Tuesday 26th December 2017 ko 1pm
CHROMASPORT & TROPHIES UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
NEWPORT PAGNELL TOWN (0) 0 v COGENHOE UNITED (0) 3
Cooks; Dove 59, 81 Vieira 66

Jake Stone made three changes to his starting line-up for the trip to league leaders Newport Pagnell Town. The Swans went into the game nine points clear at the top so this was going to be a tough game for a Cooks side who had lost their last two. Ryan Ansell was recalled on the right side of midfield and Harry Chipchase in the centre. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Matt Long being left on the bench, Luis Vieira taking his place up front. Just three subs today with Liam Stone joining Liam Tuck. The home side included six former Cogenhoe players in their 16 man squad today.
The game got under way in lovely early afternoon sunshine with neither side getting a grip of the first exchanges. A big clearance from Stuart Lutter came off Adam Pryke’s head, but Damon Herbert calmly steered it safely back to Mark Osborne despite the presence of Vieira. A break down the left saw Fazel Koriya come inside, but he shovelled his shot both high and wide from the corner of the box.
Ryan Dove hooked a ball into the box for Vieira, but Dave Baker did well to cut the it out. Chipchase played a good ball into Vieira on the right-side of the box but Baker blocked his low cross and then headed away his second effort. A key moment came down the same end as Ansell played a ball through to Montel Dore with the outside of his boot to his left. Stuart Smeathers came across and clearly caught the Cogenhoe man inside the box but the referee waved play-on.
Koriya turned his man to create some space just outside the box and although he struck his shot sweetly this time, it was too close to Lutter to cause the keeper any problems. Ansell dinked a cross in towards Dove in the box and he tried an acrobatic bicycle kick, but he didn’t get around it enough and it ended up nearer the corner flag than the goal. Cogenhoe were now stringing some good attacking moves together and spending more and more time in the Swans half and after Vieira put pressure on a defender, Dore pounced on his attempted clearance, but his low shot was blocked inside the box.
Vieira won a corner on the right and Ansell played in an out-swinger. Stevenson rose to head it goalwards and Osborne caught the ball above Vieira’s head inside his six-yard box. Dove did well to play a ball to Dore who slid it through to Vieira, who in turn slipped it back into Dore’s path and he took it to the by-line, but his low cross was cut out at the expense of a corner. An in-swinger from Ansell this time, but Osborne took it well in front of his goal.
Liam Smyth found Koriya who steered it wide into Sam O’Neill who struck his shot first time forcing a good stop out of Lutter. A great ball from Greg Ling to O’Neill saw him find Koriya in a great position but again Lutter made a good save and although Koriya bundled the rebound in, the whistle had already gone.
Ansell was looking sharp and threaded a great ball through for Vieira but Pryke came across quickly to intercept inside his own box. Good pressure from the Cooks saw Dove, Dore, Vieira and Ansell all heavily involved but they just couldn’t create that vital chance in front of goal. Dove flicked a ball on and chased it himself, but the assistant flagged and the referee blew for Dore being in an offside position instead of waiting to see where the ball was actually going. Ansell again played a great through ball for Vieira, but Pryke outpaced him and slid to put the ball behind for a corner. Ansell took it and again Stevenson headed it on and despite efforts from Vieira and Ansell to get the ball back into the danger area, Newport eventually got it away.
Vieira was tripped down by the corner flag and he took the free-kick short to Ansell, but again Osborne took his cross as he commanded his six-yard box. Ling made a good run through the centre and Melling came across to make the tackle on the edge of the box. From where I stood it looked very much like Mells took the ball and Ling took the defender, but the referee saw it the other way and awarded a free-kick in a very dangerous position. I have seen Koriya tuck these away, but today his effort was blocked by the head of Dove in the wall and the chance was gone.

