KENILWORTH SPORTING 3-3 AFC COVENTRY RANGERS (4-3 IN A PENALTY SHOOTOUT): THE INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Sporting Benefit From Slack Rangers Defending…

Kenilworth Sporting 3-3 AFC Coventry Rangers 

(4-3 in a penalty shootout…)

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

When the referee arrived at Gypsy Lane, I thought it was my neighbour in Solihull, ex-copper Brian but of course it wasn’t really and the fellow proceeded to manage this cup-tie often from a distance, meaning that a few decisions made might just have been erroneous. However, it’s not really something to complain about, unless of course you are a coach and you should have been awarded a free-kick, or perhaps even a penalty…

WHEN YOU KNOW IT'S GONNA BE PENALTIES...

Coventry Telegraph Cup holders Rangers were bundled out of this term’s competition courtesy of a penalty shootout, during which AFC used five left-footed spot-kick takers. Three scored, one was denied by one of only two real saves made in the entire match by home custodian Finn Osborn and the other shooter skied a wasteful effort. Osborn’s other direct save during the 90 minutes was to turn an awkward centre by Rory Turnbull over his crossbeam. 

Only one Kenilworth player missed his penalty and that was central striker Chris Jones, whose effort rapped the crossbar. Thinking back, I don’t think that visiting goalie Jack Hartopp was forced to make a direct save at all, for when he flicked a glove at one left-wing set-piece, I think it was the only meaningful action he had been involved in. 

When I saw Knowle perform at Kenilworth, their midfielders, Bennett, Ward and Hewitt were all heavily involved in the creativity of the team’s play but in this cup-tie, it was tough to spot a considerable midfield presence of a similar mould. Hence much of the offense relied upon long passes through channels, too often providing easy meat for alert defenders.

Yet Rangers’ offensive line included Connoll Farrell, Fola Fagbemi and Alpha Wurie, all possessing pace, although during this encounter their influence was limited, partly due to a severe lack of useful service and partly due to some fine defending by Will Hawkins and Joe Wright in particular. Both of them scored for Sporting too, as the hosts overturned Rangers’ early lead to reach the break 3-1 ahead…

WURIE, RIGHT: MISSED CHANCES...

AFC fashioned more second period opportunities but failed miserably to make them count. Then, despite smart spot-kicks in the shootout by Farrell, Turnbull and replacement Curtis Cutts, Osborn saved low from Toby Curran and then looked aghast as Wurie lifted his effort way too high. 

The first-half goals…     

Farrell began the goal-fest when home skipper Sam Delaney’s awkward header with the AFC striker and Hawkins almost bundling into him, fell kindly for Farrell, 23 yards out. Osborn was 6 yards from his goal-line, perfectly understandably but Farrell looked up and simply lifted a perfect lobbed left-booter, which dropped over the spectacular leap of the ‘keeper and into the empty net. A fine goal…

FARRELL, CENTRE, AFTER SCORING...

The equaliser came as a bit of a surprise, for Sporting had managed only two shots already, both way too high by first Jacob Dodds and then Harry Wilson with a free-kick. However, Jones hooked a right-flank assist towards the 6 yard line just beyond the near post, Hartopp seemed to be about to deal with it but he stopped a yard short and Dodds beat Curran to nod the ball past the stranded goalkeeper. Weak and not very alert defending by the visitors… 

DODDS (YELLOWISH BOOTS) HAS JUST EQUALISED...

Right-back Wright, not back but forward for a set-piece, was also offered too much space to score, for Fagbemi didn’t react as Wright moved towards goal when Lorcan Towey’s left-flank centre evaded both Jones and home midfielder Dave Freeman inside the 6 yard rectangle. Wright was thus free to smack the ball into the net near the right stick. Wright mouthed into Fagbemi’s face as he turned away…

2-1, COURTESY OF WRIGHT, LEFT...

Goal three for the hosts was again a result of lax marking by a Rangers defence clearly missing the influence of Cutts. A clearing header by midfielder Callum Regan of Dodds’ cross only found the unmarked Hawkins, 16 yards out and he leaned to smack a hard left-footer into the bottom right corner of the net. At least three Rangers were watching the ball, leaving Delaney and Wright (again) unmarked, had Hawkins’ shot not gone into goal.  

3-1: HAWKINS, LEFT...

Other goal attempts by Kenilworth before the break? Well, er, a Jean Dakouri shot from downtown flew over the crossbar and Freeman shot well wide. Dodds was cautioned though…

DODDS IS CAUTIONED...

For Rangers, there was hesitation when a break by Farrell fizzled out as he tried to feed a team-mate, Hawkins bravely rose from a defensive wall to head clear a Wurie free-kick shot and Ryan Alexander failed to get enough power in a low drive following a run along the right byeline by the dangerous but erratic Wurie. Wurie might have won a penalty on another day but Freeman’s challenge from behind left a linesman non-plussed and the referee unmoved, albeit from 30 yards away.

