A good performance from the Cooks made Bugbrooke work for their win and keep up their 100% league record.
Thursday 3rd November 2021
NORTHANTS SENIOR YOUTH LEAGUE-SOUTH
BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS (1) 3 COGENHOE UNITED (0) 1
Badgers;
Eddie Panter 34 (pen), 59 (pen)
Munache Tichawona 67
Cooks;
Matt Fletcher 48
With three straight wins behind them, the Cooks made the trip to the Sett with the temperature already at -1 when the game got underway, but with the pitch in good condition and with no wind it looked like a decent night for a game of football. One change to the starting line-up from the Bedford win two weeks ago with Aiden Hawes coming in for the absent Bradley Burbidge in midfield.
The first real chance of the game fell to the home side after Nat Allam fouled his man a few yards outside the box and the Mackenzie Coulson, with no run-up, hit a very good free-kick that Kyle Grimshaw got his fingertips to and touched on to the bar. Luca Iaciofano turned in the middle of the park and sent a good ball right for Ollie Sljivic who whipped in a cross looking for Matt Fletcher, but the Bugbrooke keeper came out to claim the ball above his head with a clean take. A Sljivic free-kick from the right touch-line saw Iaciofano get his head to the ball, but he had climbed on the back of his man to get there so the Badgers had a free-kick of their own.
Former Cooks U16 player Ronnie Gibbon played a ball over the top for Munache Tichawona who ran through before playing the ball across the box and we had to protect our goal with two blocks to frustrate the Badgers. Tichawona had a great chance in the centre as the ball was played in from the left, but it appeared to catch him out a little and it bounced off his shin and through to Grimshaw. Ben Hassan-Hussein switched play with a ball out to Liam Isaac and he cut into the box but couldn’t get himself into a shooting position and Archie May-Corcoran took the ball off his feet. Grimshaw had to come out of his area to intercept a through-ball and although it fell to a Bugbrooke player they failed to take advantage by getting into an offside position inside the box on the left.
A shot from the edge of the box flew wide after some nice passing from the home side, then a snap-shot from the edge of the box by May-Corcoran was only a foot or so wide of the far post. Grimshaw took a shot from the left cleanly, then a Josh Whaler free-kick from in front of the stand eluded everyone as it dropped at the near post, but Manny Asante kept his calm and headed the ball off the line. Eddie Panter drilled a shot across the goal and when it was played back in from the left, the ball escaped the grasp of Grimshaw with Panter quickly on to it before being brought down by Hawes. No questioning the penalty which Eddie Panter despatched with a well-struck low shot placed to the keeper’s left to put the Badgers 1-0 up with 34 minutes played.
Shad Reza replaced Liam Isaac in a straight swap wide on the right for the Cooks. Bugbrooke continued to push forward and ask questions of the Cooks defence with Eddie Panter’s shot taking a heavy deflection before reaching Grimshaw, then a good run by Jake Webster saw his shot strike a defender and go wide of the post. A decent forty-five minutes football on a cold night with just that penalty separating the two teams at the break.
Cogenhoe started the second half brightly and they found an equaliser just three minutes in. Iaciofano lifted a pass over the last defender to put Fletcher clear and he took the ball into the box before clipping it over the left shoulder of the out-coming keeper and inside the far post. A very well made and superbly taken goal to rock the home side and give the Cooks some real belief that they could get something from this game.
Grimshaw dived to his right to save a Tichawona drive from the left side of the box, then a Hawes clearance saw Iaciofano break, but he was forced wider than he wanted and although Reza slipped the ball inside for Asante, he was crowded out as he tried to make room for a shot. A Reza cross saw Iaciofano rise well to get his head to it in front of the keeper, but it wouldn’t fall for the looming Fletcher and Bugbrooke cleared their lines.
The game took a dramatic turn on 58 minutes though when Whaler played a ball over the top for William Panter and when he hooked it back across the box it struck the outstretched arm of Allam and the referee pointed to the spot for the second time. It was also trouble for the Cooks skipper who had already been booked, but it looked like the Stevenson only issued a straight red card. Eddie Panter once again took the penalty duties and he hammered it low past Grimshaw to put his side back in front with 59 minutes played. Gary Fletcher was shown the yellow card before the restart for sarcastically clapping the referee, but on the pitch we now trailed the title favourites and had to play the last half-an-hour with a player short. Charlie McAuley came on for Hawes with the striker renewing his recent centre-back cover duties.
An Eddie Panter cross was headed behind by James McGrath at the near post and Grimshaw punched away the corner at the far post with Panter volleying the loose ball across the box and wide. It became 3-1 on 67 minutes when Tichawona made a strong run into the box on the left before firing a powerful low shot past Grimshaw and in reality this was probably game over now given the man advantage. Eddie Panter was a little lucky to escape with just a yellow card after a bad challenge and shortly afterwards he was subbed off.
Asante picked up a yellow card for a foul before Caleb Jones came on for Elijah Noel at left back. Webster played a lovely ball to Bugbrooke sub Ezra Mukuka inside the box on the right, but he didn’t balance himself and fired his shot well wide, then Tichawona had a good chance inside the box, but failed to control the ball. Kieran Ashman came on for Iaciofano, then Fletcher touched the ball through for the sub and he found himself in a chase to get to the ball before the keeper, but he couldn’t get there early enough to poke it past the man in orange and had to settle for a corner which Reza delivered, but the Badgers caught cleanly. Tanea Simon had a late run out in place of Hassan-Hussain, whilst Isaac returned for Sljivic, but the game petered out and Bugbrooke took the points and maintained their 100% league record.
It was a very encouraging performance from the Cooks youngsters against a very good Bugbrooke side who had swept us aside 4-0 earlier in the season in the F.A Youth Cup. Two penalties counting for the home side tonight and playing the last third of the game with ten men which really didn’t help us a lot. We now have just two games left before Christmas both away from home starting at Bedford Town next week. The two games against the Eagles were swapped around as their ground wasn’t available last time so although the league website still has us at home next week, it should be played in Bedford.
Cooks;
1 – Kyle Grimshaw
2 – Ollie Sljivic
3 – Elijah Noel
4 – Aiden Hawes
5 – Nat Allam ©
6 – James McGrath
7 – Matt Fletcher
8 – Manny Asante
9 – Luca Iaciofano
10 – Ben Hassan-Hussein
11 – Liam Isaac
Subs;
12 – Shad Reza *(34-11)
14 – Caleb Jones *(67-3)
15 – Tanea Simon *(85-2)
16 – Charlie McAuley *(63-4)
17 – Kieran Ashman *(79-9)
Badgers; James Ward, Josh Whaler, Ion Borta, Ben Dimond ©, Ronnie Gibbon, Archie-May-Corcoran, MacKenzie Coulson, Jake Webster, Eddie Panter, Alfie Doherty, Munache Tichawona. Subs; Mason White, Braidon Roe, Ezra Mukuka, Corey Pert, William Panter.
Referee; Jamie Stevenson
Assts; David Froom & Eden Palmer.