Half-time; Newport Pagnell Town 0 Cogenhoe United 0

Vieira held the ball up on the left before playing it across to Ansell on the edge of the box and he had a touch before hitting a neat volley that forced Osborne into a good save. O’Neill played over a cross that came off the top of Tom Liversedge’s head and away to safety. Cogenhoe had to do some defending as Newport pushed on in a good spell but the held firm and the attack eventually ended when Koriya’s low strike was taken comfortably by Lutter.
Ryan Ansell was forced off with an injury ten minutes into the second half and Matt Long took his place on the right wing. Stevenson dinked a good ball forward that saw Dove beat the offside, but he was eased off the ball unusually easily by Pryke in the box. Long sent over a good cross that Vieira met on the volley, but Osborne made a great save and then recovered to claim the ball before Dove could pounce.
Newport made their first change just before the hour when former Cook Taylor Orosz replaced O’Neill, but went on the opposite flank. Lutter took a Smeathers cross comfortably and play moved quickly down the other end where Cogenhoe grabbed the lead. Vieira held up play well on the left flank, turning his man before delivering a cross to the far post where Ryan Dove stooped low to steer the ball in with his head from deep inside the six-yard box with 59 minutes played.
Cogenhoe continued to press and impress and on 66 minutes they doubled their tally. Herbert had given away a needless free-kick on Dove on the right touchline. Long played it in, Stevenson got up to head it goalwards and Luis Vieira ghosted in to steer it first time through the keeper’s legs from close range and into the net.
Newport had to respond quickly and Orosz found Koriya, but he put his shot straight across the goal before they made another change, Smyth making way for another ex-Cook in Luke Emery as they went three up top. Dore was battling back and penalised as he challenged Orosz twenty yards out in a central position, but again Koriya’s effort hit the wall. Ling stuck a beauty twenty yards out, but it screamed a foot over before both sides made changes to their personel. First Liam Tuck replaced Harry Chipchase for Cogenhoe, then soon after Josh Winters came on for Smeathers.
A long shot from Ling didn’t unduly worry Lutter, while Cogenhoe were inches away from a third as Dove sent over a great ball to the far post where Dore only needed to make contact, but the ball somehow eluded him as he jumped to try and steer it in totally unmarked. The danger wasn’t over though and Vieira chased down the ball and played it back to Josh Melling, who played over a fantastic cross that Osborne misjudged and Dove came in behind him to steer his header into an empty net. Three-nil to the Cooks with nine minutes left to play.
Melling went from creator to saviour with a great piece of defending in his own box and he turned it into attack with a great ball up to Dove. The skipper laid it off to Vieira to break and he got into the box before Pryke made a vital challenge at the expense of another Cogenhoe corner. George Barnell played a free-kick into the box that almost gave Dore a chance, but he couldn’t quite keep it in and his attempted pull back went behind.
Matt Long was back in his own box winning a header from Ling’s dangerous looking free-kick, while another free-kick from Koriya saw Pryke get in a powerful downward header, but Lutter made another great save to deny him. Winters hit a shot from the edge of the box that Dore blocked, while the league leaders frustrations started to show with a couple of yellow cards as we approached the death, with first Ling taking out Long after he had outpaced him. Then Dave Baker diving in with his foot off the ground on Dove.
Six minutes added time offered little to trouble the Cooks and they can be extremely pleased with their afternoon’s work and an excellent 3-0 win. The whole team were superb today with Stuart Lutter putting his slip against Daventry behind him with a great performance, with George Barnell and Dan Stevenson giving the usually potent Swans attack very little to play with all game, Stevenson was also a constant threat at set-pieces down the other end. Jacob Gartland and Josh Melling were seldom troubled on the flanks either. Séan McBride and Harry Chipchase largely stopped any threat through the middle and stopped Newport creating much, while Ryan Ansell and Montel Dore worked the flanks and were both a threat when coming forward. Ryan Dove and Luis Vieira worked really hard and both got their just rewards today with goals to add to their personal tallies, with Dove’s two making him joint leading scored with Matt Long on 14. Long had the longest pitch-time of the subs and played a big part in the win and showed how good he is on the flank as well as playing as a striker. Liam Tuck got himself involved straight away and although he didn’t have long on the park, it’s another vital step towards getting his fitness back.
Man of the match in a game like this is difficult to pinpoint with so many players throwing their hat in the ring, but Ryan Dove get’s my nod for his double strike, some great first touches and his usual 100% style of play.
It’s another difficult game for us on Saturday as we head for the Fens and second placed Wisbech Town, but on this showing I think we can improve on the 6-3 defeat they inflicted on us a couple of weeks ago.

Newport Pagnell Town; 1. Mark Osborne 2. Stuart Smeathers © (sub 12. Josh Winters 76) 3. Damon Herbert 4. Dave Baker 5. Adam Pryke 6. Liam Smyth (sub 14. Luke Emery 69) 7. Harry Stratton 8. Greg Ling 9. Tom Liversedge 10. Fazel Koriya 11. Sam O’Neill (sub 15. Taylor Orosz 58). Sun not used; 16. Jordan Spruce.

Cogenhoe United; 1. Stuart Lutter 2. Jacob Gartland 3. Josh Melling 4. Séan McBride 5. George Barnell 6. Dan Stevenson 7. Ryan Ansell (sub 15. Matt Long 55) 8. Harry Chipchase (sub 12. Liam Tuck 73) 9. Luis Vieira 10. Ryan Dove © 11. Montel Dore. Sub not used; 14. Liam Stone.

Referee; Luke Scott.

Match Preview

Match details

Match date

Kickoff

Team Sponsors