Late Late Show As Fosters Rescue a Point...

Match Report – Tuesday 4th April 2023 - Courtesy of Mark Bridges

Spartan South Midlands League – Premier Division Fixture

Cockfosters (0) 1 (Madu 90+3 mins), Baldock Town (1) 1 (Reynolds 36)

For the second match running, it was the late show for Cockfosters but, on this occasion, it was an unlikely goal from an unlikely source that rescued what, at one stage looked to be, an unlikely point.

Prince Madu’s first league goal of the season earned Cockfosters their ninth 1-1 draw of the season against a Baldock Town side that put on a performance that belied their lowly (16th) position in the league table. Cockfosters remain in sixth spot.

Cockfosters are now currently the undisputed draw specialists in the division. With twelve games drawn out of total of 34 games, all six of their home draws have now ended 1-1.

Earlier in the season, it also ended 1-1 between the two sides.

Both sides came to play football and, certainly in the first half, Baldock made the better job of it. With a fast tempo being set early on, Cockfosters lacked accuracy in their passing and were heavy with their touches as Baldock looked the far sharper of the two sides.

The visitors should have been in front in the 16th minute. Robbie Buchanan’s close range shot across the Cockfosters goal was well parried by Charlie Mann but Harry Dollimore, following up, hurried his effort and blasted wide.

On the half-hour mark, Cockfosters almost took the lead themselves. Aiden Read’s excellent cross-field ball found Antonio Michael, whose low cross was met first time by George Devine, requiring Josh Mollison to save instinctively with an outstretched foot.

In the 36th minute, however, the visitors got the goal that their first half performance probably warranted.

Cockfosters needlessly conceded a free-kick down the Baldock left side, level with the Cockfosters penalty area. As Charlie Joy lined himself up to launch the ball into the danger area, he audibly issued the pre-planned ‘codeword’, causing a cluster of players to disperse, leaving Tommy Reynolds a clear path to run and dispatch a powerful, unchallenged, header into the back of the net.

It was a training-ground move executed to perfection and Baldock were one-up at the break.

Cockfosters needed a better second half performance and they got it - to a point.

The extra effort was there – but the greater degree of accuracy was still somewhat short of what this side can usually produce. There were more attempts on goal also, however none of them forced Mollison into a save of any description.

In fact, neither goalkeeper was called upon to make a save as Baldock seemed content to hold on to what they had, with their back four more than adequately coping with the set pieces and long throws that faced them.

But this Cockfosters team doesn’t give up. Read had a chance in the 89th minute, when he got on the end of Matt Thomson’s free kick, but couldn’t keep his header down and, as the game entered injury time, Ethan Rookard’s close range effort was well blocked for a corner.

In one final raid on the Baldock penalty area, the ball suddenly fell kindly to Prince Madu, eighteen yards out, and his low shot was good enough to beat Mollison’s ponderous dive and sneak inside his right hand upright.

It certainly wasn’t one of their better performances, but Cockfosters had managed to salvage something out of the game that, for the most part, had looked beyond them.

Baldock will rue not being as ambitious in the second half as they were in the first.

Cockfosters: Mann, Nobrega, Madu, Thomson, Read, Lovell, Michael, Griffin, Devine, H. Rookard, Ugbomah.

Subs: Barrett (for H. Rookard) 57 mins, E. Rookard (for Ugbomah) 58 mins, Sippetts (for Devine) 73 mins, Entwistle (for Thomson) 90 mins.

Not Used: Finch.

Yellow Cards: Thomson – 49 mins, E. Rookard – 84 mins.