COVENTRY UNITED 5-2 DESBOROUGH TOWN: THE INDEPENDENT REPORT & MORE IMAGES WITH CAPTIONS...

 Spirited Desborough Make Coventry Work For The Points…

Coventry United 5-2 Desborough Town

The Mowdog’s view…

Desborough were forced to recover from a very early, poorly conceded goal and rather a freak second from wide on the right touchline but slowly and methodically, they worked a way back into the match, albeit without scoring during a troublesome first period.

MAGEE (9): TIRELESS FOR DESBOROUGH...

Still battling to get back into the game after the interval, Town leaked two more goals but any independent spectator would have considered that the visitors were not worthy of being 4-0 behind. A goal back by impressive Town forward Josh Drain came to nought as the guests gifted Coventry a fifth goal and although the visiting ‘keeper made a couple of decent saves, one-on-one, Desborough kept at their task, missed chances of their own but netted a second as well, late in the encounter.

Huge thanks must go to United’s Lee Davies and the club’s video team, who sent me their footage of Coventry’s first and fifth goals, for my hand-held camera had malfunctioned twice during the whole contest and on both occasions goals resulted… Sometimes it just isn’t your day. 

1-0...

Missed chances…

Despite seven goals being scored, not many other chances went begging, although visiting forward Kai Magee would be disappointed that he didn’t nab at least one goal. He nodded wide before the break from a good position, following good play on the left by Drain, then saw a powerful 17 yarder deflected, I think off Stanley Dube, for a corner and also forced home custodian Harvey Randle to beat an angled drive out for another flag-kick.

Lively Town forward Jamie Mitchell was denied later in the game by Randle’s comfortable stop and the Coventry gloveman saved low from Desborough replacement Faruq Usman. Fellow substitute Harry Moors drove off target late in the match too but in truth, Coventry were rattled at times by the fast breaks of Drain in particular. 

ALLEN-LEDGEWAY & MOLLISON...

Town’s two goals were spectacularly taken by Drain and industrious midfielder Dominic Allen-Ledgeway, both shots flying into the top right corner of the net.

At 4-0, Drain latched onto a defensive error and lashed the ball high past Randle from 10 yards out, inside-left but the goal which reduced the arrears to 5-2 was unselfishly set up by Moors, whose pass inside from right of goal was lifted smartly and powerfully into that same top right corner of the net by the rampaging Allen-Ledgeway.  

DRAIN (IN BLUE) AFTER SCORING...

Coventry’s Dube had taken two early knocks and didn’t last the course but he did break free once, only for the advancing ‘keeper, Adam Honour to save with his boots.

After half-time, Coventry benefited a few times from Town’s static defensive line, which had otherwise worked hard. First, striker Dan Cassidy raced clear but pulled a low shot past the left upright as Honour advanced, then Harry Wilson shot too high from a decent position, before racing through a gap to take on Honour but the goalie raced from goal to block the ensuing shot, leaving Joe Blowers to miss a chance on the rebound. His effort was lifted harmlessly past the left post…  

A disappointing Cassidy free-kick from downtown was gathered by Honour and Blowers chipped off target when well positioned. However, Honour didn’t enjoy the best of fortune during the remainder of his cold, damp afternoon at the Butts…

The Coventry goals…

A deep free-kick, left of centre, saw Honour move from goal to collect but Cassidy got there first to head the ball into an empty net and United had been handed a very early lead. Goal two emanated from an attacking Coventry set-piece which was cleared by Town but the ball was passed to Wilson by Liam Merrick on the right touchline. He crossed the ball towards the far post and it dropped over the unfortunate Honour’s despairing and flapping gloves deep into the Desborough net. 

WILSON HAS SCORED FROM SO FAR DOWNTOWN IT WAS IN BEDWORTH...

After the recess, Blowers fastened onto a slick pass left by home skipper Alex Vineall, before turning inside and moving towards the middle. He didn’t provide an assist however, as defender Oli Anderson covered him but instead drove a thigh-high shot towards the right side of goal, which seemed to go through the grasp of the falling Honour.

3-0...

Soon 3-0 became 4-0 as Blowers attacked on the right flank, then passed the ball inside for Cassidy to turn upon and lash a rising drive into the top left corner of the net from 11 yards.

4-0...

Sadly for Honour, goal five was the final thorn in his uncomfortable afternoon, when he received a comfortable back-pass but then passed an errant left-footer straight to Blowers, whose low shot from 15 yards flew into the bottom left corner of goal…

The final words…

Desborough must surely take some positive feelings from this match, for they competed rather well, often worrying the home defence, in which Abdul Bambah, Ryan Oka-Zeh, Vineall and Ethan Baynham were all kept very busy. There was a difference made in the Coventry midfield when the neat control of Mitch Mollison and the easy ability and clever awareness of fellow replacement Karabo Motshweni were introduced. The latter seems to find a lot of time on the ball and his creativity is good to watch…

ANDERSON & WILSON...

CASSIDY (9): A BRACE FOR UNITED...

Magee was a decent focal point in the Town attack, flanked by the quickness of Mitchell and Drain and supported by the midfield efforts of Adam Randall, as well as the thoughtful Liam Boath, especially during the opening 45.

BOATH (FOREGROUND): SOME INVENTIVE PASSES...

Honour must have felt Drained by the time the game had finished…