THE DAK CLEARLY DOESN'T LIKE PEOPLE CLIMBING UPON HIS BACK...

After the break…

Rangers’ skipper Jordan Powell was cautioned in a strange second period of hustle and bustle and in truth Rangers had the better of it, with Sporting rarely troubling Hartopp’s goal. Curran blocked a Towey shot, following a smart run along the right byeline by Dakouri but there was little else for the hosts to applaud as the visitors got back into the match with two goals to regain parity.

POWELL: "I'LL GIVE YOU MY SHIRT IF YOU DON'T BOOK ME, REF..."
REF: "THANKS, BUT NO THANKS..."

Alexander shrugged off Freeman at inside-left and drew Wright away from Fagbemi, allowing the AFC midfielder to slip a pass to his colleague. As Wright dropped across to cover the forward, Fagbemi turned inside him and from the left corner of the 18 yard box, shoved a low right-footer into the far corner of goal. Fagbemi didn’t mouth at anybody…

FAGBEMI CELEBRATES ALONE AFTER SCORING FOR 3-2...

Wurie drove against the left post from 12 yards following another Alexander pass, then shot too high, after Farrell’s neat flicked pass, before George Swain shot only just too high and Turnbull’s left-flank delivery was turned over the target by Osborn, as described above. 

The equaliser was bundled into the net by Powell from Farrell’s right-side corner which had been headed back across goal by Phil Chesters to cause a goalmouth scramble. Fagbemi hacked at the ball in the chaos which ran to Powell and he converted a messy goal from 3 yards. 

POWELL, LEFT, HAS REGAINED PARITY...

A low Alexander shot was well off target but really, that was that and penalties followed…

FREEMAN, LEFT: "THIS MARKING LARK IS SO BLOODY EASY..."

The shootout…

Farrell struck his shot hard and low past Osborn’s left glove for the guests to take the lead, then Wright made it 1-1 into the left side of the net past Hartopp, head-high.

Turnbull’s kick for AFC flew into the top left corner of the net, whilst Towey’s went low into the right corner for Sporting, as Hartopp moved the wrong way.

Curran’s low shot wasn’t far enough into the right corner of goal and not hard enough to beat the falling Osborn, who saved comfortably, before Jones smacked his spot-kick against the crossbar for the hosts and the score was still level at 2-2.

Wurie lifted a wasteful penalty well over the target but Hamsa Siddique’s penalty for Sporting appeared to skid off the tips of Hartopp’s gloves into the net as the goalie plunged right, which meant that it was advantage to Kenilworth with a penalty apiece left…

Cutts scored with ease, shoving a low shot left of centre, as Osborn dived the other way but Jason Evans won the tie with a fine shot into the upper right side of the net, leaving Hartopp helpless… 

Kenilworth survived the shootout then, winning by 4-3…

Final thoughts…

Certainly six goals and a penalty shootout sounds like a rollicking good game and I guess that I enjoyed another afternoon out at Gypsy Lane. However, no player truly stood out as making a statement, except maybe for home defender Will Hawkins who was honest, intense and effective. Cam Welsh and Wright did their best to support the home attack but subsequently two defenders got on the scoresheet, along with the deep lying Dodds, which says something.

THESE THREE COULD SET UP A BUSINESS TOGETHER: FREEMAN, WILSON & POWELL...

Rangers looked somehow unbalanced in attack, with Fagbemi seemingly uncomfortable on the left side, for his ten goals this term have likely come from a central role whilst Farrell has been recovering from knee surgery. Wurie will surely threaten and punish teams on his own now and again this season but his performance was patchy against Kenilworth. There was also too little support for the three strikers from midfield, although the inaccuracy of long clearances from the back didn’t help, which too often missed out the creators. In fact, substitute Alfie Hill was barely blessed with a touch of the ball when he was introduced…

However, the shootout created some drama, Osborn made a crucial save in that and his confident handling and strong kicking would surely have offered his defenders some assurance throughout the tie…

TEAMS:

KENILWORTH SPORTING:

FINN OSBORN, JOE WRIGHT, CAM WELSH, WILL HAWKINS, SAM DELANEY (CAPT), JEAN DAKOURI, HARRY WILSON, DAVE FREEMAN, CHRIS JONES, JACOB DODDS, LORCAN TOWEY.

SUBS:

JASON EVANS, HAMZA SIDDIQUE, DAVE OBENG, CHRIS GREEN.

AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:

JACK HARTOPP, TOBY CURRAN, RORY TURNBULL, CALLUM REGAN, GEORGE SWAIN, PHIL CHESTERS, FOLA FAGBEMI, RYAN ALEXANDER, CONNOLL FARRELL, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), ALPHA WURIE.

SUBS:

CURTIS CUTTS, COREY PERKINS, LIAM DOYLE, JOE GARDNER, ALFIE HILL.