Saturday 9th February 2019
FUTURE LIONS UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 2 v DAVENTRY TOWN (1) 4
Cooks;
Stone 58 (Pen)
Dore 67

Daventry;
Merrill 44
Emery 52, 72, 82

Jake Stone was able to call on Jack O’Connor after missing the last few games with a hamstring problem and the unfortunate Dan Stevenson was the one to drop down to the bench in his place. Lee Baxter returned in goal after being cup-tied in midweek, while new signing Matthew Slinn came in on the bench after signing from Northampton Town on work experience. Harry Darnell and Ben Drinkwater both stepped up from the U18 and Reserves respectively to join the new boy on the bench. One familiar face no longer here is Ryan Ansell who has opted to join his dad Marc who was appointed as the latest in the rotating managerial seat at Sileby Rangers this week. Daventry featured a number of former Compton Road regulars in their squad today with Ross Harris, Tom McGowan, Kieran Fitzgerald, Phil Cassidy, Luke Emery and Taylor Orosz starting, while Dean Lukeman and Matt Finlay were named amongst the subs.

Cogenhoe kicked towards the village with the strong wind at their backs and as they tried to use it to their advantage Montel Dore played the ball outside him for Liam Tuck, but his low cross was straight at Daventry keeper Iustin Cerga at the near post. A great corner from Charlie Hynam was met by Alex Lowery under pressure at the far post, but his header from just inside the six-yard box went narrowly wide. Matt Long went down under a challenge just inside the penalty area and a big shout went up from the Cooks players and bench, but referee Danny O’Sullivan was well placed and waved their appeals away. A tricky run by Tom Iaciofano saw him bamboozle both Tom McGowan and Joe Merrill to get into the box, but Ross Harris was able to clear the ball away before he could do any more damage.
Daventry were getting the ball forward whenever they could as they battled against the wind and O’Connor intercepted play and broke through the centre and although his pass was a little hard, Iaciofano managed to direct it into the path of Tuck’s overlap and he delivered a superb low cross that Long turned to fire at goal, but Cerga dived to his left to make a fantastic reflex save. A Daventry break saw Adam Creaney burst into the box but Baxter came off his line quickly and the keeper won the challenge. Séan McBride tried to find Long in the box but a great interception from Phil Cassidy steered the ball back to the keeper, then Long looped a cross into the box that Cerga took comfortably with Iaciofano the only blue shirt in the box.
A dangerous moment down the other end saw Luke Emery find some space inside the right of the Cooks penalty area but his shot flashed across the face of the goal, whilst Tuck battled hard to put the visitors defence under pressure before the ball was worked out right to Hynam, but his low cross was cut out by a Daventry defender inside the box. Tuck played the corner in and it hit McGowan on the arm and the Cooks were asking for a penalty again, but it was ruled as accidental and play moved on. Taylor Orosz broke at pace and played the ball into Emery who was bearing down on goal when Lowery made a well-timed tackle to win the ball. Tuck found himself in the book for the second time in five days for a misjudged challenge inside his own half but thankfully Daventry’s free-kick didn’t come off this time.
Emery got himself clear in the box again and Baxter had to come off his line and make a challenge and in doing so he put the former-Cooks striker off balance and he put his shot into the side-netting with the goal at his mercy. Kieran Fitzgerald made a good break through the centre and tried to lift his shot over Baxter, but the Cooks keeper stretched up to hold on to the ball in a second let off inside the space of a few minutes. Dore cut in from the left and tried his luck from outside the box but his effort was just wide, then the same player opened up down the flank before sending in a great ball, but the frustrated Long couldn’t get his feet right and failed to get in a shot from a very dangerous position.
Some great defending from George Barnell as he twisted and turned inside the box to try and forge an opening but we were dealt a blow when Liam Tuck was forced off after going down with a thigh injury after 42 minutes. Josh Melling taking his place on the left. With a minute left until the break we saw the game’s first goal, and what a goal it was. O’Connor had got his head to a cross but could only find Joe Merrill a good twenty-five yards from the goal. The Daventry right back hit a stunning volley that flew over the outstretched arm of Baxter and crashed high into the Cogenhoe net. A fantastic strike to light up what had been a fairly scrappy half played in very windy conditions.
McBride had been the victim of a couple of late challenges from McGowan and had been warned after a possible revenge challenge on his opposite midfield player, so when he went in high and missed the ball the ensuing yellow card really wasn’t a surprise to anybody. Phil Cassidy the victim of his second indiscretion. McBride was again in the thick of things as the ball bounced up and hit him on the arm in the Daventry penalty area but played was waved on and justice was probably done when his shot went straight through to the keeper. Not too much between the teams, but it was the visitors who will have been much the happier as they went into the break with a goal advantage and the fact that they would have the wind at their backs from now on.

Half-time; Cogenhoe United 0 Daventry Town 1.

