MEADOW PARK 2-2 SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR: THE MATCH REPORT...

 Shipston Excel In Preserving A Point…

Meadow Park 2-2 Shipston Excelsior

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

This really was a competitive match and an enjoyable one to cover from an independent point of view, even though in truth Meadow Park constructed enough chances to have won it. Shipston hung in there at the end and some remarkable defending by skipper Tom Wright and his ‘keeper Will Hunt, as well as some wasteful Park finishing preserved a tie for the guests, gifted to them by home skipper Sam Horton’s strange own-goal early in the second-half.

Park had led 2-0, through an early strike by Lewis Burford and a Mason Taylor free-kick but the Ships had cut that lead almost immediately when their MVP, along with Wright in my opinion, glanced on a long throw for a soft equaliser. Home goalie Max Allen made two agile tip-over saves from the industrious Shipston striker Jordan Rooke and long-throw specialist Nick Walker struck a post late on, but a winner for Shipston would have been cruel on the hosts.

GILL IS CAUTIONED...

Tall Excelsior midfielder Kallan Gill was cautioned in the opening period and he was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card before the break but he didn’t appear after half-time. However, as a rolling substitute, he reappeared late in the second 45 and was involved in a clash with Mr Shifty, Mason Taylor, causing the Shipman to lash out. He was dismissed and Taylor was rightly cautioned… So, a sour note to end the encounter but there was enough entertainment to make last week’s Hampton v AFC Coventry Rangers match seem like spending time in a library which has no books…

PLAYGROUND SCRAP...

The Meadow Park goals… 

Lewis Burford latched onto a lax clearance by Shipston’s Will Baxter and he made ground on the right. Strangely I guess most folks present, even those seated in their garden chairs, must have expected a cross from the winger but instead he shot towards the near post and the ball somehow bobbled beneath Hunt’s dive into the net. 

1-0: BURFORD...

Goal two came as the result of a tussle between a pair of giants in the midfield zone, Mason Taylor (I’m using the Christian name because another Taylor, Alfie, was on the Park bench) and Shipman Caswell, who marauded through the match with great effect. On this occasion, Mason Taylor was felled from behind by Caswell and took the free-kick himself, ramming a 23 yard shot low towards goal but the ball appeared to go beneath Gill’s feet on one end of Shipston’s defensive wall as he leapt upwards. Hunt was unable to stop the ball and Park led 2-0… 

2-0: MASON TAYLOR...

A James Lev shot had also been deflected wide in the first 45 and an angled Burford effort had clipped the crossbeam, before a Mason Taylor shot was collected by Hunt.

The Shipston first-half…

It seemed that Caswell’s influence and Rooke’s threat had worried Park, despite the two home goals and before the guests pulled a goal back, Allen did well to turn a fine Caswell drive from distance over his crossbar. Caswell then nipped in front of the astonished Allen to nudge a free-kick delivery from deep over the target but the Shipman was adjudged offside anyway.

From Rooke’s fine pass behind Park defender Sam Green-Jeffries, visiting winger James Haines fluffed his attempted lob over Allen, finding only the side-netting. However, before a Caswell shot from 25 yards was fielded by gloveman Allen, the visitors scored their first goal. A long Walker throw from the left seemed innocuous enough as Caswell jumped with Park’s Bailey Eades and Mason Taylor but the ball glanced off the head of the Shipston midfielder and dropped gently into the right side of goal, leaving Allen bemused…  

2-1: CASWELL...

Shipston’s second period start and two late goal chances…

Somehow Rooke swooped in front of goal but missed his prey, which was actually the ball, from Redshaw’s right-side centre, before a mugging of Lev saw the ball ricochet past Green-Jeffries and set Shipston’s right-back Dale Simpson racing along the right-flank. Although there were no Shipmen in a threatening position, home skipper Horton leapt unhindered and side-footed Simpson’s delivery into the nearside of his own net, again with Allen looking totally bemused…

2-2: OWN-GOAL BY HORTON...

Another Rooke effort from way downtown was well tipped over his crossbar by the back-pedalling Allen and the Park ‘keeper palmed down a shot from Redshaw too. As the game ebbed away with Park looking likely to win it, Walker’s long, low drive struck the face of the left upright for Excelsior and Rooke shot straight at Allen from inside-left but subsequently, the Shipmen survived and took a precious point away from the Meadowdome.

PAUSING TO LOOK AT THE FLAG...

Those squandered Meadow Park chances to win the match…

An Alfie Taylor shot was palmed down by Hunt, who also snatched two dangerous passes from the heads of Powell and replacement Dan Everton. Everton then got in at the left side of the 6 yard box but tried to flick the ball past Hunt with his right boot, allowing a defender and the goalminder to smother his effort for a corner. 

LEV, CASWELL & MASON TAYLOR...

Wright deflected a bobbling Green-Jeffries shot for a corner, Eades could get no direction with one header from a Burford corner, then headed a late flag-kick too high, whilst right-back Jack Sutcliffe shot over the target. Really though, Powell could have won the game on his own.

POWELL & BAXTER...

His left-foot lob from downtown at inside-left beat the goalie but bounced just wide, he headed a Burford corner over the horizontal bar from close range, he was fed by Everton but Hunt blocked his shot, Baxter stopped Everton’s rebound and Hunt raced out to save at Powell’s feet as the striker latched onto the loose ball in a scramble.

Incredibly, Powell went even closer to scoring on two other occasions… First, the ball was deflected up to him with Hunt stranded out of goal and the Park striker headed it goalwards from12 yards but somehow, Wright leapt to nod the ball over his own crossbar to deny the Park number 19…

WHEN POWELL REALISED THAT HE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE SCRAP...

And then, very late on, one of the best footballers on show, Dan Jarvis, who had moved to the left side of the Park offense, following Lev’s injury and withdrawal, made a fine run on the flank, one of several. His low pass was perfect for the supporting Powell to run onto, 12 yards out but he lifted his shot some way over the target…

The final words…

Jarvis impressed but so did Powell for Park, although I seem to be his jinx, as whenever I turn up at a Meadow Park match, his scoring touch appears to desert him. Mason Taylor was immense in midfield, despite lacking his chum Nathan Benson’s presence and Horton played a fairly commanding game in defence. 

THE MIGHTY MIDFIELDERS: CASWELL & MASON TAYLOR...

The visitors were well served, as mentioned above, by Hunt, Wright, Rooke and especially Caswell, although the hard work of Oli Thorn should not go unmentioned.

Thus the teams settled for a point apiece but I guess that Park will rue the chances squandered in a game surely enjoyed by the folks who disappeared just before half-time when a few raindrops began to fall. They collected umbrellas and jackets from their cars but typically, it then stopped raining…

NO DUGOUT, SO DUG IN...

Life, eh?

TEAMS:

MEADOW PARK:

MAX ALLEN, JACK SUTCLIFFE, SAM GREEN-JEFFRIES, SAM HORTON (CAPT), BAILEY EADES, DAN JARVIS, LEWIS BURFORD, MASON TAYLOR, CONNOR POWELL, HARVEY NEATH, JAMES LEV.

SUBS:

DAN EVERTON, ALFIE TAYLOR, BRAD TALBOT, BILLY SAMPLE, OISIN BONNER. 

SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR:

WILL HUNT, DALE SIMPSON, NICK WALKER, ED CASWELL, TOM WRIGHT (CAPT), WILL BAXTER, KALLAN GILL, OLI THORN, JORDAN ROOKE, GEORGE REDSHAW, JAMES HAINES.

SUBS:

MATT JONES, CONOR MURPHY, JAMES DRINKWATER.