Powell & Fagbemi Blow Rangers’ Cobwebs Away…
AFC Coventry Rangers 3-1 Coventry Alvis
The Mowdog’s thoughts…
A sodden, uneven, soft-rutted surface at The Tech was always going to be tricky to play attractive football upon and although these two teams managed to run off the recent lay-off due to the festive season and postponements, the entertainment was robust and full of effort, rather than creative for the most part. However, Rangers’ skipper Jordan Powell scored once and assisted Fola ‘I’ve lost my shin-pad’ Fagbemi to snaffle a close-range brace and win the points for the hosts.
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| TOSSING UP... |
A lack lustre start by a hesitant Alvis suddenly blossomed into a competitive performance once their most effective player, Riley Keasey, had dragged them back to 2-1 before half-time. After that, AFC lost their composure at times and indeed the visitors often looked more likely to score the next goal, until the Powell-Fagbemi partnership won the match for Rangers later in the second period.
Home goalie Jack Hartopp made a few low saves during the match and on occasions, he could clearly be heard bellowing at his team-mates to sort themselves out and allowing Alvis back into the encounter.
True, Powell and the industrious Joe Gardner struck the Alvis crossbeam but as the contest wore on, I began to wonder about the missing AFC squad members. Names such as Ryan Alexander, James Chappell, Toby Curran, Liam Doyle, Callum Mack and Alpha Wurie were all missing from the team-sheet completely, whilst Curtis Cutts and Connoll Farrell were on the bench. I guess Alvis might have been missing regulars too, but I hadn’t managed to see them so far this term and thus cannot comment on their own situation.
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| NO KNEE-SLIDES HERE... |
However, the individual efforts by Tankmen Elliot Edwards in attack and elusive skipper Tyrike Richards-Burke, were worthy of mention along with Kieron Baker in defence and Finlay Noel who played at right-back and then later in midfield.
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| YOUNG CUTTS APPEARS FOR RANGERS... |
The Powell-Fagbemi connection…
Certainly Rangers began in the ascendancy and Powell was soon able to display his dangerous presence in the opposition’s penalty-box, rising in front of mis-matched marker Jamie Jarvis to glance and loop Gardner’s left-side flag-kick into the far corner of the net. He struck the crossbar too from Ryan Turnbull’s measured left-flank centre and was then deemed offside, after glancing a Fagbemi drive into the right corner of the net. A goal was awarded originally but after the referee consulted a linesman, the assistant suddenly raised his flag, like he’d just come up with an answer in a history lesson.
After an Alvis attack had been thwarted, Rangers cleared the ball towards half-way, where the ever willing Jarrell Hylton cleverly turned the ball on for his skipper to break forward onto, along the right flank. Fagbemi made a run at inside-left and although it appeared that Powell would go for goal himself, his unselfishness was laudable as he drew goalkeeper Alfie Pyott. Powell’s low pass across the penalty-box was chased after and slid into the net at the far post by the unmarked Fagbemi, despite the desperate efforts of Noel to get back.
Rangers’ third and decisive goal stemmed from a rush on the left by Powell but his passing assist, played with the outside of his right boot, was so accurate, exploiting a small gap between the advancing Pyott and the retreating Connor Wilkinson, allowing the speedy Fagbemi to capitalise in the space and convert, again with a slide…
Powell would nod a Cutts free-kick down for Pyott to smother late in the game and was also shoved to the ground by Wilkinson inside the 18 yard box as the fully involved Gardner prepared to take a corner. The referee merely chose to speak to both players…
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| TAKES SO LONG TO GET A SET-PIECE STARTED THESE DAYS... |
The remainder of Rangers’ offensive efforts…
Hylton couldn’t get any purchase on an early effort, then after the break he was unable to get in a shot, following a Gardner centre. Both Phil Chesters and Fagbemi drove shots off target during the first-half but Gardner raced clear at inside-right too, only to be foiled by the surface, although when he recovered possession, Fagbemi was unmarked to his left. However, Gardner chose instead to go for goal himself again but was quickly tackled and conceded a foul.
After the recess, Turnbull curled a shot some way wide and saw Pyott clutch his free-kick shot comfortably, before Gardner’s delivery from the left-flank rapped against the crossbar and Cutts’ shot from downtown was easily dealt with by the Alvis gloveman.
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| PYOTT WOULD SAVE TURNBULL'S FREE-KICK... |
The Alvis attacks…
It was odd that the Tankmen’s most penetrative offensive moments came in four distinct periods of the match. Richards-Burke fired a low angled effort for Hartopp to touch wide when Alvis trailed 1-0 and when Captain Richards-Burke set up Keasey from a few yards out, the midfielder’s delicate lifted effort in front of Hartopp only just cleared the horizontal pole.
