MORETON RANGERS 0-5 WORCESTER RAIDERS: THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Rangers Plundered By Clinical Raiders

Moreton Rangers 0-5 Worcester Raiders

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

It rained. I stood beneath an umbrella trying to film, commentate and keep the camera dry. It was dark too…

I believe that a house window was smashed by an errant ball, which the peeved resident refused to return, as she vented her anger. However, as another league manager mentioned as we chatted at half-time, “If you live next to a football ground, you must know what to expect…” Yep, agreed…

There was a neat moment too when the ball rolled out of play behind me towards some trees, which I turned and strode after to retrieve for Raiders’ skipper Logan Stoddart. However, instead of getting my hands wet, or slipping over as I turned to pass the ball to him, I simply back-heeled it. He looked at me and asked whether I wanted his shirt too. I told him that I wouldn’t mind but that I’d prefer the number 10. He was wearing 3… 

See, there’s still banter to be had in non-league football…

TWO RANGERS PLAYERS BOW IN DEFERENCE TO THE OFFICIALS.
IT DIDN'T WORK...

Oh, the game? Er, well it was wet, dark and decided by half-time when the visitors led 0-3 by virtue of a dubious first goal, a rather fortunate second goal and a third strike which owed much to lax Rangers defending. 

After the break, the fourth and fifth goals were taken well enough but strangely for a game with five goals, there were not many other decent efforts at goal throughout.

Yes, Moreton had a spell of corners during the opening period with the score 0-2 but they lacked the aerial power to threaten, for Lewis Locker’s fine deliveries deserved finishing. An often nervy Raiders defence managed to survive, mainly thanks to Jordan Stoddart’s and the redoubtable Kirk Layton’s headed clearances.

Neither goalkeeper was particularly taxed over the 90 minutes, with home ‘keeper Oli Currill’s tipping of a free-kick by Isaac Cooper over his crossbar being the only save of note he made. Raiders’ Craig Bufton was even less hassled and when he once fell on the ball near his goal-line, he was fouled by Matt Magee and that was his only real worry, bar an earlier shovelled save from Locker. 

Magee damaged his boot, too. He called for a new left one. Instead, moments later, he was substituted. Hmm… 

Overall I guess that Worcester scored five times and certainly deserved to win, whilst their hosts were unable to create enough clear opportunities for forwards Magee and Dan Moore. It did seem though that Raiders seemed more physical and dynamic than their hosts and simply forced their way to victory on a rainy, unpleasant evening in the Cotswolds.

The Worcester midfield…

Industrious and non-stop, Joe Billingham and Luke Gaffney were instrumental in Raiders’ ascendancy, although Gaffney was sin-binned for ten minutes for, er, kicking the ball away, it appeared. Aksum White and Isaac Cooper, playing wide roles were constantly pressuring home defenders Sean Snelling and Hedley Smart, who was replaced at the interval by Robbie Shurmer.

Cooper was yellow carded for an incident unseen from my position along the touchline, for the two dugouts were in the way but he soon created goal three with a deep free-kick delivery which central defender Jordan Stoddart nodded downwards into the centre of the goalmouth from the right stick, completely unmarked, with ‘keeper Currill in a quandary. Kyon Evans was the first to react and his low shot found the left corner of the net. 

Cooper would force a tip-over save by Currill during the second-half with a free-kick from downtown but he also, somehow, lifted a 3 yard shot over the target, following unselfish play by Evans who had rounded Currill at inside-left and was at that time on a hat-trick…

KIRBY (11) HAS THE POSE WHICH SAYS IT ALL...

Cooper also had a shot deflected to the ‘keeper…

Kyonn Evans, Richy Smith & Jamie Clarke…

Evans is what teams want from a ‘centre-forward’ in non-league, leading the line of attack, moving into channels and scoring goals. Those abilities are what Evans is all about and although his first goal was hotly and probably correctly disputed, his finish was as smooth and cold as a wet haddock.

