AFC COVENTRY RANGERS 3-5 PERSHORE TOWN: THE WORDS ABOUT THE GAME & NEW IMAGES...

 Aidan Clark’s Hat-trick Buries Rangers Before The Break…

AFC Coventry Rangers 3-5 Pershore Town

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

In truth, Aidan Clark might have netted seven times before the break, being denied by a Jack Hartopp save, a Phil Chesters goal-line clearance, then twice firing just wide, in addition to the three efforts which counted. The Rangers defenders messed up several times and the tall Plum striker certainly made them pay. 

ONE LINO LOOKS ASLEEP ALREADY...

Coventry had gone close twice in the opening stages but Eddie Cox saved low from Jacob Dumbleton, who then nodded off target from Connoll Farrell’s flicked header but with the first five minutes as open as a stable door after the horse had bolted, offensively, Rangers began to tail off.

True, left-flanker Jack Archer threatened for the hosts, his footwork often reminding me of a slimmed down Chris Waddle but he was replaced at the interval and his substitute Alpha Wurie wasn’t really given many opportunities to shine. 

SCOTT HAMMOND: LOOKED GOOD ON OCCASIONS...

Cox did save smartly from Farrell but was beaten three times during the second period and subsequently the scoreline flattered Coventry somewhat. Despite their efforts, the hosts were up against some decent players, such as Steve Webb, anchoring the Plums’ midfield like he was taking a walk round the local boating lake and Scott Hammond, who generally impressed in a number 10 role, as he snarled at some rugged treatment handed out to him. He wasn’t shy to tackle back, however…

A TRIALIST FINDS HIMSELF AT THE END OF A RAINBOW...

Indeed, looking quite balanced before a number of substitutions were made, all of the Plums made positive contributions to this contest and with Matt Nutt and Jyrel Bojang keeping tabs on the Rangers forwards, only rarely did Coventry threaten. 

However, late on Sam Dunkley nearly claimed a hat-trick for Kev Kingham’s team but thrillingly volleyed too high on the stretch following a fast break. The game ended full of action as Ben Johns drove across the home goalmouth and at the other end Wurie’s dangerous centre was then nodded over his own crossbar by Nutt.

EDDIE SMILES THROUGH EVERY GAME I FILM.
NO IDEA WHY...

There were fine contests in midfield between home skipper Jordan Powell and Plum Sam Clark, whilst Joe Gardner was at full throttle for the home crew, marauding around the midfield zone like it was the first day of Harrod’s hair-colour sale. 

CONNOLL HEAD-BUTTS A COLLEAGUE IN THE DUGOUT AND KICKS AN OPPONENT IN THE SCROTUM AT THE SAME TIME...
IMPRESSIVE.

PETAR TONCHEV (RED SHIRT): HIS FREE-KICK BROUGHT AIDAN CLARK'S FIRST GOAL...

The rain, the rainbows and the incredible colours of the cloud cover above The Tech added atmosphere to a very watchable encounter…

JOE RECKONS HE'S HARD DONE BY.
THE REF CARES NOT AT ALL...

CONNOLL WANTS TO GO HOME FOR HIS TEA & TAKES HIS BALL WITH HIM...

The goals…

0-1… Hartopp leapt right to keep out a fine free-kick from downtown by the wily Petar Tonchev with his left hand but the ball dropped near his right post and Aidan Clark was on hand to bundle the ball over the goal-line, with his head and possibly a foot too… 

0-2… Put clear at inside-left by Bojang, Aidan Clark burst between defenders Chesters and Ritson to fire low past the advancing Hartopp with his left boot…

0-3… Bojang’s right-side centre was volleyed low by the unmarked James Baldwin and although Hartopp stopped the effort, Aidan Clark reached the loose ball before Chesters and poked in his hat-trick goal…

0-4… Josh Willis got clear of Curtis Cutts at inside-right, veered right past replacement Rangers goalie Tyler Hawthorne, reached the byeline and converted from a very narrow angle, as Jaydeep Vim attempted in vain to clear… 

1-4… A mix-up between Plums’ skipper Cox who had advanced left and a colleague, possibly Webb, though I’m not sure about that, allowed the lurking Dunkley to accept the gift and roll the ball into an empty net from just inside the right corner of the penalty-box…

2-4… The trajectory from a Dunkley shot struck Trialist 15 of Pershore, seemingly in the belly though with one arm bent across himself and the other by his side, it was tough to see how he was expected to do more than he did, as the ball smacked against him. The referee made a penalty decision, which the Plum wasn’t impressed by and Farrell rapped the spot-kick into the bottom right corner of the net…

(The referee also denied Pershore a penalty when Hawthorne seemed to trip Aidan Clark when he was bearing down on goal but hey, this was a pre-season game and I’m sure that the official was far better placed than me to make a confident decision…) 

2-5… Rampaging past Cutts, the Plums’ Triallist 17 made ground on the right and crossed for fellow replacement Johns to convert from a few yards out. Simple and effective…

3-5… The tricky Wurie fired in a shot from 16 yards with his left boot but the effort was deflected by the back of Plums’ Trialist 14, forcing Cox to leap and I think touch the ball onto the crossbar but Dunkley followed in and shoved the ball into the empty net…

The final words…

The short burst of rain as the second period began didn’t affect the players at all and until the end both teams offered entertainment for the spectators who had bothered to turn up. As mentioned above, Hammond and Webb featured well for the Plums, as did Bojang and the two Clarks.

Callum Regan battled hard for the hosts in midfield, alongside Gardner and Powell, who unfortunately was unable to threaten goal coming from deep as he so often does.  

Food for thought for both managers, I guess…