COVENTRY UNITED 5-1 RACING CLUB WARWICK: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT REPORT, PLUS SCREENSHOTS FROM THE VIDEO CLIPS...

 Racers Routed By Clinical Coventry & Debatable Decisions…

Coventry United 5-1 Racing Club Warwick

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

This game was actually quite an enjoyable one to watch as a neutral, exhilarating to witness if one was a United follower and a crushingly disappointing, even damned annoying one to suffer should one have been in any way associated with play-off bound RCW.

An April Fool’s afternoon gift to the almost embarrassed Coventry striker Dan Cassidy began the rout, a poor reaction to a quickly taken free-kick by the hosts allowed Abdul Bambah to flick in goal two and Warwick were suddenly floundering. Twice they had headed goals disallowed before the recess, an own-goal by Cassidy and a 1 yard effort by Josh Willis but the footage of both incidents renders the decisions somewhat debatable. 

ABOVE & BELOW: THE TWO DISALLOWED GOAL INCIDENTS...

The second period saw the Cagemen rap in two more goals, netted by Stan Dube and the impish Joe Blowers and although Louis Monaghan rapped in a late consolation goal for the guests, the relaxed, clever and impressive Karabo Motshweni scored a smart and tricky fifth for the hosts in the rain prior to full-time.

Having been cautioned during the opening 45, visiting boss Scott Easterlow was apparently second-yellowed as the teams left the field for the interval, so he was forced to sit in the grandstand after the break and his disappointed expression said it all really, especially when dark clouds gathered and rain pelted down upon the players for the final 10 minutes or so.

Huge apologies to RCW’s Rico Taylor, for I had mistaken him for Simeon Cobourne at the start and called him by that name throughout the match. There had been a late change in Warwick’s team, whereby Monaghan had replaced Cobourne and that hadn’t been reflected on the published team-sheet. I presumed wrongly therefore that the player wearing 11 was Cobourne, mainly because I didn’t recognise Taylor. Wrong assumption…

The Racers’ awful first period…

Basically, United constructed three main attempts at goal before the interval and Warwick managed five but two of Coventry’s attacks resulted in legitimate goals, whilst two of RCW’s set-piece attacks resulted in disallowed goals. 

Lethargic at times, the visitors had already threatened before going a goal behind when Korey Burke’s stretch knocked the ball by the right post and Cassidy’s glanced defensive header at the near post into his own net was chalked off, likely for a push but home goalie Seb Osment had yelled and fallen forth like a sack of flour from a Victorian farmer’s cart and the video footage does seem inconclusive…

Bambah had already driven too high from downtown for United but soon, Racer Callum Carsley on his own left byeline, moved towards the goal, ‘keeper Sam Lomax had stepped behind the line to allow Carsley to pass to skipper Barnett across the 6 yard box but instead the release rolled tamely to the lurking Cassidy just 5 yards out and he almost stumbled the ball over the goal-line… A slightly late Easter gift, I reckon…   

THE CARSLEY PASS...

THE CASSIDY INTERVENTION...

...& 1-0...

The shock was tangible for the high-flyers but they were embarrassed again when a deep free-kick, left of centre was simply shoved forward and short for the alert Bambah to fasten onto and from just inside the penalty-box, he flicked a deft right footer past Lomax as the goalie advanced. The ball rolled gently inside the right post and United celebrated with gusto…

ABOVE & BELOW: BAMBAH SCORES DEFTLY...

A superb drive from distance by Louis Monaghan for RCW was smartly tipped away by the leaping Osment, then Willis nodded Carsley’s right-flank corner into the net from 1 yard but was adjudged to have pushed home defender Ethan Baynham, whose arm had noticeably flailed upwards in the act of jumping. Another contentious decision by the officials, it seemed…  

Carsley’s shot from way downtown took a slight deflection too but the resulting flag-kick came to nought, as the Racers trudged un-Racer-like off the field, no doubt wondering how the heck they might salvage something from such an awkward encounter.

