ARDLEY UNITED 1-0 RISBOROUGH RANGERS: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST & LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Rangers Finally Fall At Ardley…

Ardley United 1-0 Risborough Rangers

The Mowdog’s thoughts… 

So, the slip-up finally happened to Risborough Rangers on the heavy Nolan Oils Ground pitch, something which also happened to me before the game even began. Kindly, I thought, I fetched a wayward ball for Rangers’ goalkeeping coach as I made my way behind the goal at the opposite end to the facilities. As I dribbled it across the sodden turf towards the low surrounding fence, I called to the coach, “If I slip over, don’t you dare laugh…” However, he appeared not to hear me… I knew I needed to lift the ball over the fence for him, so positioned myself to curl a left-footer towards it. Hmm, not a good idea, for my right shoe slid and I skidded across the mud on my arse and back…

My coat was covered in muck and as I write this, it is whirling around the washing machine for the second time. My jeans were muddy too and my left thumb was bent backwards… My hands were filthy, I was shaken up but I cleaned myself as best I could. When I told the coach what had happened, he was totally surprised…

So, like his team, I slipped up too…

URQUHART (5), CHECKS OUT THE COIN...

Rangers…

I stood near a guy I had met at Inkberrow a fortnight ago and he was really disappointed by the Risborough showing, for they rarely looked capable of beating Ardley’s very competent ‘keeper Freddie Lapworth whose handling was secure throughout the contest in difficult conditions. Visiting goalie Jack Brooker, who is very tall, made the best two saves of the match, both in the second-half, both low ones, first from Morgan Williams and then a more difficult save from Mason Courtney who had shot his team in front in the early stages of the encounter.

There was untidiness from Rangers, despite the defensive prowess of skipper Josh Urquhart and the fine left boot of very lively left-back Josh Fox but in midfield and attack, the guests struggled to impress and were thwarted too often by the immense performances produced by home defenders Liam Talboys and the splendid Zarius Edwards-Giraud. 

"NOW LISTEN MR TALBOYS, DO YOU REALLY THINK IT WISE TO WEAR WHITE BOOTS?"

Midfielders Ben Willoughby, Declan Benjamin and Lewis The Midfielder Gabbidon were stolid, dependable and always dropping back to support skipper Lewis The Defenseman Gabbidon and Caelan Isaac, the Ardley full-backs. In truth though Rangers’ forwards Marcus Mealing and Liam Marum, as well as the scurrying Sean Coles, seemed out of sorts for much of the contest.

Rangers’ goal attempts… 

Marum shot into the left side-netting in the opening half, following a spectacular leap and tip away of Asher Yearwood’s right-side centre by Lapworth, which preceded Rangers’ most dangerous moment of the entire game. A downward header by Yearwood was saved on the goal-line by Lapworth but Urquhart’s follow-up effort appeared to strike team-mate Coles, listed as 15 on the team sheet but wearing 11, in a crowded goalmouth. 

RANGERS TRY TO SNIFF OUT A CHANCE...

Both Yearwood and Kieron Schmidt had low shots comfortably dealt with by Lapworth and then Urquhart earned a caution before the break but after the interval the visitors only really threatened on four occasions. A foul by Coles on Isaac, spotted by the nearby linesman, was unfortunate for Rangers, for Mealing found the net from 20 yards as the ball broke and instead of signalling a goal, the referee awarded United a free-kick. 

Coles had a close range shot on the turn superbly blocked by Lewis The Defenseman Gabbidon and Edwards-Giraud leapt to hack away the loose ball. Twice late on Lapworth grabbed low attempts, first from Yearwood, then from Mealing’s 27 yard free-kick, whilst Edwards-Giraud blocked another Yearwood effort.  And that was that from the league leaders, on a pitch where a number of players found it difficult to strike the ball cleanly, although Fox was untroubled by that throughout…

MEALING, SECOND FROM LEFT, HAD A GOAL DISALLOWED...

