COVENTRY COPSEWOOD 0-5 COVENTRY UNITED: full report by THE MOWDOG...

Busy Copsewood Felled By Cautious Cagemen

Coventry Copsewood 0-5 Coventry United

An early right-boot volley by soon-to-depart-injured and left-footed Coventry United defender Ben Vallance, visibly shook a hard working, passing-oriented Copsewood outfit, missing several experienced players. Michael Healy was unable to snaffle an equaliser, United netted a penalty late in the opening half and two quick, rather soft goals immediately after the restart, left Copsewood to again pick up the pieces. Indeed they forced Cageman ‘keeper Rich Morris into a trio of saves. A fifth goal, another gift, in added time at the end, closed out a victory for United, although they misfired on occasions and despite utilising a back-five during an untidy first period, they looked uncertain, ungainly and unduly hesitant, as new Scouse manager Terry Anderson’s frustrated bellowing echoed across the Allard Way sunset, following an early rain shower.  At the finish, a Copsewood coach was less than kind in his comments to the replacement referee, who also failed on three occasions to allow an advantage to United, after a player had been fouled and on all three occasions, another Cageman was through to run on goal… Oops. Fair play to Copsewood, they stuck at it but the goals conceded were probably preventable. More points for United in their title quest and they move on to Stafford & then Lichfield at the end of the week.

"NO ADVANTAGE WILL BE PLAYED..."

LOOKS LIKE A HUGE STEP-OVER BY FRASER...

The Copses began the game in sprightly fashion and their passes were thoughtful, their movement quite slick, then a couple of shots from distance by Connoll Farrell and Danny Fraser were blocked. And wouldn’t you just know it, United’s first real attack on the right ended with a Pierre Moudime centre, sliced by a defender into Vallance’s path and he hefted a 15 yard volley over goalie Scott Dutton and deep into the Copsewood net.

0-1, A RIGHT BOOT VOLLEY BY VALLANCE...

...WHO BECAME SO CONFUSED THAT IT WASN'T HIS LEFT BOOT, HE RETIRED SOON AFTERWARDS...

A Copsewood corner ended with a header down by a home player wide of the far stick but as ever with the hosts, their red numbers on blue jerseys were tough to distinguish, prompting me to apologise for any misrepresentations during this report. Despite a long line of five across the defence, United were still leaving too much space free on their right and this was being exploited by Fraser but soon, Healy, presumably wearing 10, not 9 because I know what Farrell looks like,  cut in dangerously but somehow launched his angled shot almost vertically, to his horror. Dutton raced left to slide and beat Matt Brown to a Blythe pass but in truth, up to the 20 minute mark, little had been seen of Gift Mussa and skipper Chris Cox in the visiting midfield. Josh O’Grady was virtually redundant for the guests, which is I’m sure, how Copsewood wanted it… Fraser’s delivery, again too easily allowed by United, offered Healy an awkward over-shoulder shot, which dropped wide of the far stick and errors were becoming regular by both teams.

"DO WHAT, WITH WHICH BOOT, WHERE?" ASKS MARTIN HUTCHCOX...

A quick free-kick from 30 yards by the hosts, not spotted at all by United, to their manager’s screaming disgust, allowed the lively Lawrence Rawlings to shoot but his effort was deflected upwards for Cageman Richard Morris, bedecked in yellow for this game, to catch. Strangely, it was when Vallance was hurt that the game began to feature a little more offense from United and after Mussa won, lost, then retrieved the ball from a midfield tussle, Brown fastened onto it but drove a shot too high from 23 yards. Dutton got fingers to a low Moudime cross, before Tommy Glasscoe replaced the ailing Vallance. At first, Mr Anderson hadn’t made out his physio’s gestures that Vallance needed replacing in poor light on the far side of the pitch. Healy saw a far post shot deflected for a corner but soon, United took firmer control of the proceedings.

"I'M HOLDING UP THE BALL..." ADVISES RICH BLYTHE...

THE MANAGER ADMIRES PIERRE'S PERKY BUTTOCKS...

A BREAK IN PLAY, SO HARRY INTERVENES TO EQUIRE HOW OLD GIFT MUSSA REALLY IS...

O’Grady shuffled inside, tumbled and won a free-kick, 19 yards out, inside-right slot but his low free-kick struck Rawlings in the defensive wall, which had broken and O’Grady was able to lash a rebound effort at goal, which Dutton dived left to save low, at the expense of a corner. The flag-kick was taken short, O’Grady shuffled inside again, fell again and a penalty was awarded, which Cox deposited high into the right corner of the net, possibly off the underside of the crossbar.

"NO, CHRIS, YOU CAN'T CELEBRATE WITH A PINT, SO COME AWAY FROM THOSE DOORS..."

...BUT IT'S 0-2 AFTER COX'S PENALTY...

