Two first half goals prove to much for the Cooks to come back from, despite a Wilson penalty late on.
Tuesday 9th November 2021
NORTHANTS F.A HILLIER SENIOR CUP-QUARTER FINAL
BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS (2) 2 COGENHOE UNITED (0) 1
Bugbrooke;
Ling 6
Capatina 36
Cooks;
Wilson 85 (pen)
Att; 54
Darren Long was forced into two changes as Ryan Archer was cup tied, so Ivandro Monteiro stepped up for his first start and Jack Riley came in for the working Dan Mortimer, whilst midweek signing Jack Norman who has joined us from Daventry Town on a dual registration was named as one of the substitutes. The Bugbrooke side had multiple changes from the one we had beaten a few weeks ago with seven changes to their starting eleven.
A good run from Dylan Wilson saw him get to the edge of the box only for his shot to hit a defender, then a great interception by Monteiro saw him carry the ball forward before laying it left to Chief Boateng, but his cut back was cleared by a home defender. It had been a bright start from the Cooks, but they found themselves trailing on 6 minutes as we lost possession inside the Bugbrooke half and they broke quickly with Eddie Panter racing clear down the right and he picked out the unmarked Greg Ling in the centre who calmly side footed home from close range. A well created and taken goal, but giving the ball away again left us wide open at the back.
An interesting corner from Cosmin Capatina went not only straight behind, but actually hit the remains of the storm damaged first tree that sits behind the car parking area. Wilson made a run to the edge of the box where he was successfully challenged with the ball running to Tom Wakley 20-yards from goal, but he got under his first time shot and it sailed over the bar. A great ball from Ling saw Josh Whaler cause us problems down the right, but Paddy Cichosz came across to rob him as he got into the box. A rather ambitious first-time effort by Monteiro from fully 30-yards out flew over the top, then a Josh Adams free-kick was half-cleared and Will Bates volley went behind after a deflection off a defender. We had three straight corners on the right that Adams swung in and the third one was won in the air by Riley to find Rico Alexander on the edge of the 6-yard box. Rather than go for it with his head, he waited for it to drop but was leaning back as he hit it on the volley and it scooped over the bar.
Wilson made a telling run through the middle before laying it to Adams who took it by his man to get to the dead-ball line, but he couldn’t keep his cross in play. Alexander defended well as Whaler and Panter caused problems down the right, then Panter burst down through only to find Archie Culley tracking him with the Cooks man making a vital challenge before he could cause any damage. An Adams free-kick from the right skimmed off Alexander’s head in the middle of the box just before Wakley’s ball into the area almost played in Boateng. A short free-kick on the corner of our box saw Wakley do well to block the ensuing shot, whilst Monteiro brought a spot of magic into the game on the right flank with a ‘Cruyff’ turn that left two Bugbrooke players wanting, but unfortunately his pass to Boateng had a little too much on it and Jake Bull came out to collect it before the striker could get a touch.
We lost the ball in the Bugbrooke half and Ling’s ball over the top saw Capatina completely free as he ran clear. He still had nobody on his back as he took the ball into the box and as Foxall tried to make it difficult for him, he kept his cool and fired a shot high into the net giving the keeper no chance at all. When I say he was clear, he had no Cooks defenders within fifteen yards of him which was disappointing and it was midfield man Monteiro who was closest to getting back and putting him under pressure. 36 minutes played and we had to find two goals just to stay in the game.
Great play from Boateng saw him find Wakley inside the box but his shot was blocked, then an Adams corner was punched by Bull, the ball only reached Wakley just inside the box, but his balance was all wrong and he lifted his volley over the bar. A great run down the left by Panter saw him cut inside his man and fire in a high shot from an angle that Foxall caught cleanly, then a bit of sustained pressure from the home side was finally ended when Alexander booted it clear from the centre of the box. We certainly weren’t out of this game at the break, but we had an awful lot to do if we were stay in the Cup when the NFA make the draw for the semi-finals.
Half-time; BADGERS 2 COOKS 0
No changes at the break from either side as Bugbrooke showed first and Foxall caught a decent Whaler cross, but Cogenhoe soon got forward with Bates pinging a low first-time shot from well outside the box that flew just wide of the far post. Culley picked up a rare booking for a foul as he stretched for the ball and caught the ankle of Dan Porter four minutes into the second half. A good run down the right from Wilson saw him put his cross into the side netting with a corner being given, but the Badgers broke quickly from it and Cichosz did really well to stop Panter getting in on goal. Bugbrooke could have extended their lead from the resulting corner as Alin Cosma whipped it in and Ling rose to meet it with a glancing header that went just wide of the far post. Cichosz used his pace to defuse a quick attack and when the loose ball came to Panter he drilled it low across the box with it taking a touch for a corner.
A lovely ball from Monteiro played Wilson down the left, but great defending from Whaler denied him. The lively Panter made way for Levi Freeman and as Cogenhoe pushed to get back into the game, Adams played the ball to Wilson who made a diagonal run across the field before ballooning his shot well over the top from 20-yards out. The veteran Ling made way for the younger legs of Aiden Webster just before a great piece of keeping by Foxall saw him come off his line quickly as Freeman got free into the box on the left with the Cooks keeper bravely sliding out to block the shot at his feet.