Ben Willoughby…

I guess as the foraging, battling, pain-in-the-arse to opponents midfielder, Willoughby simply gets on with it week after week and he earned his pleasure in victory during this match, as well as a booking. 

He did appear to be fouled in the Rangers’ penalty-box too (check the screenshots and video highlights) but the officials failed to spot a problem…

Mason Courtney…

He was yellow-carded before the break, as was Talboys but he had effectively won the match with a quite startling goal. A long ball forward by the hosts saw the excellent Rangers’ defender Alex Kedzierski drop into his own 18 yard box, unheeded, to clear but ‘keeper Brooker had advanced somewhat and so when Kedzierski’s clearance fell to Courtney, he despatched a rising shot from downtown which soared and dropped into Risborough’s net.

After Brooker had made a low diving save to keep out a low angled left-footer from Williams during the second period, Courtney took a potshot from inside-right and Brooker’s save, diving right, was really fine.

The indefatigable Leam Howards…

This guy’s uniform out-muddied even my coat… He was an early replacement for Ardley’s new striker Josh Tooke who had left the match in the opening stages due to a hamstring problem. And Howards was a real pain for the visiting defenders to deal with. 

URQUHART & HOWARDS: A GOOD SCRAP THROUGHOUT THE GAME...

He made the one really interesting attempt at goal in the opening period, moving towards the left edge of the 6 yard box but as the ball bounced up, he tried to lift it over the gigantic Brooker. And was understandably unsuccessful…

HOWARDS, RIGHT, WONDERS WHY HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO CHIP THE HUGE GOALIE FROM 6 YARDS...

He also tangled with Courtney and neither managed to get onto a rebound from the right post, after a shot by Williams had been deflected by Yearwood onto the upright and Fox was able clear the ball.

The final words…

So, the 52 match unbeaten run came to an end at Ardley for Risborough and that would likely please New Salamis, as they are now five points back with the same number of games played. They still have to play each other too, at Risborough and that fixture is the very last one, on April 30th…

AN INVESTIGATION LOOKS LIKE IT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN...

Certainly Ben Sturgess was industrious in the visiting midfield but on the day, the team did not perform well at all…

Impressive team tactics by Ardley won the match for them and although Howards was voted the team’s MVP, one also has to applaud the heroics of Talboys, Edwards-Giraud and company, not forgetting the calming influence of gloveman Lapworth whose dropping onto the ball would subsequently take the harassment out of the closing, critical and desperate moments…

CAUTION FOR TALBOYS.
PROBABLY FOR WEARING WHITE BOOTS ON A MUDDY PITCH...

TALBOYS DISPLAYS THE DEMEANOUR OF SOMEONE FOR WHOM THE GAME IS GOING WELL...

My coat hangs drying now and it does appear that the Ardley mud has been washed away, rather like Rangers’ quite remarkable undefeated run of matches…

TEAMS:

ARDLEY UNITED:

FREDDIE LAPWORTH, LEWIS GABBIDON (CAPT), CAELAN ISAAC, LIAM TALBOYS, ZARIUS EDWARDS-GIRAUD, BEN WILLOUGHBY, DECLAN BENJAMIN, THE OTHER LEWIS GABBIDON, JOSH TOOKE, MASON COURTNEY, MORGAN WILLIAMS.

SUBS:

BEN GASCOIGNE, JORDY NGATHE, HAYDEN MCCONNELL, LEAM HOWARDS, JULIAN MCCALMON.

RISBOROUGH RANGERS:

JACK BROOKER, JOSH URQUHART (CAPT), ALEX KEDZIERSKI, ADAM MORRIS, ASHER YEARWOOD, LIAM MARUM, JOSH FOX, SEAN COLES, MARCUS MEALING, BEN STURGESS, KIERON SCHMIDT.

SUBS:

BERTI SQUIRE-ADAMS, MARCUS WYLLIE, LAWRENCE CLARKE, EVANS LAMBOH, BAILEY OSBOURNE.