Fraser nodded a right-side centre into Healy’s path but Morris gathered, Cox, on the United right, won, lost and regained the ball, cut inside but shot straight at Dutton, then the skipper, who was by now beginning to feature strongly in the trenches, headed the ball on and Mussa streaked through, like a Year 9 sprinter on Sports Day, only to clip his shot wide of the right upright, as Dutton advanced, one-on-one. The interval reached, Copsewood must have wondered how they were 0-2 behind in a game they had wrestled a good deal of possession from but in netting twice, The Cagemen had simply done it when it mattered…

The game was effectively over after a bizarre opening to the second period, which must have totally pigged off the Copsewood management team. Cox, winning a lot of aerial balls in midfield by this time, flicked on, Brown ran towards the right byeline, Dutton palmed the chest-high centre onto O’Grady and the ball dropped into the net. 0-3, game dead. 

"THE BALL HIT ME, SO I CAN'T CELEBRATE, SURELY?"

"OK THEN, I DON'T MIND..." SAYS O'GRADY...

A bad foul by Liam Cairns on Mussa, who was flattened, saw the ball run on to free O’Grady but the official failed to look up and the free-kick was awarded, plus a caution to the perpetrator. O’Grady’s 27 yard free-kick beat Dutton all ends up but the ball ricocheted off the right upright, then the left upright, before bouncing between Cox and the lurking Rob Prinzel, only to be hacked away by Copsewood. Morris collected a subsequent aimless boot forward by the hosts, booted it forward himself, a defender miscued his header and Cox, with Brown alongside him, nudged the ball past the careering, advancing goalkeeper and rolled it into the empty net. 0-4, game buried.

COX WHEELS AWAY...

0-4 NOW...

THE SKIPPER SEEMS CONTENT...

Ryan Harkin replaced Fraser for the shocked Copses and Mussa took a break, for the introduction of Jamie Coleman for the ascendant United. Dutton raced out to the left edge of his penalty-box to save as Brown shot, after latching onto a Prinzel pass, Ross Briscoe replaced O’Grady, who shuffled from the pitch and with the visitors becoming a little sloppy, the hosts nearly scored. Morris made a fine save, although I couldn’t see the number on the shirt of the shooter, a melee ensued and United cleared but the guests actually nearly scored again, when Briscoe was tackled by Reece Blackmore, only for the ball to fall for Brown, left-side but his shot was parried at the near post by the threatened Dutton. Cox’s header from the corner was collected easily by the ‘keeper,  Andy Wilson-King replaced Kyle Barnett for Copses and then Briscoe released the overlapping Glasscoe for a 12 yard shot, which was well blocked by Rawlings. Brown headed Glasscoe’s corner upwards and wayward.

Harkin was unable to get in a shot as a right-wing cross found him in with a good chance of converting,  Adam Civzelis replaced Healy for the home team, Moudime cleverly beat ex-team-mate Farrell on the right but his cross was straight to Dutton and then Morris tipped an angled effort by Harkin across the face of his goal. A Morris booted clearance beat Adam Wilson-King’s effort to clear, Brown made the left byeline but Briscoe wasn’t able to reach the feed, then Chris Wilson-King, quietly busy all evening, collected the ball at inside-left for the hosts, curled a smart 25 yard shot, although he was poorly challenged, only for Morris to stretch and turn the ball over his bar. Cox was fouled harshly by Adam Wilson-King, who was cautioned, Rawlings drove too high for Copses, another Adam Wilson-King foul on Cox was penalised and the ensuing free-kick beat Ash Beddows’ jump for Brown to control and prod past the luckless Dutton and complete the scoring in stoppage time.

0-5...

BROWN HAS SCORED...

This was a game which needed winning by United. They did so. Despite the centre of their defence looking rather congested early on, their midfield looking abject for the opening half-hour and their attack barely affecting the game, The Cagemen did more than enough to set them on their way to Stafford on Thursday with good heart. The young Copsewood team impressed with their passing at times, they were driven on by skipper George Whitelaw but certainly lacked a finisher throughout the match.

ABOVE & TWO BELOW, THE END OF THE GAME...

Me? Lost for a few minutes in the poorly signed Coventry city centre after the game… 

Should have gone home the way I trust… Or to Specsavers…

TEAMS:

COVENTRY COPSEWOOD:

Scott Dutton, Reece Blackmore, Ash Beddows, Liam Cairns, George Whitelaw (Capt), Kyle Barnett, Lawrence Rawlings, Chris Wilson-King, Connoll Farrell, Michael Healy, Danny Fraser.

SUBS:

Adam Civzelis, Andy Wilson-King, Ryan Harkin, Petajon Gordon, Stuart Adamson.

COVENTRY UNITED:

Rich Morris, Pierre Moudime, Ben Vallance, Rob Prinzel, Callum Burgess, Martin Hutchcox, Rich Blythe, Chris Cox (Capt), Matt Brown, Josh O’Grady, Gift Mussa.

SUBS:

Jamie Coleman, Ross Briscoe, Tommy Glasscoe, Josh Blake, Kai Williams.