KENILWORTH SPORTING 1-1 AFC COVENTRY RANGERS: THE MOWDOG'S TAKE ON THINGS...

 A Point Apiece In A Contest Made Fraught For The Watching Throng

Kenilworth Sporting 1-1 AFC Coventry Rangers

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

It was rather odd that after a promising start to the match, Rangers’ two wide players, Fola Fagbemi and Rory Turnbull suddenly changed flanks, which precipitated the game swinging towards the hosts, whose hesitant opening quarter-hour had clearly worried their dugout crew.

Fagbemi had headed against a post for Coventry in the early moments and home ‘keeper Finn Osborn had been typically alert as AFC had threatened. However, in a match rather strained by the officiating, the hosts soon gained a positive foothold and Rangers’ vociferous gloveman Jack Hartopp made one flying save from the effective Harry Wilson. 

No goals arrived before the break though and despite the fact that Rangers’ combative midfielder Joe Gardner was cautioned during the opening quarter of the contest, the referee then allowed several other dodgy challenges to go unpunished, even one cruncher by Rangers’ heroic central defender Curtis Cutts.

GOSH...
A RESPECTFUL LINESPERSON...

Things later became unpleasant on the coaching sideline as first a low Tyrone Wilson drive was blocked by the outside of Cutts’ upper arm as he dropped evasively and turned, albeit with his arms pinned behind him. Howls for a penalty were ignored but what really incensed the Kenilworth staff was that Callum Regan’s immediate pass forward to Fagbemi on the left led to the equaliser for AFC, which they also believed had been scored by an offside Turnbull’s right boot. He was in truth safely onside, however…

And then AFC replacement Owen Suddick upended home substitute Kyle Jaynes just inside the left edge of the penalty-box for a clear spot-kick but the main official awarded a free-kick a foot or so beyond the white line, to everyone’s shock. The linesperson at that end of the pitch was on the opposite flank and perhaps the referee was unsighted from a central position, although the other ‘assistant’ maybe should have seen the incident and ‘assisted’, for I had spotted it and the lino was closer to the half-way line and the play than me… 

Badly done, officials… 

HYLTON DOES IRISH DANCING???
MAYBE LIAM DOYLE COULD FIND A PANTO SPOT IN SWINDON FOR HIM...

A few times, free-kicks were reactively awarded after bellows were heard from players, officials or even spectators and some folks certainly began to believe that whoever yelled first might just get the nod. Surely not, though…

So, the game ended tied, although both teams attacked with relish in the latter stages and when Hartopp was fouled in the closing moments as he caught a corner, his reaction was to treat a Sporting player like a hammer in an athletics event, swinging him round rather splendidly… Ah, those playground games are always worth watching…

PLAYTIME SCUFFLE...

Coventry’s performance…

Too many really inaccurate passes blighted Kevin Kingham’s team and too often the wrong option was chosen, spoiling promising attacks. In the opening moments Fagbemi nodded Gardner’s bouncing left-side centre past the advancing Osborn only to see the ball bob against the foot of the right stick and later in the opening period, the wide-player struck a decent 19 yard drive which flashed by the left upright. Skipper Jordan Powell back-headed too high and one of his shots flew off target as the excellent home skipper Rhys Lyons challenged. Lyons had moved to central defence to cover the missing Sam Delaney…

After half-time, Fagbemi’s weak shot was not well received by team-mates, for Turnbull was unmarked to his right but he did release Turnbull later on when it really mattered with a fine pass from left to right across the 18 yard box. Turnbull stretched his right foot forward and turned the ball past the helpless Osborn from 10 yards.

TURNBULL CAN'T BELIEVE THAT HIS LEFT FOOT HAS COMPLAINED THAT HIS RIGHT BOOT HAS JUST SCORED. 

Osborn did well to block a glancing header from Regan and the AFC midfielder’s short rebound cross was desperately hacked clear by home defender Will Hawkins. 

Replacement Connoll Farrell might have snatched a win for AFC too but Osborn’s miscued clearance rolled under his boot, 15 yards out and with the goalie stranded.

The single point would surely have been gladly accepted by Rangers, who had lost Phil Chesters hurt, then George Swain, whilst Cutts was limping badly by the finish. However, central striker Jarrell Hylton and Powell found space and good positions tough to access during the encounter.  

At times near the end, Cutts, alongside first Max Howard and then his tough tackling substitute Toby Curran were like sieged troops in a trench during the First World War… Indeed, subsequently Hartopp wasn’t unduly troubled.

