A double strike from former Cooks star Tom Iaciofano helped the Doughboys lift themselves up to 4th place in a comfortable win at the Dog & Duck.
Tuesday 17th October 2023
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN (1) 3 COGENHOE UNITED (0) 0
Doughboys;
Richard-Noel 15 (pen)
Iaciofano 48, 64
Att; 90
Scott Carlin was forced into a couple of changes for the trip to Wellingborough Town with both Callum Farmer and Dalton Leon out suspended which meant starts for Shama Bako and midweek signing Troy Johnston (returning for a second spell after playing here under Gary Petts). Another new signing insCallum Swain and he was named on the bench, but Kyle Boyce, who is joining from MK Dons on work experience for a month, wasn’t able to feature as the league didn’t get him registered in time. It was also great to see Bailey Weatherly back with the squad, although it is likely to be next week before we see him back in action. Doughboy’s manager Jake Stone made five changes from the team that had won 4-2 at Histon ten days previous with Charlie Green, Callum Milne, Neo Richard-Noel, Paddy Cichosz and Tom Iaciofano coming into the starting line-up. The latter two bringing the ex-Cooks tally up to seven as they were added to Ash Bodycote, Will Bates, Séan McBride, George Barnell and Jessi Obeng. Dylan Wilson, Damien Osoimoejiokhian and Johnston made up the three ex-Wellingborough players returning to the ground they once called home.
It was an even start on a chilly night at the Dog & Duck as Alex Parkes found Wilson who picked out Jamie Hall on the right angle of the penalty area where he played it out of his feet before firing his shot wide. Mobbs was fouled by McBride with Parkes playing the free-kick into the box where it was won by a defender, but Harley Mallard gave it back to Parkes on the left and he fed Hall just inside the box on the left where he put his shot on target, but Bodycote caught in just above head-height at the near post. The Doughboys hadn’t put the Cooks under any real pressure early on, although they were starting to look dangerous with their quick breaks and when Richard-Noel got away from Earl Atat to get inside the box, the Cooks right-back brought him down. Richard-Noel stepped up to take the penalty himself with a staggered run before slotting the ball to the left of Adam North to give the home side the lead after 15 minutes.
Mallard played a nice ball up to Bako on the left flank only for his cross to be cut out for a corner, then Osoimoejiokhian lifted a ball over the top for Wilson to run on to, but his run was smothered by the defensive pairing of Milne and Brett Solkhon on the edge of the box. Bako nearly got on to a loose ball on the edge of the box. Wilson played a one-two with Osoimoejiokhian to get deep inside the box to the left before whipping in a dangerous low ball across the 6-yard box that Hall was unable to reach. Bates, who does love a spectacular goal, shot from fully 30-yards but only managed to send the ball several yards over to bar, while Milne nipped in to force a good save out of Adam North, but the flag was already up for offside so it wouldn’t have troubled the scorers. Mallard got his head to big Bodycote kick with Iaciofano quickest to the loose ball before he forced North to get down to save his well-hit effort from just outside the box. North was again called into action by Iaciofano as he showed good hands at his near post, then Obeng played a great ball across from the left that Iaciofano just couldn’t get to at the far post. A great touch from Wilson sent Mobbs running into the box where he found Hall who played it back towards Mobbs, but Milne intercepted and when the ball came back to Hall, his curling effort was held by Bodycote.
Once again the Cooks trailed 1-0 at the break away from home and although they did have their moments, the home side had edged the first 45 minutes and led through Neo Richard-Noel’s penalty after a quarter-of-an-hour.
Half-time; Doughboys 1 Cooks 0
No changes at the break and it took just 4 minutes for Johnston to add his yellow card collection for a challenge on the half-way line, having already been spoken to in the first half by referee Laura Van-Lier for a bit of afters. Wellingborough doubled their lead on 52 minutes after Cogenhoe were undone by a couple of former players as Obeng went on a great run that took him deep into the box on the left before cutting back and leaving Atat on the deck. He then played the ball across the 6-yard box to pick out an unmarked Iaciofano who just had to steer the ball over the line from close range at the far post. Atat was unable to continue after treatment from Piers Bodily and he limped off to be replaced by Luke Bullement before play restarted following the goal. Bates knocked the ball past Osoimoejiokhian and behind for a goal-kick, but went down under the challenge to win a free-kick just outside the box about three feet from the dead ball line and Iaciofano drilled it at goal despite the tight angle and Johnston cleared it off the line at the near post sparking a counter attack that saw Hall do well inside the box on the right and with the keeper now out of position, the ball ran to Wilson 25-yards out, but he didn’t get any real power behind his shot and it was blocked and then cleared by the home defence.
