Saturday 27th April 2019

FUTURE LIONS UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
MATCHED SPONSORED BY DAYLA www.dayladrinks.co.uk
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 1 v SLEAFORD TOWN (0) 1
Cooks;
Jarvis 84
Sleaford;
Siddons 63 (pen)
The winds returned to Cogenhoe and with the only ground windier than ours being Sleaford’s Eslaforde Park, it was almost inevitable that the inclement weather should return as these two teams went head-to-head in the season finale. We saw a return to the team for Stuart Lutter and with Jake Stone accepting this will probably be his last appearance he named the veteran keeper as skipper for the day. Alex Lowery was away this week so Curtis Avery returned at the back after a good performance for the Reserves on Tuesday while Jordan Sweeney and Luke Bartley were added to the bench.
Sleaford won the toss and kicked with the wind towards the village, but it was also going from corner flag to opposite corner flag and this would not be easy for either side. The Cooks had the first shot of the game after Liam Tuck’s free kick had drifted away from its intended targets on the wind and Tom Iaciofano ran in to meet it a few yards outside the box and struck low first time, but it was blocked inside the box by a Sleaford defender.
The visitors put the Cooks back-line under some pressure and Lutter came to the edge of his box to claim the ball a couple of times and Ewan Armstrong put a shot wide from the right of the box following a corner. Tuck played the ball up to Montel Dore and he showed a nice touch to send Matt Long running down the left side to get into the box, but he couldn’t get the better of Ben Greenwood who defended the situation very well. A quick throw from Brad Hockin sent Tom Siddons down the right flank and he made a good thirty-yards before crossing, but Matthew Slinn had worked back and headed the ball away.
An Armstrong shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Avery at the expense of a corner but Cogenhoe defended it well. Siddons played a great ball through for Scott Coupland and he raced into the box and was about to pull the trigger when Jack O’Connor made a superb challenge to take the ball off his toes. The ball went wide to Siddons who stepped inside and fired a low shot towards the near post, but Lutter was behind it all the way to hold on to his effort. Dore was fouled a yard or so inside from the corner and Long whipped the free-kick towards the near post, but Ben Machin was on hand to head the ball back out to Long. This time he lifted back into the box and Dan Stevenson flicked it on with the top of his head before being put behind for a corner on the opposite side. Tuck’s delivery was good, but we couldn’t put it away and it was eventually cleared at the second time of asking by the home defence.
Siddons hooked a shot over from the edge of the box while Dore got away from his man and was tripped from behind by Machin earning the Sleaford player the game’s first yellow card. Avery covered well as Armstrong ran on to Siddons flick while Melling played the ball up to Long who nutmeged Liam Hargrave and made his way towards the box, the Sleaford player clipped his heels from behind just outside the area, but referee Daniel Todd said nothing doing. A Long corner was headed on by Stevenson and Séan McBride went for an overhead kick, but although it was on target it was blocked by a red shirt. Long looped the ball back across and Matthew Slinn did well to head it back into the danger area, but this time Hargrave was there to head it away.
Siddons worked across the box and tried a low shot across Lutter, but the keeper was able to watch the ball go wide while Tuck and Iaciofano both got balls into the box only to see them won by Sleaford players. A great ball across from the left from Iaciofano found Long who hit the post with his side-footed effort, but he was flagged offside so it meant nothing when he fired the rebound into the net. Josh Melling recovered well after being caught in possession and played a great ball down the line for Tuck and he looked like he had delivered a great ball across the box, but again the wind caught it and took it away Long at the last moment. I don’t think Cogenhoe’s management team will have been too disappointed with that first half as despite kicking against a very strong wind, we had plenty of attacking play and hadn’t really been threatened by the visitors at the other end.

Half-time; Cogenhoe United 0 Sleaford Town 0.

