AFC COVENTRY RANGERS 6-0 CASTLE VALE TOWN: THE HONEST, INDEPENDENT, LIGHT-HEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Rangers Pull A Vale Over Their Visitors

AFC Coventry Rangers 6-0 Castle Vale Town

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

I remarked at half-time that I felt like I was watching a pantomime rehearsal or a circus, rather than a football match. Rangers led 3-0 after a half which had been more even than that, despite evidence that the hosts had missed several other good chances to reach the break crazily ahead.

REF: "I'VE GOT THIS WHISTLE, SEE, BUT DON'T WORRY, IF THERE'S A FOUL, I WON'T BLOW IT..."

Three late second period goals left Vale wondering what the hell had happened, constantly berated and encouraged by their skipper’s pleading questions and observations. Certainly Jordan Redden was a character but his team, despite some imaginative approach play by Myles Mason and Radamae De Costa in particular, simply couldn’t get in any telling shots, or even force home goalie Dave Allen into some really taxing work. 

It would be easy to describe Vale as a group of individually skilful players but that wouldn’t be fair, for some of their link-play was smart. They simply appeared to lack any kind of penetration and occasional disarray in defence…

The crazy few moments when a Rangers official squared up to Vale goalie Charlie Baker behind a goal was bizarre. By squaring up, I mean the two adversaries stood (not socially distanced) and wagged a threatening finger at each other for some moments. It was like a pantomime scene…

It took Redden’s rather larger finger to dismiss the official from behind Baker’s goal, for the referee was totally ineffectual and hovered nearby like Redden was his dad, seeing off an annoying ne’er-do-well…

Rangers’ second goal was like a slapstick act in a circus which I shall describe later in this report but the administration of the match was so poor that I wanted to hold up a sign to the referee reading ‘CONSISTENCY’, or even ‘RULES’…

The referee…

When I watched the footage back on Saturday evening I was still amazed and appalled by the occasions when players were hauled, harassed, or hacked down in front of the main official and he just looked on seemingly oblivious. It actually became worrying though because eventually his lack of control encouraged some naughty challenges. Not one player was cautioned though which was either miraculous or a dereliction of duty… 

THE REF ALLOWS FOUL-PLAY TO GO OVER HIS HEAD...

The above sounds like this was a ‘dirty game’ but it wasn’t. It was simply that ignorance of fouls and a couple of handball situations moved the referee only to, er, shrug…

I am sad to write the above. I know what it’s like to administer a match but at least I would always try to whistle for a foul if I saw one. Maybe this official didn’t see anything wrong. If that’s so, he was the only person present who didn’t. Badly done, ref, badly done… 

Myles Mason…

Liked watching the Vale midfielder, who controlled the ball well and used lethal pace to shrug off defenders. He deserved better than being on the wrong end of a 6-0 scoreline.

EVERYONE STOPS IN AWE OF MASON TYING HIS BOOTLACE...

Ryan Alexander…

This midfielder shirked no challenge, took some physical punishment, yet was up and on with the game immediately. His rewards came when first he set up goal two with a rush to the left byeline. His low centre caused a scramble in front of goal where people fell over like clowns in the sawdust, only for the ball to squirm to Rory Turnbull, who drilled the ball low into goal from 7 yards.

He would also score goal four in a less offensive second period but it was all of his own making. He collected the ball on the left flank, some way inside the touchline and set off on a jinking run, tricking his way past Vale replacement Charlie Hague, then Heldai Sala and Tamjir Malik before Redden stood firm, so Alexander curled a smart shot round both the defender and goalie Baker which nestled in the right corner of the net.

An earlier shot from 18 yards by the midfielder had rolled wide.

Rory Turnbull…

Two goals, two assists, so he had a decent game… He scored early when the Vale defence failed to notice him pull away from his marker as skipper Jordan Powell rose at inside-right to head down Joe Gardner’s deep left-flank free-kick. Turnbull shoved a low shot just inside the left post…

Free-kicks by Turnbull from the right, then the left assisted Fola Fagbemi and Powell to score goals five and six.

TURNBULL (11): 2 GOALS, 2 ASSISTS...

Turnbull also clipped an angled shot wide of the right stick in the opening period, fired wide after a one-two with Jean Patrick Silva Gomes and saw Baker block a close range second-half header on the goal-line. He would surely be pleased by his day’s work, however.

