INKBERROW 1-4 COVENTRIANS: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT GAME REPORT + SCREENSHOTS OF THE GOALS...

 Coventrians Take Chances To Leave Inkberrow In Shade…

Inkberrow 1-4 Coventrians…

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Morning rain, so an umbrella was packed, a hoodie was worn over another hoodie, jeans were donned instead of shorts, it was eleven degrees en route, yet wouldn’t you just know it, when I arrived at Inkberrow, it became sunny and warm…

Warm was the welcome from the staff at Sands Road too and I was surprised how the place had changed since my last visit. Neat fencing, floodlights, smart facilities and three shelters were available at a venue shared with Sporting Club Inkberrow. 

The match was an enjoyable watch, which started with quite a bang, Romano Graham opening the scoring within seconds and in truth, before and then after Ben Thomas had equalised for the hosts, home goalie Louis Beresford made four crucial saves.

Parity at the recess led to a more adventurous Inkberrow after half-time, with striker Joel Hill and creative player Harry Bradley coming to the fore but it was the visitors who netted three times on breaks to leave Inkberrow floundering. Beresford denied Coventrians twice more, as the hosts struggled to contain strikers Graham and Ant Smith, both of whom netted twice.

Inkberrow tested Coventrians' goalkeeper Josh Richards a couple of times but despite some enterprising approach play, the hosts were unable to score the goals they needed to cause their guests any real trouble.

Before the interval… 

A lifted flick-on by Coventrians' midfielder Joe Rooney straight from the kick-off sent Graham rushing into the Inkberrow 18 yard box with less than a half-minute on the clock. A high bounce aided the striker and as Beresford advanced, Graham nodded the ball past him and into the open net…

LOFTED NUDGE BY ROONEY...

...HEADER BY GRAHAM... 

...BERESFORD BEATEN...

...0-1 TO COVENTRIANS...

The hosts looked shaken but mustered little, except an off target header by defender James Wright and a shot straight at goalminder Richards by the keen wide-player Sahad Amir. 

Either side of a sliced effort from downtown by the released and onside Rooney which flew well wide, Beresford did really well to get down to keep out low efforts from Coventrians’ forwards Fin Reynolds and Graham. Quite suddenly however, the influential Ben Thomas, who would be joined after the break by George and Stan Thomas, regained parity for Inkberrow.

Following strong work on the left by George Skelton, a clearance by Coventrians’ skipper Aiden Blackhall struck Ben Thomas and allowed his nimble feet to set and then flick a neat shot past the helpless Richards.

FAVOURABLE BOUNCE FOR BEN THOMAS...

...WHO SHOOTS...

...FOR 1-1...

Graham was denied one-on-one by Beresford, who then dropped low to his left to save smartly from another Reynolds effort but all the hosts could conjure up was a Hill drive which flew into the untroubled Richards’ gloves.

The second period…

Replacements had been made at the half by Inkberrow, including tall defender Aidan Forrest and soon after the restart, a set-piece bounced off him but wide of the Coventrians’ goal.

Then a good, accurate clipped pass over the home defence by the inimitable Liam Connolly sent the tall, dangerous Ant Smith clear past Forrest and he was able to veer left to avoid the outrushing Beresford then convert easily from an angle. 

CONNOLLY'S ASSIST...

...ANT SMITH VEERS PAST BERESFORD...

...& IT'S 1-2...

Richards saved low from Hill, a Rooney drive for the guests was importantly deflected away by Wright in the home defence, before George Thomas was set up well by Inkberrow’s neat passing but gloveman Richards blocked the substitute’s low shot.

Hill clipped an effort wide as Inkberrow were urged on by some creative play by Bradley, Josh McKeown and Hill himself but when Ant Smith broke clear centrally, he held off the shirt-holding attentions of Flynn Powell and slipped the ball past Beresford for 1-3…

ANT SMITH BUSTLES PAST POWELL...

...& FLICKS THE BALL PAST BERESFORD...

...FOR 1-3...

Beresford did well to save at the feet of the hunting Graham but could do nothing when Ant Smith released Graham to round the ‘keeper veering right and tuck the ball into the net from near the right stick.

GRAHAM GETS ONTO ANT SMITH'S ASSIST...

...ROUNDS BERESFORD...

...& CONVERTS FOR 1-4...

Another save with his feet by Beresford when Graham ran forward again and had threatened to snatch a hat-trick was the final action of a game which had actually been well contested.  

Subsequently though, Coventrians’ ability to exploit gaps in the home defence had been the main difference between the two teams.

The final words…

Beresford did all he could to help his team out with some decent goalkeeping, Powell was prominent too, as were Skelton and McKeown at times but Hill, Ben and George Thomas, plus Bradley all contributed in a positive second period showing by the hosts.

Liam Connolly ran the Coventrians team like a marauding infantryman, Graham was dangerous on occasions, Ant Smith was surely afforded too much space on the offensive left, whilst Reynolds and the enthusiastic Matt Pitter were often evident, flitting around the attacking edges. 

Rooney was hugely industrious in midfield and fullbacks Jake Smith and Jordan Palmer played their parts in the victory, as did rugged central defenders Lewis Pearson and Captain Blackhall…

I’ll bet Derek the Dog enjoyed the day out in sunny Worcestershire… 

Oh, it rained on my way home…

It’s what the weather does…