Wilson at the double as the Cooks hit five past a spirited Winslow United.
Saturday 23rd September 2023
F.A VASE – 2nd ROUND QUALIFYING
COGENHOE UNITED (2) 5 WINSLOW UNITED (1) 1
Cooks;
Wilson 18, 45+4
Connor 48
Knights 63
Mobbs 71
Ploughmen;
Aaron King 26
Att; 88
Thankfully the wind of Tuesday night was now no more than a breeze as late summer sunshine warmed up the oft chilly Compton Park and highlighted the hard work put in by Jamie Deer and Mick Nash on the now beautiful playing surface. All-in-all it was a near perfect setting for an F.A Vase tie as Winslow United visited our humble little village. Scott Carlin kept the same starting line-up from Tuesday night’s game against the Cobblers, but Stan Channell was away with family commitments, so Dylan Carlin and Alex Parkes were included amongst the six subs this afternoon. Winslow United manager Alex Woodfine made two changes from the eleven that had started in in their previous game with leading scorer Louie Howarth not travelling, but they were able to bring in the vastly experienced Dom Lawless to replace him, having recently joined the club after starting the season at St Neots in our division. The other change saw Matty Ginger drop down to the bench with Jamie Andrews replacing him in the back three.
The visitors wore grey shorts and socks, but they carried it off so much better than us by wearing pink shirts and would certainly be more visible than our all-grey affair. Cal Farmer played the ball up to Dalton Leon inside the box to the left and he tried to lift it across the box, only for his effort to drift over the bar, then Josh Jones won the ball wide on the right and then won it back after being challenged to get deep inside the box, but he tried to go past one too many leaving Tommy Curry frustrated totally unmarked in the centre. Jack Rowe swapped play with a good ball that picked out Kevin Owusu on the left, but his attempt to cross seemed to come off his shin, then Aaron King sent a dangerous ball into the box that Harley Mallard cut out, but the loose ball fell to Rowe who played it back across the area only for Ben Dimond to clear. It was a bit of a wake-up call for the Cooks though and we could easily have been picking the ball out of our net following this move. A ball over the top from Farmer sent Dylan Wilson down the right and he had the pace on the defence to reach the edge of the box before squaring to Jones who hit a good low shot that Alfie Mumford did well to save at full stretch.
Wilson again got himself goal side as he ran on to a pass and opted to shoot early, only finding the midriff of the keeper, then Mallard found Tommy Curry on the left and he whipped in a low cross that Mumford got down to gather safely. A great run by Curry who went past three defenders got him into the box before eventually been robbed of possession, but a minute later it was 1-0 to the Cooks. It was one of those difficult moments for the onlooker as it came just as a Lancaster bomber flew over Compton Park and I had to get a photo of it, but I can tell you that Wilson robbed a defender on the edge of the box and ran through to steer the ball past the keeper from the centre of the box with 18 minutes played.
Looking to build on the goal, the Cooks continued to press, and Curry went on a diagonal run before finding Jones on the right and he touched into the path of Earl Atat on the overlap, but a great challenge from winger Owusu stopped him from getting the ball across the danger area. Jones had a powerful shot blocked after cutting in from the right, while a ball over the top by Andrews had the Cooks struggling at the back and Adam North just managed to get enough onto the ball to touch it away from Owusu. Wilson nicked the ball off a defender and sent Curry down the left-flank where he sent over a low cross that was cut out, but he looked to have injured his thigh as he did so. We probably should have been further in front than we were as the clock ticked onto 26 minutes, but we about to be back level at 1-1. Aaron King was played clear and he calmly rounded the keeper before firing into an empty net from just to the right of the post. Before the restart the extent of Curry’s injury proved to be too much for him to run off, so the first change came with Jack Connor getting into the action a lot earlier than he would have been expecting.
