Saturday 25th September 2021
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED v BIGGLESWADE UNITED
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe.
NN7 1ND
KO 3-pm
The Cooks will be looking to make it three on the spin tomorrow when they host bottom club Biggleswade United. It has been a torrid start to life as a UCL club after the F.A forced them to move across the pyramid from the Spartan South Midland League in the summer. After losing their appeal, they lost their manager and the whole first team squad who had been based further south which suited them in their former surroundings, but instead of having a competitive team, they were forced to start from scratch.
Last weekend they matched their best result of the season so far when they lost 3-1 at Desborough (the same scoreline that they had succumbed to at home to Wellingborough) after losing 9-2 at home to Eynesbury in midweek. This was their second 9-2 defeat of the season, whilst they lost 7-3 to Newport Pagnell proving they know where the goal is, even if they can’t prevent them from going in at the other end. Sphinx put ten past them at their place. They have also conceded an 8 and three 7’s so far this season with their other defeat being 5-1 at Long Buckby. They do appear to be turning a corner to some extent and it is difficult to keep going when you have lost every game, but they are putting out squads of 16 for away matches which shows there is a good spirit amongst the playesr who giving it their best shot.
The Cooks recent form has been excellent with our run of three away games with a draw at Rugby being followed by wins over Easington and Wellingborough and new manager Darren Long boasting a 100% record at the helm in his two games. The midweek county cup win at Wellingborough saw a superb team performance from the Cooks as he put five past them without reply with Dylan Wilson netting twice to make it five in his last four games, whilst Jack Riley, Tom Wakley and a superb Will Bates free-kick made up the nap hand.
As Biggleswade are new to the UCL having played in the Spartan South Midlands League since their elevation from the Bedfordshire League, this will be our first ever league encounter, although there has been one competitive game between us when Biggleswade triumphed 2-0 in the F.A Vase back in 2015/16. It was a home tie, but floodlight problems at Compton Park saw the game switched to Second Meadow. Jeremy Biggs’ report below from that game.
Floodlight problems forced the Cooks to concede ground advantage and they paid the penalty with a shock defeat by opponents struggling in their league.
Jack Bowen and Taylor Orosz missed good chances for the Cooks in the first half with Alfie Taylor thwarted by the home keeper early in the second period.
Nyasha Sagwete opened the scoring after 66 minutes, smashing home a loose ball in the area, and the Cooks’ fate was sealed by a second United goal from Adam Drakulic who finished at the far post five minutes from the end.
Cogenhoe: Jamie McAlindon, Toby Jones, Dean Lukeman, Ross Harris, Harry Osborne (Kasy Morgan), Phil Cassidy, Taylor Orosz, Tom McGowan (Ross Garlick), Jack Bowen, Alfie Taylor, Lewis Leslie.
Since that game we have met three times here in pre-season friendlies with the visitors winning the first two (3-0 then 3-2) but we claimed our first victory back in 2018 when second half goals from Matty Long and Montel Dore handed us a 2-0 win.
NORTHANTS F.A LES UNDERWOOD JUNIOR CUP-1ST ROUND
DESBOROUGH TOWN Reserves v COGENHOE UNITED Reserves
Waterworks Field,
Braybrooke Rd,
Desborough
NN14 2LJ
KO 3-pm
It is likely to be a difficult afternoon for managerless Cogenhoe United Reserves as the travel to play their Desborough counterparts in the county cup, just a few weeks after losing 6-1 over there in the league. Clubman, sometimes first team physio and a number of other roles, Mick Nash steps in to look after the young squad tomorrow afternoon after helping out in last week’s 4-2 win over Raunds. Desborough lost by the same scoreline at Daventry in their last game, their third defeat of the season in a midweek fixture, but they were without a game last weekend. They made that trip without the experienced Brian Farrell who has netted 13 times in just 6 games so far this season for the Ar Tarn second string. Our hosts have a few ex-Cooks available to them with Dominic Okanu featuring regularly so far this season and recent addition Dalius Cesnakevicius being a former U18s player for us with a number of reserve team games under his belt to over the last couple of seasons.
Good luck to both our teams tomorrow and let’s keep the buzz going around the club.
- Please note that the match report and photos from the first team game won’t be on-line until Sunday this week as I will be out on Saturday night.
