WAKE GREEN AMATEURS 3-2 ENVILLE ATHLETIC: THE MATCH REPORT...

 Untidy Game Produces 15 Minutes Of Enjoyable Highlights

Wake Green Amateurs 3-2 Enville Athletic

The Mowdog’s thoughts… 

Maybe a couple of Wake Green substitutes needed to sit on a bench on the opposite touchline from the dugouts, getting their necessary warm-up runs whenever the ball rolled down the slope of the grassy knoll there onto the field below. So much time was wasted during this match finding another ball to use, or chasing after the ones which lay some distance away, that there was rarely any flow in the contest at all. The big surprise was when the referee whistled for half-time at almost exactly 3.45pm, which suggested no added time at all for the gaps in the action created by ball-fetching, speaking to naughty players, or delays for knocks to combatants. 

NEAT SKY...

Exactly the same thing happened after the interval and the match was over by 4.47pm… 

One other spectator on my side of the pitch agreed that the left-flank corner which led to the Wakes’ winning goal ought really to have been a throw-in instead. I recall watching the ball roll out of play and being surprised when a corner was taken… However, I presumed I had been wrong at the time and as I hadn’t filmed the previous incident to prove anything either way, I couldn’t really comment. 

So, I was incorrect then… 

Maybe…   

AN ARM ON THE REF, OR A VENTRILOQUIST'S DUMMY?

There was a lot of poor passing and inaccurate shooting in evidence but a severe lack of individual players taking on opponents too on a hard, unforgiving pitch with loose strands of grass some six or seven centimetres long. This resulted in a battle of attrition, involving tackling, long throws by both teams and many heading duels but only when balls had been retrieved from near Shirley’s railway station. There was such a dearth of creativity on the pitch, although Wakes’ Ben Parker stood out in the second period, for he looked slick in possession on occasions. 

OWEN & PARKER: SOME SKILLS ON DISPLAY...

That said, five goals and several other goal chances helped to collate a collection of highlights which even I enjoyed…

Enville’s struggles…

The visitors looked frustrated by the conditions, the delays, their own inability offensively and the way that they allowed Wake Green to threaten. Their opening goal though stemmed from a long boot forward by dependable central defender Alex Byatt, which Jack Rhodes chased at inside-right, getting to the ball before Wakes’ Ryan Corrigan and ‘keeper Nore Gabbidon. The striker remained calm and and clipped an angled shot into the empty net from wide.

0-1 & A SUSPENDED BALL.
REMARKABLE...

Strangely, Gabbidon was rarely tested after that, only being called upon to catch a couple of crosses, knocking chaps to the ground as he did so, whilst punching two or three deliveries clear as well. 

Replacement Matt Baker nearly turned home a right-side centre in the second period but when Athletic equalised at 2-2, it appeared that Wake Green’s misses would be rued. Dom Constable helped the ball back into Nathan Owen’s path and the midfielder’s drive from downtown was powerful enough to get past Gabbidon’s dive.

2-2: OWEN HAS SCORED...

That was it for the visitors’ offense but to concede straight away after regaining parity was cruel on them, albeit probably justified in truth.

The Wakes’ skipper, Xavier Moore…

This guy was vocal… Yeah, really vocal… 

He won a number of headers too, no mean feat against the solid Byatt and early in the match his back-header from one of many long throws by Ellis Vaux, whose shoulders would need heavy massage post-game, was tipped over the crossbar by visiting goaltender Noah Jones. So the two goalies were Nore and Noah… Now that surely can’t ever have happened before…

THE TOSS...

It was an attempted overhead shot by Moore which brought an equaliser for the Wakes, following Rhodes’ strike for Enville. The guests bemoaned the high boot by the tumbling Moore but home defender Lewis Best didn’t hesitate and nudged a soft volley into the right side of the net from near the left upright with his right shoe.

BEST, LEFT, HAS EQUALISED FOR 1-1...

The referee allowed the goal and soon, Moore had flicked on another Vaux throw which saw Josh Crampton fasten onto the ball a few yards from goal but his connection was weak and Jones collected it like he was picking up a weed from his garden.

Then Moore struck to edge Wakes 2-1 ahead, avoiding offside in the first place but when ‘keeper Jones raced left to deal with the loose ball, his touch only presented Moore on the offensive right touchline with a 'passing assist’. The Wakes’ armband-man simply looked up and clipped the ball into an empty net…

2-1: MOORE, LEFT HAS SHOT HIS TEAM AHEAD...

A really decent effort from distance by Moore flew wide of the left stick, also before half-time and in the second period, he made a fine break along the right byeline to earn a corner. He also headed on for Crampton but the midfielder’s lobbed effort at goal was wayward.

Clearly, Moore was effective, vociferous and instrumental in his team’s victory.

More Wake Green offense… 

Both Vaux and Parker drove too high from decent positions, Parker also saw two efforts cleared from the Enville goal-line, once by Max Ball’s header, following a sliced clearance by goalminder Jones and once by Byatt’s lunge which scooped the ball up and over his own crossbar.

ENVILLE'S MOORE & WAKES' LOOSE...

Parker also assisted replacement Sam Wrenne for a run at goal through inside-left but as Jones advanced, the forward clipped his shot past the left pole.

The winning goal was so simple that it looked like a training ground finish. The aforementioned left-flank corner by replacement Matt Stewart (Vaux had already retired to the jacuzzi to replenish his set-piece arms and legs) was easy for home defender Adrian Cooney to jump for, a few yards from goal and head into the net, leaving Jones rooted to his goal-line and marker Jack Sulley frustrated. Sulley had been cautioned earlier in the contest. 

3-2: COONEY HAS WON THE MATCH FOR THE WAKES...

The final words…

On chances alone, Wakes were deserved winners but much of the encounter was spent by the players in a crowded midfield, tussling or too often standing still and waiting for someone to jog round the pitch to fetch a ball…

SULLEY CAUTIONED...

The home defence, well served by Cooney and Corrigan was able to quieten visiting forwards Jack Rhodes and James Bamford, whilst Ben Moore and Constable were generally kept at bay by home full-backs Adam McCausland and goalscorer Best.

COONEY & MOORE...

Subsequently though, it meant that although five of Wakes’ seven goals in their previous two matches at this level had been scored by Jack Duggan (2) and Ash Smith (3), neither was available for this game and yet still the hosts netted three times. They currently lie a healthy 3rd in the league, with 7 points from 9, whereas Enville are 8th of 15 with a victory and two losses from their three matches on the road.  

Thanks to Wake Green for the welcome and to the Enville coach for chatting before the match… 

I must drive out to Enville soon, for it really is one of the scenic grounds in the Midland League…

TEAMS:

WAKE GREEN AMATEURS:

NORE GABBIDON, ADAM MCCAUSLAND, LEWIS BEST, JOSH CRAMPTON, ADRIAN COONEY, RYAN CORRIGAN, BEN LOOSE, BRAD LEDIARD, XAVIER MOORE (CAPT), BEN PARKER, ELLIS VAUX.

SUBS:

MATT STEWART, SAM WRENN, JACK STURDY, SAM REGAN.

ENVILLE ATHLETIC:

NOAH JONES, MAX BALL, JACK SULLEY, ALEX BYATT, ELLIS BASTABLE, NATHAN OWEN, DOM CONSTABLE, CONNOR RICH (CAPT), JAMES BAMFORD, BEN MOORE, JACK RHODES.

SUBS:

ALEX WINWOOD, JASON RHODES, MATT BAKER.