Simon King forced a save out of North from 25-yards out, then his brother Aaron saw his shot cut out by Kieron Mobbs and when the ball fell to Lawless in the centre our hearts were in our mouths, but skipper Mallard threw himself in the way of the shot to block. Sonny Knights picked up the game’s first yellow card for a naughty challenge on Jack Mendy who required treatment from physio Maisie Jones before he could continue. Atat played a long ball up to Connor, but he couldn’t bring it under control in the box, then a good challenge from Knights on Kerr resulted in a corner with North catching Simon King’s delivery cleanly. Wilson played a ball in from the right to pick out Jones and beat the keeper with his shot, but it smacked the post and came back into play. Aaron King managed to get the better of Mobbs inside the box on the right but North saved his shot. A dangerous free-kick played in by Farmer saw Connor challenge in the air at the far post with the ball deflecting wide for a corner that Farmer sent over and Mallard won 8-yards out, but his header went over the bar. Lawless worked himself a little space inside the box to get a shot away that Dimond blocked, then Rowe made a strong run to get into the box and was very unlucky to see his powerful shot rattle the crossbar. With the woodwork down the clubhouse end still shaking, the Cooks broke quickly down the left with Connor running on to a great ball to draw the keeper before playing the ball across him and that man Wilson was on hand to touch the ball over the line at the far post. The tenth of the season for Dylz and maybe the easiest finish so far, but that is what good strikers do and he does it so well. 2-1 to the Cooks with the game already four minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first half.
It had been a very entertaining first 45 minutes with the Cooks being pegged back after it looked like they might be about to take total control of the game, but after the equaliser we could have gone into the break trailing as Winslow really hit back at us. They of course they hit the bar and thirty seconds later we were suddenly back in front again.
Half-time; Cooks 2 Ploughmen 1
No changes for either side at the break and it was the visitors who showed first with a good move that ended when a low ball from the right rolled straight across the face of the goal untouched, but it was a break down the other end on 48 minutes that saw the Cooks extend their lead. Jack Connor held off his man as he ran on to a Jones through ball and as he reached the box, he beat the keeper with a great finish to extend the Cooks lead. It was the former Cobblers youngsters second goal in Cogenhoe colours, with both coming in the F.A Vase.
Connor held the ball up nicely and very nearly played Knights clear inside the box, while Winslow were forced into a sub as skipper Ryan Freshwater limped off injured and was replaced by Tom Lawer five minutes into the second half. Dalton Leon played a ball up to Jones whose shot from the edge of the box was blocked, with Aaron King being shown the yellow card for catching Leon after he had played the ball. The Cooks gave away a needless penalty on 53 minutes as Charlie Attwell played a ball in from the right and Dimond controlled it with his arm. Lawless was the man handed the ball for the spot-kick, but North dived to his left to make a save, with Lawless then heading the rebound wide. Aaron King got goal side of Dimond from a long ball, but he couldn’t get hold of his shot, then King ran on to another long ball, this time down the right, before playing it low across the box that was a yard-or-so ahead of Lawless.
Atat made way for Damien Osoimoejiokhian on 56 minutes and moments later North had to dive at the feet of Lawless to protect his goal. Aaron King played Rowe through on goal, but good defending from Osoimoejiokhian made it tough for him and North was able to block his shot and then save again from the rebound. The Cooks extended their lead on 63 minutes as Jones got past his man inside the box on the right before firing a shot on target that Mumford just got his fingertips to and although the ball wouldn’t sit for Wilson at the far post, it was poked back across the goal for Knights to blast home from close range. Great work from Jones on the right saw him find Knights inside the box and he forced a save out of Mumford with his shot and could easily have been awarded a penalty as he had his shin wrapped by a defender’s boot after striking the ball.