Porter was replaced by Joe Power in the home side’s final swap just before Norman came on for his debut on 72 minutes with the previously cautioned Culley making way. A great ball from Monteiro picked out Cichosz’s run and the defender drilled the ball across the box with nobody able to get a touch to it. Monteiro dinked the ball up to Wilson on the edge of the box and he took it down with his chest, but two defenders tight on him meant he couldn’t turn and the loose ball came to Alexander 30-yards from goal, but his shot was both high and wide of the far post. Bates danced by Dan Field on the right to get inside the box only for Badgers left back to take his legs away and referee Richard Fullicks pointed to the spot. Bugbrooke surrounded the referee even though it looked pretty clear cut to me and then as Wilson was finally allowed to put the ball on the spot Field decided to sit down inside the box and ask for treatment to further delay the penalty. After almost two minutes Wilson was finally allowed to take the penalty and all the delay tactics clearly hadn’t affected the Cooks striker in the slightest as he fired his penalty low to Bull’s right and just inside the post. 85 minutes on the clock but with subs and stoppages meaning we still had a good ten minutes to get an equaliser.
A good run into the box by Wakley saw him caught late after he had tried to pass but the referee waved play on, then Wakley got the better of Curtis Avery who fouled him just outside the box on the left. Not sure what happened but the former Cooks man reacted and we had a situation that soon saw most of the players from both sides involved in the male ritual of pushing and shoving without any real violence with the aggressors probably out numbered by those trying to break things up, but Avery and Wakley will probably not be sending each other Christmas cards next month I feel. Another delay that would add time on at the end as things finally calmed down and Adams lined up the free-kick and Avery was shown the yellow card with 89 minutes on the clock. The free-kick was met by the head of a defender, but Alexander tried to hook it back at goal on the volley and it wasn’t to far away from the far post.
Freeman was shown the yellow card for a foul, but Bugbrooke could well of had a penalty of their own, but levelling up the one we didn’t get for the late challenge on Wakley things were perhaps evened up. Two minutes into stoppage time and Bates got by his man just inside the box and he went down rather easily from where I stood so I was surprised when the ref pointed to the spot for a second Cooks penalty. Wilson took the ball while the home side protested and asked him to speak to his assistant which he eventually did and then gave the home side an indirect free-kick for a dive, even though he didn’t speak to Bates. The final whistle blew on 90+3 which has to be at least four minutes short of the actual added time after three long delays and four separate substitutions, but that is that and we are out of the cup.
Again we weren’t anywhere near our best, but it was an improvement from Saturday. Cutting out individual mistakes will help us enormously which is stating the obvious, whilst we also need to make sure we have cover at the back when we go forward. We missed Dan Mortimer and Ryan Archer today, but it is a squad game and Ivandro Monteiro was superb in midfield, but he is a different player to Archer who adds steel to the to the role. Monteiro was my second in line today, but Paddy Cichosz gets my nod for man-of-the-match. It was a tough game for the front two and perhaps there was a lack of pace in the Bugbrooke defence that we could have exploited more had we given Dylan Wilson the right ball at the right time. Games don’t get any easier either as we host Coventry United on Saturday and we really need to bring this losing streak to a halt.
Bugbrooke; 1. Jake Bull 2. Josh Whaler 3. Dan Field 4. Curtis Avery 5. Tom Caton © 6. Samuel Dodzi 7. Alin Cosma 8. Greg Ling (sub Aidan Webster 64) 9. Cosmin Capatina 10. Dan Porter (sub 17. Joe Power 68) 11. Eddie Panter (sub 14. Levi Freeman 58). Subs not used; 15. George Barnell 16. Charlie Green.
Yellow cards; Avery (89) Foul. Freeman (90+1) Fol.
Cooks; 1. Craig Foxall 2. Will Bates 3. Josh Adams 4. Jack Riley 5. Jack Riley 6. Rico Alexander © 7. Archie Culley (sub 15. Jack Norman 72) 8. Ivandro Monteiro 9. Dylan Wilson 10. Tom Wakley 11. Chief Boateng. Sub not used; 14. Alex Vaughan.
Yellow card; Culley (49) Foul.
Referee; Richard Fullicks
Assts; Keith Lawrence & Liam Jackson
UHSLPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-RESERVE DIVISION
HARBOROUGH TOWN Reserves (7) 9 COGENHOE UNITED Reserves (0) 2
Bees;
Elliott Grainger 3, 12, 23, 24, 27, 39, 72
Freddie Robinson 17
Calum Watts 87
Cooks;
W.Russell 56
Mason 60
This was always going to be a tough game for the Cooks with home side flying high with title ambitions and the Cooks missing so many players and it turned into the Elliott Grainger show as he scored a double hat-trick before half-time before eventually ending on seven. The Cooks got a couple of goals back through Will Russell on 56 and Ben Mason on 60 but a sin bin for Mason on 65 didn’t help our cause very much. The Bees added two more goals before the end to round of a big win and lift them back up to second in the table.
Cooks;
1-Alexander Kalorros
2-Lorenco Soulollari
3-Elijah Noel
4-Sam Russell
5-Jake Walpole ©
6-Nat Allam
7-Ben Short
8-Leon Jones
9-Ben Mason (sin bin 65)
10-Michael Mensah
11-Will Russell
Subs all used;
Kelvin Gyamfi
14-Liam Isaac
15-Isaac Appiah (yellow card 45)
16-Mawuli Kisseih
