Tuesday 19th March 2024
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
GODMANCHESTER ROVERS v COGENHOE UNITED
David Wilson Homes Ground,
Bearscroft Lane,
Godmanchester,
Cambs.
PE9 2LQ
KO 7-45pm
Game two of our run of four straight away games sees The Cooks head to Godmanchester to face a side firmly embroiled in the relegation dog fight. With their scheduled trip to fellow strugglers Leicester Nirvana falling foul of the weather on Saturday, Desborough Town seized the opportunity to lift themselves out of the relegation places with an excellent 1-0 win over in-form Bugbrooke at the Waterworks Field, although Goddy do have two games in hand starting with this one.
The pitch at the David Wilson Homes Ground has been a massive issue for them over the last few years, which means they have played fewer games than anybody else in the division with ten remaining, seven of which are at home, but this already includes playing Tuesday and Thursday next week with the same likely to happen again when the Nirvana match is rescheduled. The bottom of the table is in fact far more interesting than the top now with Wellingborough having pretty much wrapped up the title with Warwick and Aylestone almost certain to get the home advantage in the play-offs over St Neots and March. Nirvana are bottom again on 19 points, while Godmanchester, Desborough and Eynesbury are all on 20.
They have lost their last four league games with two of them being against Wellingborough and Warwick, but they did pick up an excellent 3-1 at St Neots in the semi-final of the Hinchinbrooke Cup with former Cooks player Emmanuel Gbejuade netting twice. Their last win in the league came back in January when the Gbejuade came off the bench to score the winner in a 2-1 success over faltering Newport Pagnell with Owen Wallis the other man on target that day. They have another former Cogenhoe player in their current squad in Linus Kusi, while Cooks players Brad Ilunga (10 appearances) and Takula Chijota (17 appearances, 1 goal) have both featured for our hosts earlier in the season.
The game at Compton Park this season ended in a 1-0 win for the Cooks with an excellent strike from Bailey Weatherly in the latter stages the decisive moment, while last season’s away game was switched to St Ives Town due to the aforementioned pitch issues and ended 1-1. Pharrell Anderson had given us an early lead, but Matty Allan (now of Wellingborough) levelled things up before the break. Anderson incidentally has recently signed for Cambridge City and came off the bench to replace former teammate Bruce Tsinosis to make his debut in a 1-4 home defeat to Anstey Nomads.
The Cooks have drawn their last two games, 1-1 at home to March followed by a controversial 2-2 draw at Easington on Saturday. We twice lead in that game through Jack Connor and Jamari Hart, but even though John Meadows saved a 96th minute Josh Reilly penalty, the Sports player followed up to save his blushes.
Jamari Hart scored his first senior goal at Easington on Saturday.
Former Cooks striker Emmanuel Gbejuade pictured in action for Long Buckby against the Cooks last season. Manny scored for the Bucks, but ended up on the wrong end of an 8-2 defeat.
