RACING CLUB WARWICK 3-2 COVENTRY UNITED: THE CHRISTMAS MATCH REPORT...

 The Shepherds At Townsend Meadow…

Racing Club Warwick 3-2 Coventry United

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

There was no Boxing Day flyover of the Red Arrows at Warwick but a murmuration of starlings performed splendidly over Townsend Meadow, before two of the birds landed on a floodlight pylon some time before the four starlights were switched on. 

A CHAIR UP THERE, WITH RAINCOVER WOULD BE GOOD FOR ME.
ANY CHANCE, MR & MRS VELLA?

There was certainly room at the Warwick inn on the day and there was even free entry for all but as I stood opposite the two stables, er, dugouts, I looked across the rows of seated and strangely subdued spectators and they reminded me of shepherds watching over their flocks as day turned to evening. The two flocks were the Racers of Warwick, wearing wise men’s gold and United from Coventry, disappointingly not wearing their seasonal red and green uniforms. Frank in the grandstand was incensed, whilst others myrrhmered their disquiet.

WOT? NO GREEN SHORTS?
MILES, LEFT, IS CAUTIONED FOR A FOUL...

Warwick’s fine church tower was still mostly hidden as it continues to undergo restoration but the workfolk could at least have stuck a Yuletide tree on top, maybe some lights, perhaps a star, or even an inflatable Santa. OK, maybe that would have been a step too far…

The Warwick defence, in true grotto tradition handed Coventry’s Stanley Dube an early gift courtesy of hesitancy by Santa’s helpers Sam Lomax and Callum Carsley and the weary travellers led 0-1. Soon though, Coventry’s Samir Muzaffar became a star from afar, as he took possession of the ball and left Racers Josh Willis and Cam Ebbutt slipping and tumbling onto the artificial surface like two halves of an unbalanced pantomime horse on ice. 

0-1...

Muzaffar then showed how to skate on the said ice with a tremendous mazy rush forth, leaving Racer Jamie Ashmore sliding and stumbling as the winger slalomed on to tuck a neat finish past home innkeeper Lomax.

0-2...

A quick response was needed by the hosts and that was provided by Josh Parsons from close range, following a delivery from right-field by Jay DLionga. 

1-2...

Darkness then fell upon Beth Le Hem, as she huddled in the cold amongst the other shepherds in the grandstand during the interval for mulled wine and mince pies but when the football restarted, Warwick certainly needed divine intervention from somewhere as… (pause here, as I have just been asked to dislodge a sausage… No, really…)

Done, although the encompassing ice snapped the end of a knife I was using. Life, eh?

So, Warwick began to dominate, then increase their tempo, although the crossbeam of Lomax’s inn-portal was struck by an innovative shot from the right boot of United’s Zach Tellyn from way downtown and Lomax himself subsequently extended both his legs and his arms to flail away other attempts by the visiting flock, once dubbed by me as The Cagemen, which referred to their original grazing ground at the Alan Higgs Leisure Centre in Coventry… 

United’s athletic battering ram and striker Adam Miles shot not miles but metres off target on a couple of occasions as his team looked to consolidate their lead, although maybe he was thinking about his new panto’ role at the Coventry Theatre as Jacob Miley (his nickname) in a production of Scrooge… 

And then, like an angel appearing from the heavens, Ebbutt, the cog, the playmaker, the owner of possession, executed a wall-pass with the willing, wily and wacky James Hancocks, before whacking a 20 yard shot beyond the grasp of the leaping Harvey Randle to regain parity for the Racers.

ANGEL EBBUTT SHIELDS HIS EYES FROM THE GLARE OF HIS SHIRT...

Soon though, it came to pass that the willing, wistful Willis won the encounter for RCW, when he rose above the queue to see Santa on the goal-line and nodded in one of many fine right-flank corners by Carsley and glory shone around the Meadow’s newborn King…

WILLIS OF WARWICK...

The aftermath of Warwick’s miracle rebirth… 

Visiting flock Coventry fought back gamely as time began to wane but their guiding star soon began to disappear behind clouds of doom. Chances were created but were spurned as innkeeper Lomax’s long limbs became steadfast for his team and thus refused any further intrusion into his hostelry.

The watching shepherds in the enclosure, alerted to the imminent switching off of the four great stars over the Meadow, began to test their stiffened limbs and checked their darned socks, before picking up their crooks and leaving the field for the night. They returned wearily to their homes, some gladdened, some not so…

Oh, no they didn’t…

Oh, yes they did…

The final words…

So, despite two moments of kindness to the opposition in the season of goodwill by the Racers, they responded with guile and grit to overcome adversity and leave their gutsy opponents too little time to take the gift of a point away from Warwick…

To sum up then: Ebbutt wore the gold, Parsons frankly incensed Coventry and the newly signed Willis’ demure (demyrrh…) header became the immaculate conception for his time with the Racers…  

Coventry United must have felt totally flocked…  

...AND FOUR GREAT LIGHTS APPEARED IN THE SKY...