Saturday 2nd March 2019
FUTURE LIONS UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
SLEAFORD TOWN (0) 1 v COGENHOE UNITED (1) 2
Sleaford;
Newman 64
Cooks;
Avery 43
Iaciofano 90+5 (pen)

It was the usual trip to Sleaford with Eslaforde Park being battered by the strong wind blowing down the pitch from the Boston Road and after skipper Matt Long won the toss it was the Cooks who had it at their backs for the opening forty-five minutes. Jake went with the same starting line-up from last Saturday’s 6-0 win, while Jessi Obeng stepped up to the subs bench.
Cogenhoe were soon on the attack and caused some panic in the box from a couple of Long corners. Tom Iaciofano saw his shot from just outside the box hit a defender and then Alex Lowery did the same as the home side struggled to get the ball clear from the set-pieces but the Cooks couldn’t get through the wall of green. Michael Hayden misjudged a bouncing ball and Long got in behind him and took the ball wide of the keeper before lobbing the ball across the box to Ben Drinkwater, but he didn’t get around his header at all and it went harmlessly wide with only a defender between him and the goal.
Drinkwater took the ball inside a struck a powerful shot that took a flick off a defender and hit the keeper more than him saving it but the loose ball was hooked away before any Cooks player could punish the home side. Long slipped a great ball through for Drinkwater in the box and he touched it inside the keeper but his luck was out on this occasion as Ben Newman had got back to cover and clear the ball. A Joe Shanley cross was a touch too high for Long to meet while a good break out of defence by George Barnell saw Shanley win another corner. Long delivered it to the far post where Curtis Avery headed it back across the goal but Dan Stevenson just couldn’t keep it in play beyond the opposite post.
Sleaford went close with their first real chance as Tom Siddons flashed a shot across Lee Baxter from the right side of the box, but it flew wide of the far post. Sleaford, spurred on by weathering the storm, were now looking a little dangerous themselves and they perhaps should have taken the lead. Good strength from Ryan Oliver saw him nod the ball down to George Couzens who had space in the box , but he fired his shot straight at Baxter.
A great long throw by Avery saw Long launch himself at it at the far post but his header from six-yards out went just over the bar. Montel Dore tried to get inside his marker who pulled him back and despite now being forced away from goal the referee played advantage as he still had the ball. He managed to regain his balance before hitting a cross shot from the corner of the box but it was easy for Chris Adams to gather. Good work from Iaciofano and Shanley saw Long nip in to take the ball away from the keeper and get his shot on target, but Newman was able to block the ball on the line. There was a possibility that it was with his arm, but I certainly wouldn’t have given a penalty for it myself as it was almost at point blank range.
A great challenge and run from Shanley saw him get into the box and shoot from the left. Adams couldn’t hold the ball, but the keeper reacted quickly to dive on it before Long could pounce. Iaciofano and Shanley combined again to provide Drinkwater with a chance to shoot, but it took a deflection wide for a corner. Long played it to the far post and Curtis Avery met it with an unstoppable header to finally break the deadlock with 43 minutes played.
Battling from Drinkwater won another corner that again Long played in and Lowery headed it straight back across the goal-line with nobody getting touch. Long got it back into the danger area and Drinkwater got in a shot that went narrowly wide.

Half-time; Sleaford Town 0 Cogenhoe United 1.

Scott Coupland slid the ball inside to Oliver, but Baxter was quickly off his line to block his shot as he hit it. Dore went into the book for a foul on Hayden which was maybe a little harsh as both players had gone for the ball and the home skipper had just got the first touch. Baxter was easily first to a flick on that Oliver was attempting to chase. Couzens had a chance twenty-yards out but put it over the top then Dore was beaten to a loose ball by a more determined Hayden and this allowed Coupland to get in a shot, but Dan Stevenson did well to block. A good move saw Lowery find Long and he swept it wide right to Dore who hit a great first time cross that Dan Worthington defended really well and got a touch on it before Iaciofano could turn the ball home.
Worthington lifted a free-kick into the box from the half-way line and it came off a head (no idea who or from what team) and went goalwards with Ben Newman bundling the ball over the line to level the scores after 64 minutes.
Jake Stone reacted by taking off Drinkwater and bringing on Josh Melling with Dore moving up front. Good battling and skill from Shanley allowed Long to feed Dore with a flick, but the former had strayed offside. Dore did really well to keep the ball in and play it through to Long just inside the box, but Liam Hargrave got a foot in and took the ball away before the Cooks skipper could find a shot. A long Avery throw was headed on at the near post by Lowery but it was put behind by a defender for a corner on the opposite side. Iaciofano sent it over and Lowery got his head to it, but it held up on the wind and was cleared.
Sleaford replaced Coupland with Brad Hockin as we moved into the last ten minutes of the game. A clever flick by Long allowed Shanley to get into the box, but his pull-back was just behind Dore, then a high Melling cross was taken by Adams at full-stretch. Oliver had a great chance for the home side as the ball bounced kindly for him in the box, but he lost his composure and put his shot well over. A long throw by Hockin fell nicely for Siddons on the edge of the box but he fired well over , while the next chance came down the other end as Shanley played the ball into Long’s feet and he turned to set Iaciofano to cross for Dore, but his header was the wrong side of the post. The game was two minutes into added time when it took a twist that brought an otherwise scrappy game to an explosive finish. Melling played the ball into Long and he laid it on to Dore who got inside Hargrave who brought him down. Referee Shaun Gregory had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and enraging the home players. Hayden put his head into Dore’s face and accused him of diving as his teammates surrounded the ref. It all got a bit heated for a couple of minutes as first Hargrave and then Hayden were shown the yellow card while a couple of home defenders tried to rough up the penalty spot. When all the kerfuffle died down, eighteen year old Tom Iaciofano remained the calmest man on the pitch and sent the penalty crashing into the back of the net. The ref immediately blew the final whistle and the Cooks players celebrated a very hard fought victory. There was a bit of nonsense at the end as a few of the Sleaford lads had to be restrained, but it was Cogenhoe who had made it four straight wins from this scrappy affair.
The wind made it extremely difficult for both teams out there and in truth the game was very forgettable until the injury time incident. A battling three points on the road and the winning run continues with so many players injured. Joe Shanley impressed me again with George Barnell, Curtis Avery and Dan Stevenson excellent in the second half as Sleaford threw the kitchen sink at us with the wind at their backs, but my M.O.M today goes to Matt Long who worked hard, led the line and played some great balls to those around him from start to finish. A special mention to young Tom Iaciofano who had a good game, but he kept his cool to score the winning goal despite the attempts to put him off.

Sleaford Town; 1. Chris Adams 2. Dan Worthington 3. Michael Hayden © 4. Ben machin 5. Ben Newman 6. Liam Hargrave 7. Tom Siddons 8. Joe Smith 9. Ryan Oliver 10. George Couzens 11. Scott Coupland (sub 19. Brad Hockin 81). Subs not used; 12. Ewan Armstrong 14. Regan Start (GK) 15. Jamie Shaw.

Cogenhoe United; 1. Lee Baxter 2. Curtis Avery 3. Joe Shanley 4. Séan McBride 5. George Barnell 6. Dan Stevenson 7. Montel Dore 8. Alex Lowery 9. Matt Long © 10. Ben Drinkwater (sub 12. Josh Melling 66) 11. Tom Iaciofano. Subs not used; 14. Jacob Cox 15. Jessi Obeng.

Referee; Shaun Gregory (Peterborough).

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