Ryley Nicholson & Ethan Baynham…

Supported strongly by full-backs Harry Wilson and Ryan Oka-Zeh, the two United central defenders were terrific during the match and offered very little to the RCW forwards Monaghan and Burke. Indeed, the Coventry pair dealt with some nasty in-swinging corners by Carsley and Ryan Andrews remarkably well in the ‘Warwick Bus-Queue’ formation virtually on their own goal-line. ‘Keeper Osment clawed away a couple of deliveries too but as the encounter wore on, especially after the half-time snack, Nicholson and Baynham became even more confident, so that Osment was only forced to make three real saves. 

The gloveman beat away a low drive by Dom Perkins’ replacement Archie Hamp, although Taylor rapped the 10 yard rebound way too high, then the goalminder also beat clear two more shots by Taylor but the second of them led to RCW’s consolation goal. Osment stopped the shot but parried it straight to Monaghan who was onto the loose ball in a flash in front of goal and it was lashed high into goal from a few yards to reduce the arrears to 4-1.

ABOVE & BELOW: OSMENT SAVES FROM TAYLOR & MONAGHAN CONVERTS THE REBOUND...

Clinical Coventry cause chaos…   

Blowers’ pace had worried Barnett and Carsley a couple of times already but the forward combined rather smartly after the recess with Dube. First he had a low near post effort blocked by Lomax, then two one-twos with Dube, left of centre saw the pair tear through the RCW defence like a plough through Warwick’s Townsend Meadow and when Blowers’ angled shot was blocked down by his right stick by Lomax, there was Dube to left-boot the rebound into the net from 7 yards.

LOMAX SAVES FROM BLOWERS...

...DUBE SHOOTS...

...& IT'S 3-0...

Lomax had some difficulty in palming aside a long shot by quietly influential home skipper Mitch Mollison, then 3-0 became 4-0, courtesy of a desperate moment for Racer Willis. He took possession side-on but the instant and ensuing pass with his right foot bounced off his left boot and freed Blowers to run on at inside left and fire a rising effort past the hapless Lomax.

BLOWERS RAPS IN GOAL 4...

Bambah headed over the target from an unchallenged position beyond the right pole, before Warwick managed to score their goal but it just had to be Coventry who stamped even more authority on the game by scoring a very late fifth goal. 

By then it was raining harshly but Motshweni won possession 19 yards from goal at inside-right and with four touches of the ball with his rather deft right foot he created an opening. He nudged the ball right, then left, then right again, whilst covered by both Hamp and Carsley, before poking a delicate shot from 9 yards between the two defenders and the ball rolled into the net via the foot of the left vertical… Brilliant… 

MOTSHWENI TRICKS HIS WAY INTO THE 18 YARD BOX...

...& SHOOTS...

...TO COMPLETE THE SCORING AT 5-1...

The final words…

It was clear that Warwick’s contingent of players, staff and supporters were unhappy with the officiating and I get that but in truth, Coventry defended their guests rather well, apart from the two disallowed goal incidents. Indeed, at times as the game wore on and by the time that several replacements had been introduced by the two teams, the Cagemen began to pass the ball about rather confidently.

Huge contributions were made not only by the United defenders but by Mollison, Bambah and the often slick and almost casual Motshweni in midfield. The forward players were led well through the middle by Cassidy but Blowers and Dube looked dangerous on a number of occasions with their pace and movement. All three subsequently scored, as did two of the midfielders…

Warwick struggled throughout in all honesty and despite the rushes by right-wingback Harrison and the workload exerted by Monaghan and Burke, the usual domination of possession didn’t materialise too often and errors were made too. No faulting James Hancocks’ efforts in midfield and Taylor did threaten with three goal attempts but it wasn’t going to be enough against a Coventry team which rode its luck and displayed a clinical ability in front of goal…

Maybe RCW will close the door on this match, perhaps forget a post-mortem, simply go again next time and attempt to cement a top three finish which will ensure at least one play-off tie at their own ground…

Thanks to Coventry once again for their kind hospitality…