ATHERSTONE TOWN CFC 3-1 STAPENHILL: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST, LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Adders Take Chances To Bite Swans’ Hopes…

Atherstone Town CFC 3-1 Stapenhill

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

An 11.30am pitch inspection resulted in the Sheepy Road pitch being passed fit for action but apparently there was a downpour of rain in the area after that. The referee arrived a little later than usual and thus decided to check the state of the surface again and when I arrived I saw forking on the pitch through a gap at the entrance gate, which sounds rather dodgy but eventually at around 2.15pm the match was pronounced ‘on’ and spectating folks began to arrive.

Certainly it wasn’t easy to film this match due to a strange, slightly misty light around the ground, which was mixed in with the floodlighting from the very start. This caused some focussing problems, especially for the Adders’ third goal which was scored at the end of the ground further away from me. I always try to distance myself from folks so as not to annoy them with my commentating and so I had positioned myself closer to the end where the Sheepy Hut was situated. 

THE TOSS WITH HOOD & ROOME...

However, the hard slog of a contest on a heavy pitch was engaging and in truth either team might have won the points but subsequently it was the Adders who took their chances, whilst the Swans from Stapenhill were denied by Carl O’Neill’s saves and also an upright. 

The Adders’ goals were preventable surely but after striker Connor Richins had pulled a goal back when it was 2-0 to Town, an error in the mud by the otherwise excellent visiting skipper Matt Roome freed lively home replacement Josh Beeson to clinch the game in the closing moments.

ADDER PIGGON PREPARES TO BEGIN THE MATCH...

The victory should ensure that the Adders will win the division, unless of course something quite dramatic happens to their form…

Zaki Evans… 

Maybe the Swans’ forward will rue his fortune before the break, for he might have scored three times as his team looked the more adventurous from the very start. Firstly, he clipped a left footer goalwards from 16 yards, inside-left channel but the ball was deflected over the crossbar either by leaping goalie O’Neill or possibly his skipper Jamie Hood who jumped right in front of him.

Secondly, Evans met a fine left side centre by central striker Harry Lansdowne with a header at the near post but could only divert the ball into the side-netting. Thirdly, he worked the left byeline well but O’Neill blocked his low delivery smartly. 

GUDGER, FROST & PIGGON...

Before the recess Stapenhill also saw O’Neill miss a deep left-flank cross but visiting defender Ash Garner was unable to head the ball on target from beyond the far stick. O’Neill also turned away a decent left-wing delivery by Swans’ left-back Lewis Campbell who enjoyed a smart first-half, the gloveman maybe deciding that an attempted catch might be a tough ask in the muddy conditions. 

First period offense by Atherstone…

The home attack was spasmodic before the break and visiting ‘keeper Paul Hollis wasn’t really overstretched. He turned a deep centre by the influential Alex Naughton over his crossbar to safety and caught a looping Nathan Haines header but otherwise his defenders protected him well. 

In one Adders’ attack Roome made two successive blocks, first from Naughton, then from Joe Obi, whilst home right-back Perry Cotton had a shot stopped by Campbell in a goalmouth scramble. Chris Cowley rolled a shot well wide from downtown too, but the first goal when it came was well constructed and deliberately finished.

HANDS ON HIPS TIME FOR THE SWANS...

A Naughton corner was headed away by Garner but Hood passed the ball really smartly back to Naughton on the right. He made moves towards the byeline which put both Obi and Mitch Piggon in onside positions a few yards from goal. Naughton’s low cross evaded Piggon at the near pole but the stretching Obi’s boot diverted the ball possibly off the underside of the crossbeam and then it spun over the goal-line.

Mitch Piggon…

An early second period drive by the tall forward soared too high and he miscued another effort to the goalie but eventually he secured the Adders’ second goal. He was the recipient of a fortunate deflection as a right-wing Naughton corner was challenged for at the near post by Hood. The ball dropped kindly for the lurking Piggon and he poked the ball across the face of goal into the bottom left corner of the net.

CELEBRATIONS FOR THE PIGGON & A POKE...

