LEAMINGTON HIBS 0-4 AFC COVENTRY RANGERS: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST, LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Rangers’ Domination Finally Turns Into Goals…

Leamington Hibs 0-4 AFC Coventry Rangers

The Mowdog’s thoughts… 

I was greeted by Leamington Hibs’ officials with a bottle of wine to thank me for covering some of their matches… I was shocked. And honoured. Thanks to all at the club, which is one of the most welcoming I have experienced…

Hibs’ central defender and skipper Zach Featherstone reminds me of a Viking warrior in a shield-wall who simply has no fear and fights toe to toe with Saxons. Indeed, he will be known as Zachnar Longhair from this time forward…  

Was I attending a Scottish Premiership game on this day? Hibs v Rangers? However, I went inside the clubroom out of the cold air to write the names of the players upon my working team sheet. I was the only person inside the room wearing a mask. I was even more confused by that… What is wrong with folks? In fact the Hibs’ officials were even wearing their masks OUTSIDE… Thus I was quick at my work and exited forthwith…

Zachnar Longhair inspired Hibs as they stubbornly held league leaders Rangers at 0-1 until the interval, after conceding an early goal to the prolific and all round nice guy, Connoll Farrell, surely a name from Hibernia? More about Mr Farrell shortly…

After the break, however, Coventry’s goalie, the wonderfully named Dave Allen (see previous match reports of mine…) touched the ball once. He exited his 18 yard box and passed the ball to a colleague. Nice work if you can get it… He had made two decent saves however at the end of the opening 45, blocking a rare shot from Sam Watts with his legs, then palming away a rising effort by Sahid Kamara, both stops being made after Allen had advanced slightly to his left. The rebound from Watts’ shot was miscued badly wide by Ryan McEvoy.

ZACHNAR LONGHAIR HAS A SAXON BALANCED ON HIS HEAD...

Alongside Zachnar Longhair was the very involved Sean Woodfield but in truth, the home ‘keeper Jack Marshall was in fine form, making some decent saves, which are catalogued below. He was also able to snaffle less troublesome low shots by Rangers players Jean Patrick Silva Gomes, Joe Gardner (more about him below), Ryan Alexander (who smacked the crossbar with an awesome volley after the break too) and replacement Liam Doyle. 

Connoll Farrell…

He was the main threat for Rangers, netting one of nine goal attempts whilst being the chief thorn in the home defence’s side. His goal was well executed from the deep left-flank centre by Curtis Cutts, whose strong frame is reminiscent of a New York Jets linebacker, via the headed pass from skipper Jordan Powell (beating Zachnar Longhair aerially) to Farrell’s strike. He controlled the ball some 10 yards out, left side of goal with his right boot but Marshall was unable to advance quickly enough as the forward’s left-footer scorched into the roof of the net from a slight angle, 6 yards from the goal.  

Before the interval, Farrell had a shot blocked and a clipped effort drifted past the left stick, then after the recess he drove way too high from Fola Slam-Dunker Fagbemi’s pass. He struck a 22 yard free-kick into the Leamington shield-wall which was, er, nowhere near 10 yards back, then Marshall did really well to tip a rising angled drive by Farrell over the target.

7 STEPS BACK DOES NOT EQUAL 10 YARDS FOR A WALL...

Twice Farrell was denied low at the left near post by Marshall although Zachnar Longhair was also present defensively for one of those chances, then the striker saw a 21 yard volley loop upwards but drop too high, before ending the match by having a low drive deflected wide, following a short-corner routine.

Zachnar Longhair…

After watching so many games from Step 5 downwards, the Hibs skipper is definitely one of my favourite players. He leads by example and makes important blocks throughout matches. He is fearless. He never flinches. We likes that… 

WOODFIELD & LONGHAIR KEEP AN EYE EACH ON FARRELL...

Being with Zachnar in the shield-wall would be an honour… Bugger the Saxons…

Joe Gardner…

He played the game like he hated everyone around him. His tackling was strong, his running was harsh and his overall attitude seemed to be one of sheer belligerence. Brilliant to watch at times like his sidekick Alexander, the midfielder even took on the might of Zachnar Longhair’s brother, the mighty Jordrum Shorthair, after being sent spinning into the air by the Viking like a downed helicopter. Gardner simply ran up behind his Viking aggressor and barged him over from behind. 

