Tuesday 15th January 2019

FUTURE LIONS UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
NEWPORT PAGNELL TOWN (0) 0 v COGENHOE UNITED (0) 0

Jake Stone gave reserve team keeper Lee Baxter a chance to impress in goal in a rare midweek outing for the first team while Dan Stevenson and Luke Stone returned to the starting line-up in place of the injured George Barnell and the rested Josh Melling.
It was a lively start with a poor defensive header chased by Ryan Dove as Swans keeper Mark Osborn raced off his line. Dove jumped for the ball inside the box and the keeper got there at the same time and caught the Cooks skipper with his fist as he attempted to punch the ball away. Dove was left on the deck needing treatment for a bloody lip as the Cogenhoe bench called for a penalty, but referee Abdul Kadir felt it was a fifty-fifty between two players determined to get to the ball and on reflection he was probably correct. Dove had to come off to clean up the blood but he was soon back into the action as he steered the ball wide to meet Montel Dore’s pacey run and he won a corner off of Scott Mulkern. Charlie Hynam played it deep where Jack O’Connor rose to get his head to it and forced Osborn to tip the ball over his crossbar. Liam Tuck swung this one in and Osborn clawed it out from under his bar only for Matt Long to head it back but over the bar.
Sean McBride won the ball in midfield and played it up to Dove who held off his man and turned but was crowded out and had to settle for another corner. It was on Tuck’s side and Dove jumped with Yaw Ofosu to get his head to it and Alex Lowery twisted to volley at goal, but it couldn’t find a way through the green wall inside the Newport six-yard box.
Liam Smyth lopped a good cross beyond the far post though Tom Liversedge could only head it wide, but we were quickly down the other end with another penalty shout and this one looked stonewall. A ball into the box was headed into the air by a defender and as Matt Long went to latch on to it he was met by a forearm smash to the head. OK in wrestling I think, but not legal on the football pitch although somehow it went unpunished and play continued with Long on the floor in the box.
Not sure why but Mulkern became the first player to be shown a yellow card so it may have been for something he said or for something that happened off the ball. A great ball to the left from Stone gave Tuck the chance to put it into the box where Long touched it off to Dore, but his shot was easily blocked. It was so nearly 0-1 from the corner as Hynam delivered a beauty that Lowery met with a powerful downward header that forced a great reflex save from Osborn who touched the ball over the bar. Hynam’s next flag-kick was headed over by O’Connor.
Tuck played the ball across field to Long who got past and outpaced former Cook Damon Herbert to get himself into a great position on the edge of the box to the right, but he went for power and although he got a great connection, his shot flew about a foot over the bar. Some great work from Dove in the corner saw him rob Ofosu as he tried to shield the ball, sending a good ball into the danger zone but Long couldn’t shape himself to get in a shot. Tuck lifted a lovely free-kick into the box that Dave Baker had to head behind and following the corner Dore crossed and Stevenson stooped to steer his header on target, but it didn’t trouble the experienced Osborn.
We then had penalty shout number three and for the second time tonight we were scratching our heads as to why it wasn’t given. Dove go his head to a deep cross and it fell into the path of Tuck. He was about to pull the trigger just a few yards out when Mulkern’s desperate lunge took his legs from under him. It can be very difficult in these situations when it seems everything is going against you and we were very nearly caught out by a break down the left that saw Dom Lawless in a great position in the centre, but Baxter was equal to his low first time shot. Long made a good cutting run before pulling the ball back to Dore twelve-yards out but his first-time shot was wide of the target.
Good tracking and a well-timed challenge by Lowery stopped Lawless getting another shot on target, then Ofosu got his head to the corner, but he didn’t middle it and it skimmed wide of the far post. A contentious half and on another day we could have been clear and discussing holding on to a win, but the reality of it was we still had it all to do in the second forty-five minutes.

Half-time; Newport Pagnell Town 0 Cogenhoe United 0.

