Saturday 2nd February 2024
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED v ST NEOTS TOWN
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe.
NN7 1ND
KO 2-pm
The Cooks are at home again tomorrow when they entertain promotion chasing St Neots Town in a rearranged fixture after the initial game had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at the start of November. Our guests are in very good form and currently enjoying a ten-game unbeaten run whilst also boasting the best away record in the division. They did drop a couple of points last weekend, but in reality, it was better than decent outcome as they returned home from fellow high-flyers Aylestone Park with a point from a 1-1 draw with Rhys Thorpe netting a second-half equaliser. They currently sit nine points behind leaders Wellingborough having played a game more, but the one thing on their side is the fact that they still have eight home games to come while the Doughboys have just four and the leaders away form isn’t as good as that at the Dog & Duck, which is a very similar scenario to that of second-placed Racing Club who have also been top heavy with games on their 3G surface.
The Saints returned to the UCL in the summer after several seasons playing at a higher level, a lot of which was at step three, but they have regrouped, and new manager Cameron Mawer has made some astute signings with a mixture of experience and promising younger players. He brought in Steve Khune as his assistant a couple of months ago with the former Cogenhoe striker having plenty of knowledge and experience in the UCL and this will be a big boost to the club.
We travelled to the Cambridgeshire town for a Tuesday night fixture that saw us lose 1-0 to an early goal from our old nemesis Jordan Brown. Even though St Neots were looking to go back to the top of the table that day, the match was a very tight affair with the home side only really testing our keeper once with the save he made from James Hatch that saw Brown nip in to tuck away the rebound on 7 minutes.
Here at Compton Park, Scott Carlin’s boys were held to a goalless draw at home by Desborough last Saturday, not a classic by any means, but the point meant we are now six games unbeaten at home, with four wins and a draw from that sequence. Not exactly a fortress, but our opponents will take notice of this while our lads will be keen to keep this run going. Scott Carlin has been busy in the week looking to bolster his squad for the final fourteen games of the season and there will be a new face in the squad tomorrow afternoon. Talented young wide midfield player Jamari Hart has been a regular in the Cobblers Academy U18 team this season and it is hoped that he can gain some vital experience in the men’s game. whilst also boosting the Cooks bid for a top ten finish this season.
The last time the Saints came here was back in April 2011 when Steve Lomax was taking his team to the championship with what was perhaps the biggest budget the league has ever seen, but they were pushed all the way by the returning Kings Lynn Town who finished just two pints adrift of St Neots tally of 105. They scored 160 league goals that season with eight of the coming at Compton Park as leading scorer Shane Tolley bagged a hat-trick with singles from Will Fordham, Dominic Green, Lewis Hilliard, Junior Kunuda-Yiadum and Dallas Moore, while Tom McGowan netted the consolation for the Cooks in a 1-8 defeat.
Jamari Hart has linked up with the club on work experience from Northampton Town. (Photographer unknown but credit to the NTFC website).
Man-to-watch; Saints leading scorer James Hatch. (Credit SNT website)