Richard-Noel played in a dangerous cross that Ben Dimond dived to try and head away at the near post and luckily for the Cooks, North was alert to the danger and gathered the deflected ball just behind his centre-back. Mallard won a corner from a deep Parkes free-kick, but that came to nothing, just before Carlin made his second change of the evening as Hall made way for Jack Connor just after the hour mark. The home extended their advantage on 64 minutes with a classic breakaway goal. Bates played the ball into the path of Iaciofano’s run down the right just inside his own half and he raced clear to get inside the box before placing a low shot across and beyond the reach of the full-stretch North and just inside the far post. A superbly taken goal from the former Cooks U18 product who I still rate as one of the best players I have seen since my time at Cogenhoe began.
Some nice play down the middle by Wilson saw him find Bako inside the box to the right and he hit a powerful first-time shot that flew just wide of the target. Charlie Green was shown the yellow card for kicking the ball away on 67 minutes and Stone subbed him off a couple of minutes later as Mason Lee took his place. (Pretty sure this was Merson Styles so I assume he has changed his surname recently). Obeng picked up the pieces on the edge of the box but pulled his shot wide just before we saw multiple changes to the twenty-two on the field. Stone swapped Iaciofano for Jorrin John, while Carlin brought on debutant Callum Swain, Charlie Pearson and Stan Channell in place of Parkes, Bako and Mobbs for the final seventeen minutes of the game.
Swain played the ball down the left channel to send Wilson away and his cross was cut out for a corner that Johnston sent in. The ball was returned to the taker via a defender and this time his cross was headed out by Milne with Osoimoejiokhian pouncing just outside the box and sending his shot wide from 20-yards out.
North had to get across to his near post to block a Richard-Noel deflected effort, while Pearson found Channell on the right and he rolled it on to Connor who checked back and sent over a decent cross that McBride headed away. A double change saw Obeng and McBride make way for Vikram Mazumbar and Lloyd Buckby nine minutes from time and then Buckby was yellow-carded for a foul on Channell within three minutes of coming on. Connor fired wide from 25-yards out, while a great challenge by Solkhon stopped Pearson getting clear inside the box from Wilson’s pass. Kai Fifield came on for Barnell and was quickly in the action as he stepped inside and sent a curling shot wide from 20-yards, while North saved the Cooks with a good save from Mazumbar and then a great save to deny Richard-Noel who hit a thunderous shot after a neat turn on the edge of the box. Richard-Noel was again denied by another good save to keep out another powerful strike from the lively front man and that proved to be the final action of the game.
There is no denying that this is a very good Wellingborough Town team and that they thoroughly deserved to take the points today, which is highlighted by Adam North getting my man-of-the-match award tonight. Again we didn’t play badly, we just lacked the spark to make things happen and more worryingly we haven’t scored a single goal now in over five-hundred minutes of football. There is no doubt that we are missing some real quality players in the injured Tommy Curry, Bailey Weatherly and Josh Jones, but this is the time that the other lads need to step up take their chance to shine. It is five straight defeats now for the Cooks in the league, but they have a chance to put that poor run of form to one side on Saturday when they entertain Eastwood Community in the F.A Vase in what is likely to be another tough test for the Cooks youngsters.
Doughboys; 1. Ashley Bodycote 2. Will Bates 3. Charlie Green (sub 14. Merson Lee 69) 4. Séan McBride (sub 16. Lloyd Buckby 81) 5. Callum Milne 6. Brett Solkhon 7. Neo Richard-Noel 8. George Barnell (sub 17. Kai Fifield 82) 9. Jessi Obeng (sub 12. Vikram Mazumbar 81) 10. Paddy Cichosz 11. Tom Iaciofano (sub 15. Jorrin John 73).
Cooks; 1. Adam North 2. Earl Atat (sub 17. Luke Bullement 53) 3. Damien Osoimoejiokhian 4. Alex Parkes (sub 16. Stanley Channell 73) 5. Ben Dimond 6. Harley Mallard © 7. Kieron Mobbs (sub 14. Callum Swain 73) 8. Troy Johnston 12. Jamie Hall (sub 9. Jack Connor 61) 10. Shama Bako (sub 15. Charlie Pearson 73) 11. Dylan Wilson.
Referee; Laura Van-Lier
Assts; Simon Castleman & Steve Law
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