Saturday 21st August 2021
EMIRATES F.A CUP-FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND
COGENHOE UNITED v DEREHAM TOWN
Compton Park
Brafield Road
Cogenhoe
NN7 1ND
KO 3PM
Game number five for the Cooks and the third game in the F.A Cup after taking a replay to see off a stubborn Haverhill Rovers team. We play host to Dereham Town who are making their first visit to Compton Park. Our visitors play at step four in the Pitching In Division One North, or the Isthmian League D1N to quote its name without the sponsorship. They have played just one competitive game so far this season and that came last Saturday when they beat Heybridge Swifts 3-1 at home. A crowd of 214 watched on as goals from Robbie Linford (2) and Shaun Bammant (38) gave them the lead at the break. Swifts reduced the deficit on 70 minutes when Alex Teniola scored from a penalty but Luke Johnson made sure the Magpies picked up an opening day three points when he made it 3-1 eight minutes later.
This will be the second meeting between our clubs with the previous game coming back in 2012/13 season when we travelled to Aldiss Park for an F.A Vase game which the then Eastern Counties League side triumphed 2-1 with a last gasp winner. You can read Jeremy Biggs write up on the game at the end of this preview and see if you remember the Cooks players that day too. One player from that game familiar to Magpies fans will be Olly Willis who is now assistant to manager Adam Gusterson and was an unused sub last Saturday.
Gusterson was busy strengthening his squad in the summer with Andrew Fisk joining from Lowestoft Town for an undisclosed fee, striker Sam Mulready signed on a one year contract from Soham Town Rangers and Shaun Bammant penned a two year contract as the striker made the move from Lowestoft. When you read about two-year contracts and undisclosed fees it really brings home the difference between a step five and a step four club.
The F.A Cup will serve up many surprises between now and next May and there is no reason that Cogenhoe can’t be one of them if we play as we did in pre-season in games such as Kettering and Barton Rovers and I know Craig Adams will have his young squad raring to go out there and steal the limelight tomorrow. I believe we will be without Jack Daldy who came off the field with a groin injury in the second half of the Leicester Road game last weekend and looks to heading back to Whitworth whilst covid victim Lloyd Groves will be a massive loss for us as his presence has been there for all to see. On the plus side Adams has brought back 18-yo Archie Culley to the club after the midfielder had initially left for pastures new in the summer. Archie made his Cooks debut at Kettering Town in the Hillier Cup as a 16 year old after impressing in the U18s and had been with the club for three seasons. Last two years he had nailed down a regular starting spot in the first team and made himself a firm favourite with the Compton Park faithful so it is great to see him back in the blue.
Last weekend was a disappointing one for the Cooks as they lost their unbeaten start and also conceded our first goal of the season (albeit a penalty) in a 0-1 loss at home to Leicester Road, but their did seem to be a little hangover from our long trip to Haverhill on Wednesday night. Now having had seven days without a game and a training session under their belts I’m sure we will be back to our normal selves again for this cup tie.
Last time we met;
Saturday 15th September 2013
F.A VASE-2ND QUALIFYING ROUND
DEREHAM TOWN 2-1 COGENHOE UNITED
The Cooks bowed out in Norfolk as the Eastern Counties pacesetters snatched a last gasp winner.
Dereham led at the interval with a 24th minute Sam Borrer goal, an 18 yard shot after an Olly Willis cross from the right was only half cleared by Dan Chilton.
With five minutes to play Tom Liversedge levelled for the Cooks with a great strike from 25 yards.
Extra time was beckoning, but Luke Tuttle won the contest for the hosts in the final minute, sliding a low shot under keeper James Stirling from Aaron Kay’s delivery.
Cogenhoe: James Stirling, Josh Uquhart, Josh Olowoyo (Ben Foster), Jed Ainge (Tom McGowan), Dan Chilton, Ryan Dufty, Chris Davies, Lewis Leslie, Dustin Fitzgerald (Tom Liversedge), Darren Frost, Jamie Russell.