Josh Beeson & other goal attempts after the interval by Town…

Beeson replaced Piggon and after slamming an angled drive too high and forcing Hollis to drop on another angled release, the substitute made the right-flank his own, causing real problems for Campbell and the Swans’ defence in general. He set up a great chance for fellow replacement and top goalscorer Brady Middleton but the striker wasted his opportunity. 

However, after Stapenhill had netted their goal, the disturbed Adders were glad of a moment to forget for the otherwise dependable Roome. He dallied on the ball in the mud near the half-way line, was mugged as Middleton challenged him and away went Beeson to slip the ball past the advancing Hollis and kill the game. 

Obi had also wasted a good chance from inside-left too after capitalising upon a Garner error but he totally sliced his shot way off target from 12 yards, whilst Naughton’s fine 25 yard free-kick was superbly tipped away by the leaping Hollis as the ball seared towards the top left-hand corner of the waiting net. Cowley did shoot one low effort but it lacked the venom to cause Hollis a problem.

The Swans’ offense in the second period…

Certainly replacements Jack Henchcliffe and Will Maidstone made a difference for the guests and both were involved in their team’s best chances to score. Henchcliffe struck the foot of the left upright from distance and soon afterwards Maidstone’s centre from the right side of the 18 yard box saw Richins drop away from Eggleton at the left stick, allowing him to plant a decent header past the stretching O’Neill and deep into the net.

Garner headed just off target, after which Hood gave him some real verbal stick and the Swans’ defender also shot low from 25 yards but O’Neill slithered right to drop upon the skidding ball.

RICHINS (BLUE 10) & NAUGHTON (RED 10)...

Lively right-winger Haydn Brown, who never stopped working for his team, shot too high on one occasion but really, Hood, Eggleton and Haines did their jobs well enough for the Adders, especially the ebullient skipper.

The final words…

This was never a rough or dirty game although, when Roome was cautioned for a foul, a playground scrap erupted and one of the Town’s coaches was also booked. Garner was cautioned too, as was Evans who had experienced a quieter second period.

POINTING IN THE SCHOOLYARD...

THE REF SPEAKS TO GUDGER & LANSDOWNE AFTER A SCUFFLE...

Cotton and Hood were booked for the hosts but overall, despite the pervading coldness, despite the heavy pitch, despite the importance of the encounter, the entertainment on show was often very watchable.

HOODWINKED? NO, HOODBOOKED...

Gudger was effective for the Adders, Ewan Williams was irrepressible until he was hurt but Naughton’s involvement was integral in the victory. Roome, as mentioned above was very noticeable in the Swans’ defence, although he will rue his late error. Maidstone made a promising cameo appearance for the guests and Lansdowne couldn’t be faulted as he led the forward-line with industry. Zach Hill and Charlie Rumin worked the trenches with gusto and those trenches became a little like those in World War One as the evening drew in.

AFTER NOT BEING INVITED TO THE BALL, BUT HAVING BEEN HIT BY ONE, HAINES DISPLAYS HIS BEST PANTOMIME POSE...

Richins was often the fulcrum of Stapenhill’s attacks but in the end, it simply wasn’t to be a day for the Swans…

So, with good support by Ben Ashby, Middleton and especially Beeson  from their bench, the Adders’ predatory instincts saw them feast on their plucky visitors…  

TEAMS:

ATHERSTONE TOWN:

CARL O’NEILL, PERRY COTTON, CONNOR GUDGER, DARREN EGGLETON, JAMIE HOOD (CAPT), NATHAN HAINES, JOE OBI, EWAN WILLIAMS, MITCH PIGGON, ALEX NAUGHTON, CHRIS COWLEY.

SUBS:

BEN ASHBY, MO YASIN, BRADY MIDDLETON, JOSH BEESON, RYAN QUINN.

STAPENHILL:

PAUL HOLLIS, JAMES FROST, LEWIS CAMPBELL, ZACH HILL, MATT ROOME (CAPT), ASH GARNER, HAYDN BROWN, CHARLIE RUMIN, HARRY LANSDOWNE, CONNOR RICHINS, ZAKI EVANS.

SUBS:

JACK HENCHCLIFFE, ETHAN WHEELER, MASON RAWNISTER, WILL MAIDSTONE.