FREEMAN (8) BUT WITH HOWARD & REGAN, NOT HARDY & WILLIS...

The Sporting offense…  

Early on, both Tyrone Wilson and the dangerous Jason Evans shot by the left upright, Hawkins rose well to nod Chris Green’s delivery only just over the crossbeam and Dave Obeng drove way over the target from downtown. Hartopp leapt left to turn Harry Wilson’s rising effort over the crossbar, then punched a dangerous corner over the top too.

Hartopp’s trick moment of the day came when he kicked the ball against Howard and it ricocheted over the crossbar to concede an unusual corner. Green lifted an effort gently over the bar, Obeng’s soft cross to the far left post was bundled wide by Evans and Tyrone Wilson’s snap-shot flew too high, as Sporting reached half-time in the ascendancy.

RANGERS DEFENDING A CORNER...

The second-period from Kenilworth’s point of view…

Harry Wilson shot wide, replacement Adam Taylor’s shot was stopped well by Hartopp, allowing the inscrutable Cutts to hack the ball clear,  before Taylor did strike and to be fair, midfielder Dave Freeman, always an industrious midfielder, will relish seeing his assist on film…

A rash challenge by Curran allowed Obeng to get by and cross low from the right, whereupon Freeman flicked the ball on with a heel, wrong-footing the Rangers defenders and allowing the lurking Taylor to shoot inside the left post and leave Hartopp stranded. 

Taylor certainly livened up the home attack with his eagerness and pace, although it was surprising to see Harry Wilson replaced, although maybe he had been roughed up by Cutts’ cutting tackle…

Taylor drove a shot too high, Hartopp denied Tyrone Wilson at his near post, after which Obeng’s drive was superbly blocked by Swain. However, the two penalty incidents followed, sandwiched by Turnbull’s goal for AFC and Sporting were forced to settle for a tie.

LYONS HAS A NATTER...

At the finish there were mutterings by the Kenilworth officials about the second penalty non-award but in all fairness, the referee was not in a good position to see where the challenge in question might have taken place with any certainty, hence a free-kick being awarded outside the penalty-box rectangle.

The final words…

Osborn and Hartopp both kept goal well for their teams albeit with different approaches to the game, whilst Evans looked sharp at times on the Sporting left. Odd that both Evans and Kenilworth’s combative defenseman and skipper Lyons used to play for AFC’s manager Kev Kingham… Lyons was as courageous as, er, a bear (couldn’t bring myself to write lion) and some of his tackling was clinical. 

Liked Freeman’s overall contribution and that of the legendary Jean Dakouri, whose beard-length and weight only allow him to last around 70 minutes… (Just joking, Dak…) 

GARDNER & DAKOURI...

The general link-play and set-piece duties of Kenilworth's Jacob Dodds were effective but at times, both Wilsons seemed tied to centrefield and thus with Obeng and Evans having to make ground to support them, things often became crowded for the strike-pair. Once again, goalscoring proved to be a problem for the hosts…

AFC were superbly led by Cutts at the back, whilst Howard and then Curran were usually strong at left-defence and Regan was busy in midfield. Gardner never stopped working in the trenches and his battle with Dakouri was a highlight of the encounter and sheer joy to witness at times. Fagbemi enjoyed occasional bright moments, whilst the frustrated Hylton received scant service as the central striker.

A GENTLE SMACK FOR GARDNER AS HE IS CAUTIONED...

Thanks to both clubs for another fine welcome from their respective staff and players. 

It meant a lot…   

CONTEH (15) WATCHES THE PLAYGROUND FUN...

TEAMS:

KENILWORTH SPORTING:

FINN OSBORN, DAVE OBENG, JASON EVANS, CHRIS GREEN, RHYS LYONS (CAPT), WILL HAWKINS, HARRY WILSON, DAVE FREEMAN, TYRONE WILSON, JEAN DAKOURI, JACOB DODDS.

SUBS:

ADAM TAYLOR, SEAN BURKE, JOHN AGBO, KYLE JAYNES, HAMZA SIDDIQUE.  

AFC COVENTRY RANGERS:

JACK HARTOPP, GEORGE SWAIN, MAX HOWARD, CALLUM REGAN, PHIL CHESTERS, CURTIS CUTTS, FOLA FAGBEMI, JOE GARDNER, JARRELL HYLTON, JORDAN POWELL (CAPT), RORY TURNBULL.

SUBS:

COREY PERKINS, OWEN SUDDICK, SHEIK CONTEH, CONNOLL FARRELL, TOBY CURRAN.