Jamie Clarke had intercepted the ball at Smart’s feet and slipped a pass through the inside-right channel which Evans drove past the advancing Currill with confidence but in truth, Evans looked well offside…

Clarke scored goal two himself and he would point to a rather clumsy, humorous assist by Evans, after netting with aplomb. Richy Smith made ground on the left-flank but chose to deliver a low centre with the outside of his right boot which Evans, 16 yards out, sliced away towards the far post, wrong-footing the home defenders, where Clarke sniffed the opportunity and lashed a rising drive into the net from an 8 yard angle. 

Clarke looked threatening on the wing now and again but Smith would net goal four, from a slipped pass by Evans (two goals, two assists…) Smith drove the ball over the advancing Currill from 17 yards, inside-right channel.

THE WORST PLACE FOR A SCRAP IS IN FRONT OF THE DUGOUTS...

Ollie Thompson…

The Raiders’ replacement was involved in goal five, for after cutting inside from the right and having a low shot deflected for a corner, he tried the same move again, after dispossessing Snelling, who was by then having to play on the left-side, following Smart’s withdrawal. His low left-footer was saved rather awkwardly by Currill’s right boot, leading to a challenge between home skipper Harrison Smith and Thompson. The ball broke left for another Worcester substitute Vanylson Da Costa Silva, whose 12 yard drive beat Currill at the near post.

The Rangers in midfield…

A tough night for the engine-room but Locker was lively enough, even threatening the visitors’ goal. He curled an early effort past the left angle of post and crossbar, saw a volley shovelled past a post by Bufton and headed a George Kirby corner too high. 

RANGERS' SNELLING ADOPTS KIRBY'S POSE TO DISPLAY 'FED UP'...

Locker’s corner deliveries were very dangerous and really, Moreton needed to have capitalised upon at least one of them. Gaffney nodded one back towards his own goal and Layton cleared, Harrison Smith lifted an effort over the target, following another misplaced defensive header, whilst Logan Stoddart, Jordan Stoddart and Layton again, made last ditch clearances, although in fairness, there was no Ranger close enough to take advantage. 

Midfielder Dan Reeves received a neat Magee pass but his rising drive rose over the target, Magee shot too high but two or three free-kick opportunities later in the encounter were totally wasted by the hosts. Reeves and Kirby took two of them, then Charlie Hill’s delivery flew way over the right-angle of the goal frame. Not one of those set-pieces from 20-25 yards, inside-left, resulted in shots…

RANGERS' SKIPPER SMITH, RIGHT, IS CLEARLY UPSET...

A Sam Penfold header bounced to Bufton, who then dropped at Magee’s feet, following a Locker shot but the referee awarded the goalie a free-kick…

Final words…

Subsequently this was a comprehensive victory for Raiders but the second period really was like going through the motions for them, punctuated by a couple of goals. Rangers looked wearied by their trials during the opening period and would feel aggrieved.

AFTER EVANS' SECOND GOAL...

I felt aggrieved too, mainly because of the rain. And why did Jamie Clarke not say hi? He reckons he didn’t see me… Hmm… 

Just joking, mate… :) 

Thanks for the kind welcome, Rangers and apologies to FC Stratford’s manager Danny Janes, who chatted to me at half-time and got totally drenched…

TEAMS:

MORETON RANGERS:

OLI CURRILL, SEAN SNELLING, HEDLEY SMART, DAN REEVES, HARRISON SMITH (CAPT), SAM PENFOLD, LEWIS LOCKER, CHARLIE HILL, DAN MOORE, MATT MAGEE, GEORGE KIRBY.

SUBS:

KIAN BURROWS, RICH MOSS, TOM DIXON, ROBBIE SHURMER, DOUG WALLACE.

WORCESTER RAIDERS:

CRAIG BUFTON, AKSUM WHITE, LOGAN STODDART (CAPT), KIRK LAYTON, JORDAN STODDART, LUKE GAFFNEY, JAMIE CLARKE, JOE BILLINGHAM, KYONN EVANS, RICHY SMITH, ISAAC COOPER.

SUBS:

JABER AHMED, CHARLIE TILLEY, VANYLSON DA COSTA SILVA, OLLIE THOMPSON, RYAN WILLIAMS.