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| MOORE IS YELLOW-CARDED LATE ON... |
At 2-0 behind, the Alvis Tanks advanced again and just prior to Jamie Jarvis’ low delivery from inside-left which was awkwardly touched wide by the falling Hartopp, they reduced the arrears.
Dhimiter Sogani had come alive after half and hour or so and he slipped a pass inside from near the left edge of the penalty-box. Keasey controlled it then shot low from 19 yards and somehow the ball squirmed against the base of the left upright and rolled across into the right side of the net.
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| KEASEY (8): PLAYED STRONGLY FOR ALVIS & SCORED A GOAL... |
After the interval, phase three of the Tank attacks occurred when Keasey drove too high then fired hard and low from 24 yards, forcing a decent save low to his left by Hartopp who conceded a corner and yelled at his rather static defenders. Again.
Rangers were seemingly susceptible to short corners at this point in the match, falling for them three times and from one, another Keasey shot was deflected behind for a corner, possibly off Hartopp again.
A quiet period then followed for Alvis, during which time they fell 3-1 behind but a late flurry by the guests saw Richards-Burke cut inside from the left but shoot straight at Hartopp, whilst the often impressive Noel also tested Hartopp. Finally, Keasey curled a really good shot from 18 yards towards the right stick but Hartopp was alert again and dived left to tip the dipping ball away for a flag-kick.
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| ALVIS CELEBRATE KEASEY'S GOAL... |
Hartopp the Haranguer…
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| HARTOPP: DID WELL... |
The Rangers’ custodian certainly entertained the chilly spectators, some of whom near me, were talking incessantly about things in no way related to the match whatsoever. Those folks were called ‘Groundhoppers’, hoping to get to another match nearby, following this 12pm kick-off. And they were likely going to use trains to do it, too… Hmm…
Hartopp made decent saves, yes, but one long advance from his goal was crucial during the first period, as he whacked the ball clear. His barking of orders even terrified a guy’s dog which was off its lead nearby but his most spectacular moment came after the break when he advanced from goal again. This time though the ball took an evil bounce, which resulted in a slice by Hartopp rather like one skewed by a batter needing a six from the final ball in a 20-over cricket extravaganza. What was so good about it was that the chasing opposition player was so bemused by the leaping goalie and his frightening hitch-kick that Rangers defended the situation with no problem at all. Loved that…
Hartopp then invited me into the loose post-match huddle on the pitch, which I declined but on reflection, maybe in doing so I might have offered him my media MVP award for those low saves made at crucial times… And I kid you not, despite the efforts of Powell and the splendid Gardner…
The final words…
One or two of the younger Alvis players showed real promise on a poor pitch, despite the defeat and Edwards certainly possessed some pace in attack, ably partnered by his skipper who maybe needed more involvement. In fact, home defenders Corey Perkins, the eager Max Howard and central defenders Chesters and George Swain, were subsequently all tested at times by the battling Tankmen.
Kymani Brade picked up a couple of knocks for Alvis, despite working hard behind the forwards but Baker was often very effective in defence, especially after Ryan Jarvis had been replaced by Josh Moore.
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| FARRELL & MOORE: BOTH CAUTIONED... |
Chesters and home substitute Connoll Farrell were cautioned during the contest, Farrell for turning his back as Pyott was about to punt away the ball, whilst Tankmen Moore and Richards-Burke were also shown yellow cards…
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| CHESTERS, RIGHT, IS CAUTIONED... |
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| RICHARDS-BURKE, SECOND FROM RIGHT, IS ABOUT TO BE BOOKED... |
TEAMS:
AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:
JACK HARTOPP, COREY PERKINS, MAX HOWARD, CALLUM REGAN, GEORGE SWAIN, PHIL CHESTERS, FOLA FAGBEMI, JOE GARDNER, JARRELL HYLTON, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), RYAN TURNBULL.
SUBS:
OWEN SUDDICK, CONNOLL FARRELL, SHEIK CONTEH, LOZ WOODROFFE, CURTIS CUTTS.
COVENTRY ALVIS:
ALFIE PYOTT, FINLAY NOEL, CONNOR WILKINSON, KIERON BAKER, RYAN JARVIS, JAMIE JARVIS, KYMANI BRADE, RILEY KEASEY, ELLIOT EDWARDS, DHIMITER SOGANI, TYRIKE RICHARDS-BURKE (CAPT).
SUBS:
DANNY CAIRNS, STEPHEN MCKENNA, LEE WOOTTEN, JOSH MOORE.
