and the visiting player fell sideways. And was awarded a free-kick. No more to be said…

A poor game, lightened a little by Blower’s performance and a robustly built elderly guy in the grandstand whose chips offered a wondrous aroma, as he sat, wrapped up warm inside a huge coat and, er, shorts…

And no Oscar for Uyamadu…

TEAMS:

ARDLEY UNITED:

FREDDIE LAPWORTH, JORDY NGATHE, LEWIS GABBIDON (CAPT), ZARIUS EDWARDS-GIRAUD, TOM FRANKLIN, LEWIS GABBIDON (BLUE ARMS), DECLAN BENJAMIN, BEN WILLOUGHBY, OSCAR UYAMADU, LEAM HOWARDS, MASON COURTNEY.

SUBS:

CALLUM CONVEY, CAELAN ISAAC, JACOB BLACKSTOCK, JAMES CASBIERD, BEN GASCOIGNE.

CRAWLEY GREEN:

MARK BLOWER (CAPT), ADAM HUGHES, ISIAH BROWN-SMITH, JOE HUBBARD, MARLON BURTON, KAI BUCCIERO, LEWIS OSBORNE, WESLEY IROEGBU, ZION SELASSIE-YOSEPH, BRENDAN COWELL, DAN BLACKMAN.

SUBS:

LUKE ANDREWS, KIERAN FLOYD, KIENAN MALONE, OLI BRENNAN, RICKY CLARK.