AFC COVENTRY RANGERS 1-1 KNOWLE FC: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Rangers Benefit From The Robins’ First Period Misses…

AFC Coventry Rangers 1-1 Knowle FC

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Rangers stayed in touch with Knowle throughout the first-half of this tussle but they were fortunate only to be trailing to Owen Ward’s spot-kick at the break. The Robins had played the better football, had posed more threat and had limited their hosts to a free-kick shot by Owen Wassall and a scooped miss by Rory Turnbull. Knowle had struck the crossbar, caused a few scrambles near the home goal and ‘keeper Jack McQuillan had saved a low shot by Ward.

However, after the break, despite some offensive plays, the game became more of a contest, for the earlier lack of physicality in AFC’s play had been dismissed and the influential Ward, who played smartly in the Robins’ midfield alongside Dylon Bennett, had been replaced. Substitute Jack Mullen missed Knowle’s best chance after the interval but the second period was often untidy, broken up by several cautions to players and also by the numerous substitutions made. Clearly the number of replacements allowed these days can totally disturb and disrupt a team which has previously gained the upper hand and indeed, if Robins’ goalie Johnson hadn’t made a late save from Rangers’ substitute Liam Doyle, they might have returned home without even a point. That would have been very cruel on them…

HEWITT & SEELEY ARE COVERED BY THREE RANGERS...

COSGROVE SPOTS A BUZZARD...

Nathan Corry, Reece Hewitt and George Seeley stretched Rangers before half-time but with the introduction of Mullen, a rugged striker, the inevitable positional changes failed to ignite Matt Seeley’s team during the jumble of a second period. Without Ward’s interplay with Bennett, the Robins were unable to really expose Rangers’ more resilient second-half defensive performance and home gloveman McQuillan was rarely bothered.

The hosts improved somewhat with the introduction of Joe Gardner, plus Connoll Farrell, returning from long-term injury and the singin’ winger Liam Doyle, for in truth their offense had been poor during the opening 45, with Fola Fagbemi given little support or service. Indeed, wide players Wassall and Turnbull were generally unable to get the better of Knowle’s fine full-back pairing of Rainey and Staley, leaving Fagbemi to run the attacking areas alone. He did so, unflaggingly…

POWELL: "TUGGA THINKS HE CAN PLAY THIS GAME WITH HIS EYES SHUT..."

TURNBULL ATTEMPTS TO SAVE HEWITT FROM A FALLING ASTEROID...

1-1 would be considered an acceptable scoreline by Rangers but Knowle would know that the game could and should have been decided in their favour before the recess… 

JONES (17) IS ABOUT TO HEAD THE BALL FOR KNOWLE...

The opening period action…

An early scare for AFC occurred when the alert Swain scrambled the ball from near his goal-line as Corry lurked but although the low save from Ward by McQuillan was smart, Seeley rapped his promising rebound effort off target. Robins’ skipper Lewis Cosgrove headed a chance too high and Corry surprisingly out-jumped Swain to loop a header from Hewitt’s accurate centre onto the top of the crossbar. 

The penalty saw Hewitt sprawl as Regan challenged him from behind and Ward shot a cool left-booted spot-kick low into the right corner of the net past McQuillan’s dive.

0-1...

...& A GOAL FOR WARD...

Both Ward and Bennett enjoyed too much space in which to provide passes and in all honesty, Knowle looked the more able and accomplished outfit for 45 minutes. 

Little was seen of the home team as an attacking force to be fair, despite the running of Fagbemi and the supporting influence of skipper Powell. Ryan Alexander was being advised from the sideline near me to keep tabs on Knowle’s playmaker Bennett but that only served to leave Powell as the only real creator for his team. Regan was forced to forage and provide cover for his defenders, especially as the Knowle full-backs often rushed forward threateningly. Phil Chesters and Swain were having their work cut out to deal with Corry, Hewitt and Seeley, so that one or two scrambles ensued in the home 18 yard box but to no avail for the aggressive Robins.  

MULLEN APPEARS TO HAVE LOST A FINGER INSIDE HIS EYE SOCKET...

COSGROVE & MCCARDLE: "NO, CONNOLL, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE INJURED. BUGGER OFF..."

A free-kick from downtown by Rangers’ Wassall was pushed away to his right by Johnson, after the referee had played an advantage to AFC but Powell had been flagged offside as he netted. Turnbull’s shot from Powell’s assist drifted too high and the subsequent half-time whistle was probably a relief for the Coventry coaching staff. 

POWELL FINDS A MOMENT TO SCRATCH HIS TOES WITH HIS OTHER BOOT...

The untidy second period…

Certainly the match was industriously contested but so many replacements, as mentioned above and several cautions, plus a stoppage for Regan to get treatment for what seemed like cramp, as well as an improvement in AFC’s physical approach, resulted in few real goalscoring opportunities.

A flying attempt by Mullen from close range flew too high and Mack defended well as Corry and Mason threatened a few yards from goal but otherwise, Rangers managed reasonably comfortably, despite Hewitt’s promptings.

The AFC goal came from the industry of Alexander on the right flank, whose low centre was reached in front of Cosgrove by Powell and his steered right-footer sent the ball inside the far post, with Johnson helpless to save. Yes, that was a surprise, for little else had been achieved by the home attack…  

1-1 AFTER POWELL'S STRIKE...

However, Gardner’s fine left-wing centre late on was smacked low and first time by Doyle’s left foot from about 7 yards but Johnson reacted well to keep the ball out of goal and save a point for his team. 

WHAT IS THE INJURED POWELL WEARING ON HIS HEAD? A BASEBALL CAP?

The final words…

There are few to type to be honest… Knowle could and should have been ahead more comfortably at the break but Rangers battled back after the interval and in the stop-start second period managed to stifle the Robins, limit them and compete with more confidence and success. The equaliser was a surprise for most but Knowle were not able to clinch victory as time expired. 

SEELEY COMPLAINS THAT FAGBEMI IS TOO LOW FOR A GAME OF LEAP FROG...

LOTS OF HELPERS FOR THE HURT REGAN...

I have seen these two teams three times this season and the AFC scores have been 0-0, 2-2 and 1-1, whilst the Knowle matches have ended 1-1, 2-2 and 1-1…

No victories…

TEAMS:

AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:

JACK MCQUILLAN, COREY PERKINS, TOBY CURRAN, CALLUM REGAN, GEORGE SWAIN, PHIL CHESTERS, OWEN WASSALL, RYAN ALEXANDER, FOLA FAGBEMI, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), RORY TURNBULL.

SUBS:

JOE GARDNER, CONNOLL FARRELL, CALLUM MACK, ALFIE HILL, LIAM DOYLE.

KNOWLE FC:

CRAIG JOHNSON, LEWIS RAINEY, REECE STALEY, CHRISTIAN MCCARDLE, LEWIS COSGROVE (CAPT), OWEN WARD, YASIN AL MASSRY, DYLON BENNETT, NATHAN CORRY, GEORGE SEELEY, REECE HEWITT.

SUBS:

ASH WEEKS, JACK MULLEN, MYLES MASON, BEN JONES, JACOB WALTON.