Fola ‘Dunker’ Fagbemi…

A quiet start to the game for Fagbemi was curtailed by his goal, AFC’s second. This was a pantomime goal… He moved forward on the right, attempted to pass the ball inside towards Silva Gomes but Vale defender Stephen Cudjoe managed to stop the pass. Cudjoe then pushed the ball back for Baker to clear but whether it bobbled or something, I am unsure but the ‘keeper miscued it and it rolled behind him, where Fagbemi and Cudjoe chased it for a yard or two. Fagbemi’s toe-end subsequently nudged the ball into the empty net…  A calamity… And Fagbemi celebrated with, er, a slam-dunk…

He missed in front of an open goal too, from Turnbull’s assisting pass and he himself assisted Silva Gomes, whose shot was very weak and straight at Baker.

FAGBEMI IS CLOSELY GUARDED BY CUDJOE...

After the break, Fagbemi ran onto a deep, right-wing free-kick by Turnbull and slid the ball first-time past the helpless Baker for goal five. 

Jordan Powell…

He netted goal six by glancing a near post lunging header into the far corner of the net from the left corner of the 6 yard box, as Turnbull’s free-kick curled in.

POWELL: A GOAL ON FILM AT LAST...

The skipper also scooped a right-wing Silva Gomes pass over the crossbar at the near stick and later nodded too high from a corner but his work-rate, as always, was insatiable.

The Vale offense…

As Alexander challenged, a shot from downtown by Sala flew wide, Oli Priestley headed wide too in the opening half but the best opportunity fell to De Costa late in the match. However he, like Turnbull had earlier, clipped his left-footer from inside-left across the face of goal.

SALA: SHOT WIDE FOR VALE EARLY ON...

Allen punched away one dangerous corner and that was all the guests could muster although Nathan McBean never stopped working in attack.

CHESTERS COVERS MCBEAN...

The Rangers attack…

Gardner was often lively from midfield for the hosts and he was also involved in several physical exchanges. He shot wide from inside-left in the first period after he had beaten two defenders but he looked annoyed with his effort. He had earlier struck a hard 15 yarder which Baker had saved superbly with his outstretched right boot and also launched a long shot straight at the goalkeeper.

After the recess for hot roast chestnuts and mulled wine (is that right?), Gardner had a 23 yard free-kick blocked by the defensive Vale wall although claims were made for handball. He also shot too high from Luke Comasky’s centre. 

Comasky again impressed at right-back, tackling, heading and intercepting well. He, as well as Powell, had a goal disallowed for offside but Comasky’s shot had been with his left boot…

The other chance for AFC was a 12 yard shot by defender George Swain which was clearly blocked by the rushing Mason’s arms (is that a pub?) but the main official failed to react and therefore act.

REDDEN WAS SO SCARY, EVEN HIS SHIRT NUMBER BUGGERED OFF...

The last words…

The home defence stood firm, Swain and Phil Chesters mastering McBean, with the effective Toby Curran and Comasky complementing them well on the edges.

A deserved win for Rangers but Vale will wonder how they succumbed so heavily, despite acquiring a deal of possession…

Credit to Rangers for organising the remembrance ceremony for fallen soldiers before the game and credit to the players and everyone present for respecting those moments…

TEAMS:

AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:

DAVE ALLEN, LUKE COMASKY, TOBY CURRAN, RYAN ALEXANDER, GEORGE SWAIN, PHIL CHESTERS, JEAN PATRICK SILVA GOMES, JOE GARDNER, FOLA FAGBEMI, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), RORY TURNBULL.

SUBS:

JAMES CHAPPELL, CONNOLL FARRELL, CONNOR WILKINSON, KIEREN MCCANDREWS, CHRIS LAMPETT.

CASTLE VALE TOWN:

CHARLIE BAKER, TAMJIR MALIK, OLI PRIESTLEY, STEPHEN CUDJOE, JORDAN REDDEN (CAPT),  HELDAI SALA, ENSA JARJU, MYLES MASON, NATHAN MCBEAN, RADAMAE DE COSTA, DOM STREVENS.

SUBS:

STEFANO IDIAGHE, DWIGHT THOMAS-GREEN, EMMANUEL IDIAGHE, CHARLIE HAGUE.