Maybe he didn’t receive a caution because the referee feared the Ranger’s expression…

Apart from Gardner forcing Marshall into a save before the break, after Cutts’ effort had been blocked and the goaltender had flung up a left glove to parry his shot, Gardner later made one raunchy run through the centre but his resulting shot flew wide from 18 yards.

Alexander shot wide on a couple of occasions too but Gardner drove his team to total second period dominance…

Sam Smith…

The tall Leamington midfielder looked comfortable on the ball for much of the time but I would like to see him play as a sweeper in a back three sometime, for his calmness in possession can’t be taught…

SMITH ASKS LONGHAIR WHY HE HAS PUT DOWN HIS SHIELD AND SWORD...

He was the only player cautioned by a young referee who caused one cycling Rangers fan to explode emotionally before half-time, for AFC’s first free-kick seemed to be awarded after the 30 minute mark, whilst other fouls were simply not, er, spotted. Consequently, whenever a Rangers challenge was penalised, the cyclist’s irritation reached ‘hate Boris Johnson’ levels…

Smith really was incensed for much of the game too, complaining bitterly about one challenge in particular which left him clutching his back.

The other three goals…

Number two was lashed in, right-booted from 20 yards after a deflected Hibs clearance fell to Cutts, left of centre. His drive was a gem, flying head high into the right corner of the net past a helpless Marshall.

Cutts had seen an early shot blocked too, then a drifting effort from the right palmed away by Marshall although visiting left-back Rory Turnbull was unable to convert the rebound. I think Powell was actually flagged offside however as the rebound was shot.

Powell had seen an earlier near post header saved comfortably by Marshall but when he repeated the dose from a left-side Gardner corner after the recess for mulled cider and a horseradish sandwich, his effort flew so fast at Marshall that the ball ricocheted into goal off the ‘keeper’s upper arm. So, 0-3…

The impressive Rangers full-backs, Gomes and Turnbull were always in the game and it meant that central defenders Phil Chesters and George Swain were largely unaffected by the efforts of the home offense. Turnbull tried a quick free-kick from downtown but shot wide and it was left to Slam-Dunker Fagbemi to slot home goal four.

GOAL RELIEF...

In the opening half he had shot badly wide of the left pole from a fine Farrell assist, after Cutts had charged down a Woodfield clearance but although he was unable to trouble Marshall much at all, he was on hand at the right post when Doyle’s left-flank assist spun off the boot of the unfortunate Woodfield towards the far side of goal. Fagbemi rose to nod the ball over the goal-line from a yard or so…

The basketball star failed to celebrate in slam-dunk style however. Such a let-down…

10 RANGERS CELEBRATE BUT WHERE'S THE 'KEEPER?
HE DID BUGGER-ALL ELSE AFTER THE BREAK... 

Final words…

Hibs battled hard throughout but threatened only twice and it was damage limitation after the interval as the Rangers’ midfielders clicked into gear and bossed the event, despite Luke Woolley’s efforts for the hosts. Subsequently, a 0-4 victory for AFC was something of an achievement for Leamington, mainly due to the defensive heroics of Marshall, Woodfield, full-backs Bryan Kong and Sam Dunkley, plus of course Zachnar Longhair, who would feel certain that he gave his all for the cause…

"SORRY RORY, I SIMPLY CAN'T GIVE RANGERS ANY FREE-KICKS AND I MUST BREAK OFF ONE OF YOUR FINGERS FOR COMPLAINING..."

Rangers look a strong bet for promotion and also represent a strongly-knit group with goals possible from any part of the pitch…

TEAMS:

LEAMINGTON HIBS:

JACK MARSHALL, BRYAN KONG, SAHID KAMARA, ZACHNAR LONGHAIR (CAPT), SEAN WOODFIELD, SAM SMITH, RYAN MCEVOY, LUKE WOOLLEY, SAM DUNKLEY, JORDNUM SHORTHAIR, SAM WATTS.

SUBS:

SAM AJOKU, JASON EZEH, ADRIAN WINFIELD, DAN ADEMOLA. 

AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:

DAVE ALLEN, JEAN PATRICK SILVA GOMES, RORY TURNBULL, RYAN ALEXANDER, PHIL CHESTERS, GEORGE SWAIN, FOLA FAGBEMI, JOE GARDNER, CONNOLL FARRELL, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), CURTIS CUTTS.

SUBS:

LIAM DOYLE, EBENEZER FASORANTI, KIEREN MCANDREWS, JAMES CHAPPELL, ROSS DAVIS.