Four goals shared at Carters Park.

Cogenhoe will consider themselves unlucky not to have come away with all three points against fellow form side Holbeach United.

Saturday 8th April 2017
CHROMASPORT & TROPHIES UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
HOLBEACH UNITED (0) 2 v COGENHOE UNITED (1) 2
Tigers; Warfield 74 Cayton (og) 75
Cooks; Long 43 Stone 85 (pen)

We arrived in the pleasant South Lincolnshire town on a beautiful, sunny day with just one change to the starting line-up. Ryan Ansell stepped up from the bench for the injured Liam Tuck, while Ashley Clamp returned to the bench with Joe Shanley stepping back up after a spell back in the reserves. The pitch was pretty poor I have to say, the grass had grown and was tufty all over the park to add to the bumpiness of the end of season ground. We would be sure of a few bobbles and Munya Matiyenga became the first victim very early on as he saw his pass to Ryan Dove go straight into touch. The opening exchanges were pretty even with neither side threatening the opposition defence with Alex Lowery and Jake Cayton getting to Holbeach’s long balls first on most occasions. Dan Smith was also looking good with a lot of the home sides play coming down the left side early on, while Matty Long and Ryan Dove were linking well and closing the ball down well at the other end. A Cayton free kick from half way on the right was headed back across the goal by Lowery, but to no avail, then George Zuerner got the better of Lowery to get into the box on the right but his cross was behind his teammates. Cayton defended well as Charley Sanders cut inside the box before left-back Stacy Cartwright whipped in a great cross that saw Nick Jackson and Sanders both go for it and appeared to leave for each other. Cartwright then delivered a great corner that eluded everyone again. A huge kick from Stuart Lutter caused a bit of panic in the Holbeach box and Long won the ball and laid it off to Dove who was brought down just outside the corner of the area. Ansell played it in and Cartwright headed behind for the Cooks first corner. Ansell tried an outswinger that Cayton did really well to get his head too, but he could neither get the power or the accuracy he wanted.
Ansell switched play across the edge of the box for Matiyenga to try and cut in, but he went sprawling as he got into the box and The Tigers were able to clear their lines, although Ansell caught the defender late as he cleared and promptly went into the book. The best chance so far came when Cayton launched a long throw from the left that Dove got up well to flick on for the oncoming Matiyenga, but he got under his header and it went over the bar with the goal at his mercy. A high ball into the box bounced up for Sanders and he tried to lift his header over Lutter, but the keeper stretched out one of those long arms to stop the ball safely. Cayton tried a run right through the centre of the home defence, but he fouled his man on the edge of the box as they closed him down, then Sanders headed down for Mitch Griffiths to shoot, but he didn’t get any real power behind it. Luke Stone teed up Ansell on the edge of the box and fired in a well struck shot that was heading for the roof of the net when Ricky Drury touched it over the top. Stone found strike partner Dove in the box from another Lutter clearance and he forced another good save from Drury with his shot, but three minutes before the break the Holbeach keeper could do nothing to stop Matty Long opening the scoring. Ansell played the ball wide for Matiyenga and he played it in first time for Long, who did what he does so well in taking the ball away from his man with his first touch and firing an unstoppable shot past the keeper and high into the net. Ansell won a header in the middle of the park and Dove shook off a challenge to find Long out wide and he crossed in towards Dove, but a defender cut it out before it could reach its target. Cogenhoe continued to press to the half and Stone played a cool pass out to Melling, but his cross was too close to the keeper.
Half-time; Holbeach Utd 0 Cogenhoe Utd 1.