Winslow, now with a veritable mountain to climb, made their final two subs in a three-minute spell as first Rowe made way for Wes Iroegbu and then Chris Stapleton replaced Kerr shortly afterwards. Between those two changes, Connor nicked the ball into the box for Knights to run on to, but strong defending by Attwell denied him a shooting chance and then Aaron King hit a first-time effort from a corner that didn’t overly trouble North. King fired well wide from a good 30-yards out, but the Cooks made doubly sure of being in the hat for Monday’s draw as they went 5-1 up on 71 minutes. Jones played the ball into the box to Wilson, but he found himself with two defenders on his back, so he teed up Mobbs who hit a powerful low shot past Mumford for his first senior goal for the Cooks.
Carlin made his final change before the restart with Knights making way for Jamie Hall with the midfield player still feeling the affects of being caught late a few minutes earlier. Farmer dinked a ball over the top for Wilson, but his shot was blocked, then Jones ran on to a ball from Mobbs before pulling it back across the box for Hall, but his footing was all wrong on the edge of the 6-yard box and the ball continued past him. The Kings were in the action down the other end as Aaron’s volley from the edge of the box deflected wide for a corner that Simon sent over, but North made a very good take above his head. A chest and flick from Hall sent Jones into the box, but he was half-tripped and although he managed to keep his footing, he was off balance as he shot, and the ball went straight at Mumford.
Winslow’s already difficult position became even worse on 81 minutes when Simon King took out Osoimoejiokhian with a bad challenge and referee Darren Lander pulled the red card out of his pocket. Wilson flicked the ball on to Hall, but Andrews was too strong for him, then a nice move from Winslow almost resulted in King playing in Iroegbu. Good battling by Connor saw him win a free-kick as he chased back, while both Mallard and Stapleton required treatment following a nasty clash of heads in an aerial dual, but thankfully they were both ok to continue. The ten men finished the game on the attack with Iroegbu well off target from just outside the box and King did the same from slightly closer with what proved to be the final kick of the game.
The Cooks go into the hat for the draw that will be held on Monday lunchtime and deservedly so over the 90 minutes, but well played to Winslow for their efforts today and I wish them well for the rest of the season. The game could probably have ended up something like 10-5 such was both teams intent going forward and their were a few pivotal points in the game. Taking the lead right on half-time and then doubling it three minutes after the restart were crucial to the outcome today, as was Adam North’s penalty save as at 3-2 the game could have been very different again. Dylan Wilson took his personal tally to ten in just thirteen games, while it was also great to see Kieron Mobbs net his first goal too. Jack Connor took his goal expertly and hopefully this will do his confidence the world of good, while Sonny Knights made it two in three and looks to be a very good signing by Biff. Wilson put a real challenge in for man-of-the-match with his double strike, but my choice today is Josh Jones who was a constant thorn in the visitors defence throughout the whole game, whilst also working back when required.
Next up its back to league action with our first trip to Rugby Borough coming up on Wednesday night.
Cooks; 1. Adam North 2. Earl Atat (sub 17. Damien Osoimoejiokhian 56) 3. Kieron Mobbs 4. Sonny Knights (sub 16. Jamie Hall 71) 5. Ben Dimond 6. Harley Mallard © 7. Josh Jones 8. Call Farmer 9. Dylan Wilson 10. Dalton Leon 11. Tommy Curry (sub 17. Jack Connor 28). Subs not used; 12. Alex Parkes 14. Dylan Carlin 15. Charlie Pearson.
Yellow Card; Knights (34) Foul.
Winslow; 1. Alfie Mumford 2. Charlie Attwell 3. Ryan Freshwater © (sub 17. Tom Lawer 50) 4. Jack Mendy 5. Jamie Andrews 6. Simon King 7. Jack Rowe (sub 16. Wes Iroegbu 66) 8. George Kerr (sub 14. Chris Stapleton 69) 9. Dom Lawless 10. Aaron King 11. Kevin Owusu. Subs not used; 12. Matty Ginger 15. Neil King.
Red Card; S. King (81) Foul. Yellow Card; A. King (51) Foul
Referee; Darren Lander (Huntingdon)
Assts; Brian Cooper & Michael McGlynn (both Bedford)