Early pressure from the Cooks saw Dore get the ball in from the right and Alexander completely missed his kick. McBride touched it back to Long who saw his shot blocked and Luke Stone met the rebound on the volley just outside the box, but he sliced his effort wide. The ball broke nicely for Emery to get into the box in a central position, but Baxter had come off his line to narrow his angles and the striker fired his shot straight at the keeper. Emery didn’t have long to wait for his goal though as we backed off him just to the left of the box and he worked himself a shooting opportunity and fired a powerful drive past Baxter and into the far top corner to double the lead seven minutes into the second period.
A very interesting development followed shortly afterwards as the referee was put on the spot. Josh Melling did brilliantly to keep the ball in play, but his momentum took him into to the visitor’s technical area where he ran into Matt Finlay. It was a difficult call to say whether the Daventry coach had intentionally impeded Melling or not, but we were awarded an indirect free-kick by the touch-line. Melling lifted it over the defence and with Long running in behind, Ross Harris caught the ball above his head. Deliberate hand-ball for definite and with the forward behind him a red card offence by the letter of the law, but the ref gave the free-kick and didn’t even speak to the away skipper. Whether this was because he felt the original free-kick was harsh only he will know, but why did Harris catch the ball in the first place? We didn’t make the free-kick count, but we were soon back in the game thanks to Luke Stone’s 58th minute penalty.
Long had outpaced Harris and cut inside the box where he was brought down by Merrill. Stone kept his cool as he always does from the penalty spot and struck it so sweetly that it almost took the netting into the stand behind the goal. Hynam made way for Matthew Slinn to get a first chance to impress in a Cogenhoe shirt. Slinn is the son of Cogenhoe United’s all-time record goalscorer Kevin, so no pressure on the youngster then!
It could so easily have been another spot-kick for the Cooks moments later as again Long burst clear of the defence and there is no doubt about the fact that the keeper made no contact with the ball and only with the striker’s leg as he dived for the ball, but this time the official awarded a corner. Down the other end Emery outmuscled Barnell as they battled for the ball and fell to the feet of Taylor Orosz, but his shot didn’t get the curl he wanted and it sailed wide of the target. Alexander, who picked up two yellow cards in this fixture last season, saw another one brandished after bringing down Dore just inside his own half, while a decent looking cross from Dore was just too high for Iaciofano at the far post.
Cogenhoe, despite kicking into the wind, were looking good going forward and they levelled the game with 67 minutes on the clock. Iaciofano played the ball left for Montel Dore and he got the better of Childs before cutting inside and placing his shot wide of Cerga and neatly into the far corner. Arran Parkinson made a couple of quick changes as he took off McGowan for veteran Ollie Stanbridge and shortly afterwards Dean Lukeman came on for Childs to restore the ex-Cogenhoe contingent on the field back up to six.
Cogenhoe really needed to keep up this pressure, but they were undone at the back again on 72 when Stanbridge found Emery inside the box on the right and he steered his shot to Baxter’s right and into the far corner to put Daventry back in front. Both sides made their last changes with Jake Stone bringing on an extra striker as Ben Drinkwater replaced McBride and then a minute later Daventry brought on Jordan Orsoz for his brother Taylor.
Creaney saw a shot deflected wide before a good turn from Emery inside the box saw him shoot into the side netting, but on 82 the former-Cooks striker was celebrating his second hattrick of the season against his former club. A back pass put Baxter into trouble and the keeper didn’t really attack the ball as he went into a challenge with Emery and the striker was left to simply roll the ball into an empty net. Alexander fired a shot high and wide from the edge of the box and then Fitzgerald had a good chance although his shot was poor, but Daventry were already in charge and the points they needed to keep them seven clear at the top were already theirs.

Firstly I would like to say well done to both sets of players for an entertaining game with six goals on an awful day for playing football. I felt Daventry deserved the points today, but Cogenhoe showed great spirit to come back from two-down into the wind to get themselves back level and if that second penalty had been given, who knows where the game might have gone. We have now let in ten goals in the last two games which is disappointing, but we need to remember they were against two of the best teams we will face this season and make sure we keep a cleansheet when we travel to Kirby Muxloe next weekend. Hopefully Liam Tuck’s injury isn’t too serious and we are also concerned about Jack O’Connor who was feeling that hamstring late on after making a challenge, but fingers crossed they will both be available next weekend. Man-of-the-Match today goes to Montel Dore for the second game running. Taking his man on with confidence again and a great goal as well today, while mentions in despatches for O’Connor, Iaciofano and Long too.

Cogenhoe United; 1. Lee Baxter 2. George Barnell 3. Liam Tuck (sub 12. Josh Melling 42) 4. Séan McBride (sub 16. Ben Drinkwater 74) 5. Jack O’Connor 6. Alex Lowery 7. Charlie Hynam (sub 14. Matthew Slinn 58) 8. Luke Stone 9. Matt Long © 10. Tom Iaciofano 11. Montel Dore. Subs not used; 15. Harry Darnell 17. Dan Stevenson.

Daventry Town; 1. Iustin Cerga 2. Joe Merrill 3. Dan Childs (sub 16. Dean Lukeman 70) 4. Ross Harris © 5. Rico Alexander 6. Tom McGowan (sub 15. Ollie Stanbridge 67) 7. Kieran Fitzgerald 8. Phil Cassidy 9. Luke Emery 10. Adam Creaney 11. Taylor Orosz (sub 14. Jordan Orosz 75). Subs not used; 12. Greg Anayiotos 17. Matt Finlay.

Bookings;
Cogenhoe; Tuck 33, McBride 44
Daventry; Alexander 62

Referee; Danny O’Sullivan

Attendance; 71

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