Jake Stone was forced to make a change at the break with Jack O’Connor suffering with a hamstring injury, so Josh Melling stepped off the bench in his place. We started brightly and Long ran on to a flick and broke through the centre to take the ball into the box. He tried to slip the it past the outcoming keeper, but Osborn saved his effort with his feet. Baxter was called upon again after Mulkern hit a low shot after Ofosu’s head down and Newport now had a good spell and the Cooks back line had some defensive work to do.
The game could have swung Cogenhoe’s way around the hour mark as Yaw Ofosu picked up two quick bookings. The first seemed harsh as he was deemed to have kicked the ball away after Cogenhoe had been awarded a free-kick half-way, then he received his second for a foul and the home side had to play the last half-hour with a man disadvantage. Darren Lynch immediately sacrificed Harry Stratton to put Michael Lyon into the back four. The free-kick was played in by Hynam and Osborn punched as far as Stone twenty-yards out and his superbly struck volley hit the keeper, rather than him making a save I feel.
Hynam lofted a ball into the box that Dove couldn’t get a touch too while the long leg of Stevenson cut out a dangerous cross and allowed Baxter to clear up. Lawless teed up Liversedge inside the box and Baxter made a great save with his boot to deny him the game’s opening goal before we went into a very scrappy phase. Both sides made changes now with Long and Hynam being replaced by Tom Iaciofano and Ryan Ansell respectively, while The Swans brought on Josh Winters for Jake Stronge.
Dore received the ball from Dove and cut in from the right before curling in a ball that went beyond everybody and just wide of the far post, then Iaciofano made a great run down the opposite flank and his cross was cut out at the near post. Ansell’s corner was headed behind by Lyon and his second attempt looked good, but a foul was awarded to the home side. A Tuck corner from the other side was headed back across the box by Lowery towards his fellow centre-back Stevenson, but he was beaten to the ball by a defender. Winters was looking lively and he made a great run that ended when he fizzed a shot just over from the edge of the box, then he played a dangerous ball across that Baxter didn’t come for and luckily Liversedge seemed to hesitate beyond the far post and his chance went begging. The last chance also fell to the home side, but Winters header at the far post was the wrong side of the post and both sides had to be happy with just one point tonight.

For the second time in four days this has to be viewed as two points lost for The Cooks I’m afraid. Our first half performance was good, we just lacked the final ball and the finish when the chances came, although you have to say well done to The Swans for holding firm and keeping their clean sheet. They could easily have snatched it at the death and you would have to say it would have been our fault for not killing the game off during our periods of domination. Two of the three penalty shouts will leave a bitter taste in the mouth though but we should have sealed it despite those decisions going against us. Matt Long created himself two great chances that he would have took when his confidence was with him, but he got into the positions and just needs a goal or two to get him back firing on all cylinders again. One or two of the lads didn’t play as well as they might have tonight and they were no real stand-out performances. Liam Tuck put his name in the frame again for the man-of-the-match, but he is pipped by Luke Stone for me today for the accolade.
Its back on the road again on Saturday with a trip to Rothwell Corinthians, but before that the U18 make the trip to Irchester United for a league game on Thursday night.

Newport Pagnell Town; 1. Mark Osborn 2. Scott Mulkern 3. Damon Herbert 4. Liam Smyth 5. Yaw Ofosu (Sent-Off 61) 6. Dave Baker 7. Dom Lawless 8. Jake Stronge (sub 17. Josh Winters 79) 9. Tom Liversedge 10. Harry Stratton (sub 15. Michael Lyon 61) 11. Adam Moussi. Subs not used; 12. Oli Wilkinson 14. Sam Tamekloe 16. Jake Watkinson.

Cogenhoe United; 1. Lee Baxter 2. Alex Lowery 3. Liam Tuck 4. Séan McBride 5. Jack O’Connor (sub 12. Josh Melling ht) 6. Dan Stevenson 7. Charlie Hynam (sub 16. Ryan Ansell 80) 8. Luke Stone 9. Matt Long (sub 15. Tom Iaciofano 79) 10. Ryan Dove © 11. Montel Dore. Subs not used; 14. Jamie Inwood 17. Stuart Lutter.

Referee; Abdul Kadir.

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