To hot to handle Morrow bags second half hat-trick hat-trick to sink the Cooks.
Thursday 9th September 2021
NORTHANTS SENIOR YOUTH LEAGUE-SOUTH
WELLINGBOROUGH WHITWORTH U18 RED (1) 4 COGENHOE UNITED U18 (3) 3
Whitworth;
#9 31
Morrow 64, 70, 86
Cooks;
F.Shaw 33, 35
Own Goal 39
Cooks team;
1= Kai Hanley
2= Ollie Sljivic
3= Caleb Jones
4= Nathaniel Allam ©
5= Charlie McAuley
6= Manny Asante
7= Freddie Shaw
8= Aiden Hawes
9= Andis Vigants
10= Ben Hassan-Hussein
11= Matt Fletcher
Subs
12= Luca Iaciofano *(51-7)
14= Shad Reza *(HT-10)
15= Gideon Enchill *(61-2)
16= Kieron Ashman *(63-8)
The Cooks made the short trip down the A45 to open their NSYL campaign at Wellingborough Whitworth. This looked like it would be a tough game for the Cooks youngsters against at home side made up of what am told were mainly top age players, but after our F.A Youth Cup win last week the lads were full of confidence.
A free-kick played into the box from the right by Shaw was held by the keeper and then the goalie had to react quickly to come off his line to beat Vigants to a short backpass. A good run and cross down the right from Sljivic was cut out whilst McAuley went into the book after 11 minutes after catching his man late. Nice play from Shaw and Sljivic won the Cooks a corner that Shaw took, but Fletcher’s header from just inside the box was a couple of yards over the top from just inside the box.
The Whitworth keeper beat Vigants to a long ball as he was forced to move swiftly off his line. He only found Shaw about 40-yards out and although he tried to lift the ball back over the stranded keeper, he found neither the height of the accuracy to find the target. A good interchange between Shaw and Sljivic saw the latter go to ground in the box to a half-hearted appeal, but the referee had a good view and play continued. A Jones free-kick saw Vigants get the slightest of flicks with his head, but the keeper was right behind him and the ball hit him before he recovered to gather it up. McAuley cleared after the Whitworth #7 broke into our box. Sljivic made a good run down the right that won us a corner, then down the other end the #7 made another good run before forcing Hanley to make a decent save. A great piece of play saw Shaw win possession and find Sljivic to his right and the full back sent over a dangerous low cross that was touched away by the keeper.
The game had been really even with both sides playing good football, but it was the Flourmen who opened the scoring on 31 minutes when a quick break saw their #9 burst clear and fire in a low shot that Hanley got his hand too, but couldn’t stop going in at the near post. We only trailed for two minutes though as Jones whipped in a free-kick from the left and Freddie Shaw nipped in front of his marker to stretch and get his foot the ball well inside the 6-yard box and fire past the keeper. Two minutes later and Shaw was celebrating again after putting the Cooks into the lead with a great piece of finishing. A good run from Fletcher saw him find Shaw to his right and even though his angle seemed impossible, he struck a superb shot past the covering defender and the ball crashed high into the net via the far post. Amazing goal from Teddy that would have had the match of the day panel purring over the replays.
A great effort on the turn by the Flourmen #9 flew no more than an inch over the far top corner but once again Shaw was the thorn in the side of the Whitworth defence as he chased the ball from an overhit free-kick into the same area as his second goal, this time drilling it across the area where it hit the unfortunate #4 and the ball bounced off him and past his own keeper and into the net with 39 minutes played.
Half-time; Flourmen 1 Cooks 3
Whitworth made a few changes at the break as they looked to get back into the game after conceding three goals in that nine minute spell towards the end of the first half, whilst Daz Long brought on Shad Reza for Hassan-Hussein for the Cooks.
A good run and low ball in for Whitworth saw one of the subs pick up play beyond the far post and he went for goal with a well-struck shot from a tight angle, but hit the stanchion on the wrong side of the post. The home #3 was shown the yellow card for a tackle from behind in front of the visitor’s dug-out. Sljivic played the free-kick into the box and Fletcher headed it down towards Vigants whose attempted volley was blocked as he hit it. Iaciofano replaced two goal hero Shaw and was soon in the action in a good move that also involved Fletcher and Reza that saw us win a free-kick 25 yards out. Reza lined it up and beat the keeper with an absolute beauty, but the ball struck the underside of the bar and although Iaciofano poked it over the line the flag was raised as he had been in an offside position from the original effort. A Sljivic free-kick came off a defender’s head and almost caught the keeper out before the Cooks player made way for Gideon Enchill just after the hour mark.
The referee played a good advantage allowing the Whitworth #10 a run on at goal, but Hanley came out to block and then we saw Cogenhoe’s final sub get on as Kieron Ashman replaced Hawes in midfield. Whitworth had been looking dangerous on the break and they pulled one back on 64 minutes as Ralph Morrow broke through the middle and beat Hanley with a low finish into the far corner.
Reza passed to Jones on his left and the defender whipped in a low cross that had the keeper struggling a little, but he recovered well to get the ball back before Cogenhoe could make anything of it. McAuley had been struggling after taking a knock and he was forced off on 66 minutes with Shaw coming back into play and Daz reshuffling a little. We switched off momentarily down the left and after Hanley had come out to try and sweep, Morrow found himself with the ball outside of the box and 15-yards from the byline, so the talented Whitworth player looked up and lifted his shot over the back-peddling keeper and it hit the far post and went in to level the scores up with twenty minutes to go. Hanley was cautioned after trying to stop a Whitworth player from taking the ball back to the centre from the back of the net.
Allam defended really well as the #10 put pressure on him inside the box, then down the other end Reza was tripped just outside the box, but placed his low free-kick to close to the keeper this time. Morrow beat his man a little too easily and sprinted clear before firing a shot towards the far corner only for Hanley to dive to his right and punch the ball clear, then Ashman came across to sweep up after Morrow had got clear again. Morrow then sent a low free-kick a foot wide of the post whilst down the other end Reza beat his man only to see his shot from the edge of the box blocked by a defender.
A long diagonal pass saw Jones commit and fail to get a touch which left Morrow running into acres of space and he ran through to the edge of the box before calmly sweeping the ball past the dive of Hanley to make it 4-3 after 86 minutes. The #15 for Whitworth went into the book for a foul on Reza and the Cooks man took the free-kick himself. It went goalwards off the back of a defenders head, but as it dropped the keeper punched the ball from over the head of Shaw and ensure the Cooks start to the league season ended in defeat.
A very entertaining match between two good sides who were comfortable on the ball, but in the end the home side came back brilliantly after trailing 1-3 at the break. Shame to have lost this one from that winning position, but it’s on to the F.A Youth Cup for our U18s team and our first home game of the season against Bugbrooke next Thursday.
