Slick Biggleswade sink the Cooks

Cogenhoe suffered their first pre-season defeat to an impressive Biggleswade FC.

Saturday 14th July 2018
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 0 v BIGGLESWADE F.C (1) 3
Kelly 4, T.Coles 50, 60

With Callum Patching pulling up in the warm-up with what I believe to be a thigh strain, Stuart Lutter started his second game of the afternoon in the searing heat. This meant that we started with ten players who had done so well last season with the notably absences being the holidaying Matt Long and the cricketing Dan Smith. The only ‘newcomer’ being the last season’s coach Luke Stone who continues his return to the playing staff. We started with Josh Melling, Jacob Gartland, Dan Stevenson and George Barnell in the back four, Luke Stone, Liam Tuck and Charlie Hynam in the middle and Ryan Dove up top with Montel Dore and Ryan Ansell either side of him. The bench saw Matt Johnson, Séan McBride and Harry Chipchase joined by Matt Pritchard and U18s Jessi Obeng and Jack Mullery who had impressed for the Reserves in the first game of the day.
Biggleswade were soon on the offensive and Pat McCafferty sent over a great cross that beat Lutter in the air and Sam Kelly controlled it superbly before firing home from the corner of the six-yard box, despite the efforts of Gartland to block it. Lutter then made a great save to deny Tom Coles after good work from McCafferty and Josh Leavers’ with the game just over ten minutes old.
Cogenhoe almost levelled when Dove got his head to a Tuck corner, but the defender on the line did his job and headed clear. Gartland cut inside and found Hynam on the edge of the box and he turned his marker to make space for a shot, but it was too high to trouble Tompkins. An audacious forty-five lob from Ryan Inskip saw Lutter forced to back-peddle, but he did it well and got back to save comfortable, then a powerful strike from Tom Coles wasn’t too far over the bar. Coles again tested Lutter with a low strike from the edge of the box as the visitor’s continued to look dangerous with their free-flowing attacking football.
Half-time; Cooks 0 Biggleswade 1.
Jake Stone made four changes as we kicked-off the second half. Johnson, McBride, Chipchase and Pritchard coming on for Stone, Tuck, Ansell and Dore, while the visitors brought on Connor Inskip and Nick Henebery.
Biggleswade doubled their lead five minutes in as Ryan Inskip played a great ball through to Tom Coles who got into the box before slipping a low shot past the out-coming Lutter and into the far corner. Another good move from the visitors and this time they made it count.
McBride found Dove twenty-five yards out and he turned to fire in a shot, but it went a foot the wrong side of the post. Leavers forced Lutter into another save with his first time shot, but it was three-nil on the hour. A superb corner from Ryan Inskip was met with a bullet header by Tom Coles and there was very little Cogenhoe could do about it.
Dore returned for Hynam, then Obeng and Mullery were given a run out for the injured Dove and the exhausted Stevenson. McBride met Gartland’s cross with his head but couldn’t keep it under bar height, then Chipchase played in Obeng who chipped it towards the far post, but nobody could get on the end of it. Ryan Inskip fired straight at Lutter, then the Cooks keeper had to stretch to get a hand to a long-distance effort from Tom Coles as the visitors pushed on again. Barnell found Dore in the box with a long ball and the wide man cut in before firing in a shot on goal, but it hit a defender and Biggleswade’s goal remained intact.
A good workout for the Cooks against a very impressive Biggleswade team who excelled on the big Compton Park pitch. They moved the ball about superbly and were fully deserving of their win today, but this is just a pre-season and the experience is all part of preparing for the real stuff at Whitworth at the end of the month.
Best of luck to Biggleswade FC in the Spartan South Midlands League this season, they are certainly one of my favourites for the title.

Cogenhoe United; 1. Stuart Lutter 2. Josh Melling 3. Jacob Gartland 4. Luke Stone 5. George Barnell 6. Dan Stevenson 7. Charlie Hynam 8. Liam Tuck 9. Ryan Ansell 10. Ryan Dove © 11. Montel Dore. Subs all used; 12. Matt Johnson 14. Jack Mullery 15. Séan McBride 16. Matt Pritchard 17. Harry Chipchase 15. Jessi Obeng.

Biggleswade; 1. Ross Tompkins 12. Kian Coles 3. Benat Pena Arrgei 16. Pat McCafferty 5. Darren Woodend 6. Nathan George 7. Sam Kelly 19. Joe Bradbury 10. Tom Coles 11. Ryan Inskip. Subs all used; 2. Matt Richardson 14. Connor Inskip 15. Nick Henebery 18. Ash Boness.

Referee; Wayne Chalmers.