A well struck free-kick from Long was whipped in to the far post where Avery launched himself at it to win the header, but it came back into play and to be honest I’m not sure if it hit the post, the defender or even the keeper in the crowd of bodies on the goal-line. Dore went for goal from thirty-yards but didn’t middle it at all and it reached the keeper after a couple of bounces. Good idea though even if it didn’t come off. A good break down the left by the visitors saw Armstrong fire a shot across Lutter, but it caught the wind and ended up going straight across and out the other side, then a great ball in from Iaciofano unfortunately hit Dore and Sleaford were able to clear.
O’Connor may have been a little lucky that the card he was shown was only yellow as he caught Armstrong just outside the box with nobody covering, but the ref probably felt he had been genuinely trying to play the ball rather bring the man down. Hockin struck the free-kick well but the wall did its job, although the ball went left to Armstrong who almost had too much time and when he lifted the ball over Lutter it hit the top of the bar and went behind. O’Connor steered the ball wide to Tuck who went past Dan Worthington and whipped in a great cross but again we didn’t really attack it and a defender put it out for a corner beyond the far post.
A great strike from Iaciofano from twenty-five yards stung Chris Adams hands, but the keeper was able to grasp the ball at the second attempt and we were straight down the other end where Coupland played the ball into Michael Hayden who was checked by Avery and Mr Todd pointed to the spot. Tom Siddons sent Lutter the wrong way as he stroked the penalty home and Cogenhoe had it all to do with 63 minutes played.
Joe Jarvis replaced Melling in a straight swap down the right as Cogenhoe looked to turn this game around. Avery played a free-kick up into the box where Stevenson won the header and we had a bit of pinball inside the box as Long and Dore had shots blocked before an off-balance McBride stabbed the ball at goal, but he only found a defender on the line and he cleared the ball up field. Jake Stone made his final changes of the season as Iaciofano and Slinn made way for Joe Shanley and Luke Bartley with around fifteen minutes left.
Jarvis ran through the middle and went for goal from outside the box, but he didn’t get over his effort enough to trouble the keeper. Avery launched a throw to the back post that Jarvis couldn’t get out of his feet to shoot, but Melling fired in a low shot that Adams saved well at the near post. Cogenhoe went so close to equalising when Jack O’Connor dived to head Tuck’s free-kick past the keeper, but it hit the inside of the post. However it was 1-1 on 84 minutes as Joe Jarvis got his first goal for the club. Tuck’s corner had been won by Avery and after Long’s shot had been blocked it came to Jarvis on the edge of the box and the former-Cobblers youngster fired it through the crowd and with the keeper unsighted, it went into the far corner of the goal.
Hockin went into the book following a foul on the half-way line and Luke Bartley saw the same fate after bumping into the keeper after he had caught a high cross. Long won an Avery throw and lifted to the far post where Dore tried for the far top corner with his header, but Adams is a tall man and was able to catch the ball safely above his head. Jarvis tried to pick out Dore’s run into the box, but the ball caught the wind and drifted into the keeper’s hands, then Avery’s long throw was flicked on well by Long, but Bartley could only direct the ball wide and Cogenhoe had failed to win for the third time in their final four games.

It was disappointing not to have won today as Pinchbeck lost and Holbeach drew so three points would have meant a fourth place finish, but as it is our points dropped and Eynesbury’s 4-1 win at Kirby Muxloe mean they overtake us and we end it in seventh spot. If Jack O’Connor’s header had been an inch to the left we would have finished three places higher, that is how small the margins were towards the top of the table this season. I felt that Sleaford battled, ran and all gave 100% out there today and they were deserving of a share of the points so full credit to them. It is a shame though that if this really is Stuart Lutter’s final game he couldn’t end with a clean-sheet and three points. I’m hoping Jake can keep this squad together for next season as we could be serious challengers next time around, but what the future holds for Jack O’Connor (on loan from Kettering Town) and former Cobblers pair Matthew Slinn and Joe Jarvis remains to be seen but I personally would love to see them back next season.
Today’s game had been very kindly sponsored by DAYLA and they have given me a rest by naming the man-of-the-match and the crate of beer that went with it, so thankfully they had bought two as Matthew Slinn and Stuart Lutter shared the awards. Let’s hope they took them home rather than share them with the lads or Derek will be ruing the loss of takings behind the bar after the game.
I shall be doing a season review for the website soon, but the U18s still have two games to play first. They are at home to AFC Rushden & Diamonds in their final league game this coming Thursday (not the 9th as on the League’s website) and the following week they will play their Jaymann Shield Final with the opponents and date yet to be confirmed.

Cooks; 1. Stuart Lutter © 2. Curtis Avery 3. Liam Tuck 4. Séan McBride 5. Jack O’Connor 6. Dan Stevenson 7. Josh Melling (sub 15. Joe Jarvis 71) 8. Matthew Slinn (sub 12. Joe Shanley 76) 9. Matt Long 10. Montel Dore 11. Tom Iaciofano (sub 17. Luke Bartley 76). Subs not used; 14. Jacob Cox 16. Jordan Sweeney.
Bookings; O’Connor (58), Bartley (86)

Sleaford; 1. Chris Adams 2. Dan Worthington 3. Michael Hayden 4. Ben Machin 5. Ben Greenwood 6. Liam Hargrave 7. Brad Hockin 8. Ben Newman 9. Tom Siddons 10. Ewan Armstrong 11. Scott Coupland. Subs not used; 12. Ryan Oliver 14. Oliver Bean 15. Jamie Shaw.
Bookings; Machin (17), Hockin (85)

Referee; Daniel Todd.

Cogenhoe United Football Club

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