A long ball over the top saw Griffiths get the wrong side of Lowery, but his shot was wide of the target. Ansell was breaking out of defence at pace when Dan Dougill brought him down and became the second player to see the yellow card this afternoon. Dove got up to flick on a Melling free kick but Jackson headed clear and good defensive work from Callum Madigan stopped Long getting clear through on goal. Sanders was very close to getting on the end of a great cross from Griffiths down the other end before Holbeach made their first change, Zuerner making way for Zac Munton on the right. A great first time ball down the line from Melling sent Long running through and he got the better of Cartwright, but over-hit his cross somewhat. Sanders got a shot on target from twenty-yards, but he didn’t get any power in it, before Cogenhoe broke with Melling playing over what looked like a great ball for Long, but the striker had strayed offside. He was caught out again moments later after Dove had flicked on a Séan McBride pass. Griffiths had been feeling his thigh for a couple of minutes and was forced to make way for Callum Davies while Lowery got in a couple of good defensive headers as Holbeach searched for an equaliser. Matiyenga was upended on the corner of the host’s box and Ansell tried to deliver a cross from the free-kick, but it was struck to well for anyone to get their head too. Luck can really be against you at times and this proved to be case as the game turned on its head inside sixty seconds. Cooks didn’t clear their lines well enough after a long ball had been lifted into the box and Matt Warfield had space to fire in a shot from just outside the box. Lutter looked to have it covered but Josh Melling’s attempt to block the shot wrong footed the keeper and although he managed to get a hand to it, he could only push it inside the far post for a fortuitous equaliser for the Tigers. Sixty seconds later it was 2-1 to the hosts as the unfortunate Jake Cayton saw Sanders shot hit him and fly past the stunned Lutter and Cogenhoe all of a sudden had it all to do.
A deep cross from Melling was just too high for Dove before Cogenhoe made a couple of subs of their own with Matiyenga and Ansell making way for Tom Carroll and Ashley Clamp on the flanks. Davies was looking lively since coming on as sub and he made a good run on the right, but couldn’t keep his shot down, then a horrible bobble saw Cayton miss the ball and Sanders was left in a great position, but Melling reacted quickly and took the ball off him before he could shoot. A great through ball from Matiyenga saw Long run into the box at pace and he took it past the keeper who took him down. Paul McVey immediately pointed to the spot and taking into account that a couple of defenders had got back to cover, brandished only a yellow card to the keeper. Luke Stone stepped up and fired emphatically to Drury’s right and it was all square with five minutes remaining. Cogenhoe clearly still wanted to win this and Clamp made space for himself on the left, but didn’t get over his shot enough. Long tried to turn clear in the box but Davies robbed him, while Smith took the ball off Sanders in his own box and started a sweeping move that involved McBride, Dove and Clamp, who crossed it low for Long in the box, but unusually his first touch was a tad too heavy. Sanders tried a lob from the corner of the box, but it too high, before the substitute pair of Munton and Davies combined well to give Tommy Treacher a chance to cross, but Cayton cut it out. Deep into injury time Carroll did well on the right and found Dove who touched it on for Long, but although his shot was on target, he didn’t give any problems for Drury this time.
Another good performance from Cogenhoe United and it’s now five unbeaten for Tom Chapman’s side, but for those two unfortunate moments in quick succession, it would have been all three points today from a very difficult encounter. Lutter was solid again and unlucky with both goals. Melling and Smith were solid at full-back, while Alex Lowery won so many of Holbeach’s long balls. Cayton was unfortunate with the own goal and had a couple of dodgy moments during the game, but over-all he gave the home side very little at the back. Matiyenga and Ansell both put in decent performances on the flanks, with McBride and Stone again forming a formidable partnership in the centre. Dove worked his socks off again and despite taking a few heavy knocks during the game, was still giving it his all at the very end, while Long scored another great goal and caused the home side so many problems during the afternoon. My man-of-the-match isn’t an easy one with so many solid performances today, but the nod goes to Ryan Dove.

Holbeach Utd; 1. Ricky Drury 2. Spencer Tinkler 3. Stacy Cartwright 4. Dan Dougill 5. Nick Jackson © 6. Matt Warfield 7. Mitch Griffiths (sub 16. Callum Davies 70) 8. Callum Madigan 9. Charley Sanders 10. Tommy Treacher 11. George Zuerner (sub 12, Zac Munton 61). Subs not used; 14. Ollie Pinner 15. Luke Nicholson 17. Lewis Walker.
Cogenhoe Utd; 1. Stuart Lutter 2. Josh Melling 3. Dan Smith 4. Jake Cayton 5. Alex Lowery 6. Séan McBride 7. Munya Matiyenga (sub 12. Tom Carroll 79) 8. Luke Stone © 9. Matty Long 10. Ryan Dove 11. Ryan Ansell (sub 14. Ashley Clamp 79). Sub not used; 15. Joe Shanley.
Referee; Paul McVey (good performance from the man in black).