LEAMINGTON HIBS 0-3 ENVILLE ATHLETIC: THE INDEPENDENT, HONEST, LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Enville Claim Deserved Win As Dusk Falls

Leamington Hibs 0-3 Enville Athletic

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Once again I received a fine welcome from the Hibs folks which is typical of this friendly club. The game was being replayed after the original match was abandoned following a back injury to Hibs’ Ryan McEvoy with the hosts leading 1-0 in the 78th minute. Four weeks later, McEvoy was playing again, having suffered a bruised spine and a sprained back. He played well enough for Hibs in this game though, showing some smart ball control and pace from his defensive, then midfield positions. Sadly for his team though, Enville won this encounter 0-3 and deservedly…

FEATHERSTONE, FAR LEFT, TRUDGES BACK FROM THE TOSS, PLEASED THAT HE'S MISSED THE PRE-MATCH HUDDLE...

Enville did well to get enough players in Solihull to start just beyond 6.30pm but by the end of the match, at around 8.15pm the light was very poor for filming in and I must apologise to Athletic’s skipper Connor Smith and latecomer Will Spruce for the poor quality of the clips of their late goals which confirmed their away victory. 

Hibs were well beaten but as long as the score was 0-1 there was always a chance to regain parity and the best chance offered was when Toni Nzingu freed Luke Woolley through the centre but his rising shot was well saved by the advancing goalkeeper Andy Arnold.

Both Connor Smith and Spruce scored goals for the visitors after getting through to one-on-one situations with home gloveman Jack Marshall, both of which were clinically executed.

Despite the cajoling of home skipper Zach Featherstone and fellow central defender Sam Smith, Hibs found remaining onside difficult and during the second period, accusations and comments were often made between the players, which of course played into Enville’s hands.

Jordan Butcher was very influential in the guests’ midfield and was adamant about passing the ball, despite the hard and uneven ground of pitch two at Field Lane. He was supported by the strength and determination of Jamie Bamford but in contrast, Leamington lacked similar creativity and force from a midfield which too often squandered possession. Little was seen of either Ed Brogan or Nzingu and despite his honest effort, striker Woodfield was unable to threaten Arnold. 

It was the right result but the sunset was certainly more entertaining than much of the football…

SUNSET OVER THE FACILITIES, ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE A RAGING FIRE...

Those Enville goals…

The first stemmed from a throw on the right by nifty winger Dom Constable, who received the ball back, beat Aaron Whitehead easily on his way to the byeline and his centre was just right for Kearney to hook at,  having stepped away from between Featherstone and Sam Smith. He turned the ball just inside the right post with Marshall unable to keep the ball out. The goal was the last action of the opening period…

KEARNEY, LEFT: OPENED THE SCORING...

Late in the second-half, as the visibility worsened, lively Enville wide player Reece Mills made a short run infield from inside-right and slipped a smart pass to inside-left for his skipper to latch onto. Connor Smith drew Marshall and clipped a right-footer inside the right stick.

Soon afterwards, replacement Spruce, who had pined to get on the field, as he could cedar scoring possibilities, broke through the centre of the murky pitch, veered right past the encroaching Marshall and slotted a smart, rising shot inside the right vertical pole. 

Spruce it was, I think who nodded another late chance over the crossbar...

NICE...

More Enville offense…

Defender Alex Byatt headed a couple of Constable corners off target, Mills shot over the target from an angle on the right, then later straight at Marshall from an angle on the left but when Marshall lost the ball to him in the first-half, the winger drifted right but was denied by the recovering ‘keeper’s reactive near post save.

Mills and Constable often caused problems for the home full-backs, Zack Harper and McEvoy (later Lee Rycroft) but Butcher did most of the prompting. Marshall tipped away a dangerous Constable centre, who also shot a free-kick too high later in the match. He was also cautioned…

UNUSUAL FOR A CONSTABLE TO BE BOOKED...

Kearney headed wide from a deep free-kick and shot off target on the turn, whilst Nathan Owen shot wide in the first period and saw his free-kick from downtown deflect off Hibs’ defensive wall after the half-time changeover.

Skipper Connor Smith was booked for a very late but unnecessary challenge and later home midfielder Whitehead, who had actually just been fouled, was yellow-carded for his complaint about it. As someone suggested at the time, surely ten minutes in the sin-bin was the more appropriate punishment…

WHITEHEAD, FAR SIDE, IS CAUTIONED...

The struggling Hibs’ offense…  

Arnold tipped away an early McEvoy cross following a zippy run but Adrian Winfield’s rebound shot from the right corner of the 6 yard box, after Nzingu had retrieved the ball was well blocked by Ellis Bastable. 

Before the interval a couple of long boots forward by Harper were collected under his crossbeam by Arnold and Sean Woodfield was denied when Arnold plunged at his feet. 

Woolley drove too high late on, Winfield sliced wide with a left-footer and substitute Jason Ezeh cut inside in the final moments but fired straight at the goalie.

MILLS, 2ND FROM LEFT: OFTEN DANGEROUS...

The final words… 

The subsequent two late goals by the guests didn’t really flatter them because in truth they had allowed Hibs to hang on with the possibility of a point for much of the second 45.

In near darkness, sullen green-shirted men trudged to their changing room and I drove home for a jam sandwich and a hot cross bun. 

It is, after all, what I do… 

TEAMS:

LEAMINGTON HIBS:

JACK MARSHALL, ZACK HARPER, RYAN MCEVOY, ZACH FEATHERSTONE (CAPT), ADRIAN WINFIELD, SAM SMITH, TONI NZINGU, LUKE WOOLLEY, SEAN WOODFIELD, AARON WHITEHEAD, ED BROGAN.

SUBS:

LEE RYCROFT, CHARLES HAROLD, JASON EZEH.

ENVILLE ATHLETIC:

ANDY ARNOLD, ALEX BYATT, LUKE WILKES, ELLIS BASTABLE, CONNOR SMITH (CAPT), JORDAN BUTCHER, DOM CONSTABLE, CALLUM KEARNEY, NATHAN OWEN, JAMIE BAMFORD, REECE MILLS.

SUB:

WILL SPRUCE.