NINE GOAL VETS LEAVE ROVERS IN TATTERS.

SUNDAY 16^TH OCTOBER 2022

MILTON KEYNES VETERANS LEAGUE – DIVISION THREE

TATTENHOE VETS ROVERS (0) 0 COGENHOE UNITED VETS (4) 9

Cooks;

1. Carroll 4, 42

Reynolds 19, 34

Dent 27, 49

1. Carroll 64

Raymond 71, 80

The Cooks travelled to the Tattenhoe Pavilion 3G pitch looking to extend their unbeaten start to the season and they did just that in some style courtesy of a resounding 9-0 victory, a result that has lifted them to third in the table on a beautiful morning in the country’s newest city.

Despite living less than 15 minutes’ drive away, I managed to miss the entrance to the sports field and arrived just in time to hear the cheer as Steve Carroll gave the Cooks an early lead. James Lister fired wide from 20-yards after some good work by Paul Carroll, but they netted a second goal after 19 minutes after Paul Carroll passed the ball through the legs of his marker to Phil O’Brien on the right wing and he sent over an inch perfect cross that Ollie Reynolds headed home at the far post.

Paul Carroll seemed to take on most of the Tattenhoe defence inside the penalty area before winning a corner, then Lister fired into the side-netting from a tight angle as Cogenhoe continued to run the show. Steve Carroll turned and hooked over from the centre of the box after his brother had picked him out with a great ball, but the Rovers keeper was picking the ball out of his net again after 27 minutes. Steve Carroll turned supplier on this one as he split the defence wide open for Mark Dent to steer the ball home from 15-yards as the keeper came off his line in a vain attempt to block his shot.

Scott Walton hit a decent volley from the edge of the box that Stuart Schofield got his body behind before recovering to smother the follow up, then the Rovers man was down the other chopping down Ollie Reynolds who had got the better of him a few yards in from the left corner flag. The keeper punched Steve Carroll’s free-kick away from his 6-yard box only to find Ricky Smith on the edge of the box and he volleyed over the top. The fourth goal came on 34 minutes as Reynolds added his name to the scoresheet after making himself some space on the edge of the box before hitting a low drive that flew past the helpless keeper.

A shot from fully 30-yards out was held comfortably by Schofield, then back down the other end Steve Carroll rolled a great ball into the feet of O’Brien and hit a powerful shot that clattered the outside of the near post. 40 minutes each way today as the Cooks went off for their half-time team-talk four goals to the good.

A mix-up at the back left Steve Carroll with an easy finish inside the first 90 seconds of the second half and the scorer was through again a minute later, but this time he tried a cheeky chip that sailed over the bar. Maksim Kartasov headed over an open goal after Schofield had fumbled a cross and this pretty much summed up the home team’s morning so far and the Cooks added a sixth goal on 49 minutes. Steve Carroll held the ball up nicely just outside the box before rolling to Dent who made no mistake with his finish. Steve Carroll was just off target from deep inside the box, then Sam Duggan set up fellow sub Paul Raymond, but his low shot deflected wide for a corner. Paul Carroll added his name to the ever-growing list of scorers as he beat the keeper from 8-yards out from good Reynolds assist with 64 minutes played.

Seb Kaiser went down squealing after the slightest of touches which provoked a reaction from the Cooks subs, then after Frank Woodes had overreacted to a foul and the referee called over the two managers for a chat and things seemed to calm down again. Back to the football and Reynolds volleyed wide from Sam Duggan’s corner, but Raymond extended the lead after 71 minutes with what looked like a scuffed shot from outside the box that completely wrong-footed the keeper and rolled into the centre of the net. Eight goals to the good, the Cooks were once again playing some lovely first-touch football deep inside the Tattenhoe half and one move saw the keeper stretch out a foot to divert Raymond’s shot from the right of the box away from his far corner. Paul Carroll saw one shot deflect over the bar before another effort was blocked by a defender, then with the game a minute over the 80 minutes on a running stopwatch, Reynolds played Raymond in and he coolly slotted the ball home for goal number nine and round off the perfect Sunday for the Cooks Vets team.

Cooks; 1. Stuart Schofield 3. Lee Haines © 4. Mark Dent 5. Dan Hanger 6. Steve Carroll 7. Ollie Reynolds 9. Ricky Smith 12. Gary Duggan 14. James Lister 16. Paul Carroll. Subs all used; 2. Sam Duggan 8. Danny McWilliams 10. Paul Raymond 15. Rob Curry 17. Ryan Yates.