Saturday 7th October 2023
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
MARCH TOWN UNITED v COGENHOE UNITED
Robingoodfellows Lane,
March,
Cambs.
PE15 8HS
KO 3-pm.
The Cooks travel to March on Saturday for what is likely to be a tough encounter against the team currently occupying the final play-off place in the table. They sit fifth and are six points behind leaders Newport Pagnell Town going into the weekend fixtures, but they have played two games fewer than the Swans. They have been beaten just twice in the league so far with the latest coming last Saturday when they went down 0-1 at fellow promotion chasers Racing Club Warwick, with the other defeat coming at home to then leaders St Neots Town, also by the only goal of the game. The club was only moved over the to the United Counties League in the summer of 2022 having spent many years playing in the Eastern Counties League and had a decent first season, finishing in seventh place, but a sticky patch in the new year saw them drop out of the promotion chase when Rugby and Sphinx pulled away from the pack. They, like many other town clubs in the East Anglia region, are well supported by their local community and their attendances rank amongst the best in our league. On the field they have three players who each represented the Cooks just once, Ben-Seymour Shove who hit a hat-trick in the ill feted fourth sub win over Potton, Josh Moreman who played for us in a 1-0 win at PNS, scoring the winning goal 4 minutes into his debut and Declan Rogers, like Seymour-Shove, represented the Cooks in the Craig Adams rein, but he didn’t manage to hit the target as we lost -03 at home to Coventry Sphinx.
The Cooks only previous trip to the fenland town was back in January this year when a Vitor Vaz goal on 65 minutes gave the Hares a 1-0 win in a tightly fought game at Robingoodfellows Lane, with the Cooks missing a golden opportunity to equalise in the very last minute. Scott Carlin returns to the hot seat and will probably be glad to have missed last Saturday’s 5-1 home drubbing by Daventry Town, but he will be looking for an improvement from the boys all the same. He will again be without skipper Harley Mallard who is away this weekend after missing the last two games with Covid, but Earl Atat returns to the squad along with Shama Bako who joins the club from Melton Town. The 23-year-old left winger/striker previously played for the Cobblers U18 team and more recently represented Phonix Lubeck, Aberystwyth Town, Bromsgrove Sporting, Boldmere St Michaels and Ollerton Town before signing for the Pork Pie Army. On the subject of new faces, Luke Bullement is included in the squad again after his debut last weekend and the 21-year-old Hull born midfielder has played at a decent level before with local club Hall Road Rangers, although more recently they have been playing a step-lower in Humber Premier League. He spent four seasons at Haworth Park after joining HRR from East Yorkshire Carnegie and is currently based at Moulton College for the season.
There is a worry off the field tomorrow though as your match reporter/photographer is currently unwell and will face a late fitness test in the morning to see if he can make the trip.
