Cogenhoe got back to winning ways in a scrappy affair on a horrible night in the village. Luca Purse the matchwinner as his second half goal proved enough to defeat Easington Sports.
Tuesday 21st March 2023
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 1 EASINGTON SPORTS (0) 0
Cooks;
Purse 56
ATT; 58
Report by Paul Jackson
Photos supplied by Finbarr Carroll
Scott Carlin made a few changes to the team that had played Newport on Saturday with Ash Bodycote returning in goal, Kodi Briggs coming in for the ill Kyle Ansell and Tommy Curry starting instead of Harry Waple-Moors who had picked up a swollen ankle playing for Kettering Town on Monday night. Josh Jones returned to the squad after a long injury lay-off, where he joined Josh Adams who had been unavailable on Saturday and reserve team regular Keiron Mobbs.
By the time kick-off had come around, the calm day had evolved into an increasingly windy evening with the threat of rain lingering in the air and on winning the toss, Easington chose to attack the village end hoping to make use of the elements to build up a first-half lead. Ethan Lack took a throw-in from Briggs and went past his man to get inside the Easington penalty area, but Jake Humphreys stopped his progress with a good challenge, then good battling by Louie Barrett saw him win the ball 25-yards out, but all we achieved was another throw-in from what had been a promising position. Sports delivered a couple of balls into the box with the first covered by Bodycote as it hit the side-netting and the next one dealt with by skipper Luca Purse before it could cause any damage to the Cooks defence. A smart turn by Sam Sherpa-Moore just outside the box saw him get in a shot, but he was caught by Perry Ronayne as he did so winning his side a dangerous free-kick. It looked like it would suit a left-footer, but Callum Convey went for goal with his right and with the three-man wall all but disintegrating, Bodycote had to throw himself across and parry the shot away from his goal.
Convey was shown the yellow card on 20 minutes for a foul on Briggs just before Alex Parkes picked out Barrett on the left wing and he flew past Luke Swann before whipping in a cross from the by-line that keeper Adam Doyle appeared to have covered, but a defender almost kicked the ball out of his hands in a moment of panic and was a little lucky that the ball flew out of play for a Cooks throw-in. A big wind-assisted clearance from the visitors forced Bodycote to come out of his area on his left to beat Elliot Barton to the ball and launch it onto the back pitches, then a piece of sublime play saw Lack leave two yellow shirts wondering where he had gone with a dip of the shoulder before laying the ball to Barrett and seeking a quick one-two, but he was left frustrated inside the box as Barrett opted to go square and took a touch too much that allowed Jack Fountain to clear.
Briggs picked up a booking after catching Fountain late, with a number of Easington players surrounding him and the referee, but the punishment fitted the crime and normality quickly returned and the Sports player was able to continue after treatment, as was Sherpa-Moore who also stayed down with Jules Baxter coming on to treat him. Convey whipped the free-kick into the box and Sherpa-Moore managed to get his head to it under pressure, but he wasn’t able to direct it on target and it went well wide of the far post. Bruce Tsinosis defended well against Leam Howards down by the corner-flag, while in a now rare moment down the clubhouse end, Jessi Obeng got past Tommy Kinch on the right and sent over a low ball into the feet of Curry, but he was very quickly closed down and being unable to make space for a shot, played it back to Dalton Leon, but his first time shot was several yards over the bar and headed into the car park. Lack picked up the pieces after a defender had headed the ball out of his box, but his progress was ended illegally by Kinch who became the third player to be shown the yellow card by referee Chris Walton in what proved to be the last talking point of the first half.
Easington certainly had the lion’s share of the attacking play in the first forty-five minutes, but had found very little change out of the Cooks back line and it with the advantage of the weather now in our favour, Biff’s half-time chat would have been the easier of the two tonight.
Half-time; Cooks 0 Easington 0
The light drizzle was now more substantial and it would soon turn heavier and persistent to make the conditions even harder for the 22 players on the field. Joe Eyre sent a free-kick into the box from a few yards inside the Cooks half on the left and Convey steered it at goal on the volley from 15-yards, but Bodycote caught it cleanly at just above head height. Sherpa-Moore had a chance from just outside the box, but pulled it wide of the far post, then Convey went for goal from a direct free-kick 25-yards out, but it hit the wall and looped into the arms of Bodycote.
It had been a positive start from Easington despite kicking into the elements, but the Cooks took the lead with their first effort on target after 56 minutes. Parkes sent over a good corner from the left and Luca Purse launched himself at it to send a powerful downward angled header past the keeper and the man on the line from seven-yards out to break the deadlock. Eyre escaped with a lecture after leaving Obeng requiring treatment following a miss-timed challenge in the centre of the park and Parkes sent the free-kick into the area where Purse ran across to head the ball just inside the box, but he couldn’t get around it enough to steer it on target.
Slices were the order of the day in a two-minute spell that saw Fountain rather lucky at the back when he swung his foot in an attempt to clear and the ball swirled back to his keeper with Curry giving chase, then down the other end, Howards sliced badly with a first time shot from the edge of the box in what should have been a good position for him. Carlin made his first change with Jamie Hall replacing Barrett and sixty-seconds later Tsinosis was shown the yellow card for what could be described as a rugby tackle after he had slipped on the wet surface and grabbed his opponents ankle as he lay on the floor. Barton was soon to join Bruce in the referee’s notebook for jumping in front of Bodycote as he drop-kicked the ball, then the visitors had a chance as Convey sent a free-kick into the box from the right and Humphreys tried to do an overhead kick rather that head the ball and he sent it well over the bar.
Ollie Rose came on for Sherpa-Moore with fifteen minutes remaining, while Parkes sent in a great free-kick that just curled away from Tsinosis inside the box with the ball going through to Doyle just before Carlin made a double swap with Tsinosis and Leon being replaced by Adams and Jones on 78 minutes. Adams whipped in a dangerous ball from the right that Doyle failed to hold, but the keeper’s luck was in as the ball hit a teammate’s boot and rolled just beyond the reach of Obeng on the edge of the 6-yard box. A great pass by Jones with the outside of his boot sent Hall running at goal from the left, but he couldn’t get past Swann inside the box, then a low shot from the right corner of the box from Adams forced Doyle to get down to his left to make a save. Good work from Obeng down the right was snuffed out by a great challenge from Humphreys and with time ticking away, Easington left five players up on the half-way line as Cogenhoe took the corner and the ensuing throw-in. The final change of the game came on 89 minutes as Mobbs took over from Curry and with the game in stoppage time, Hall forced a save out of Doyle and the rebound frustratingly went behind all three Cooks players inside the box, but the whistle was soon to blow and Cogenhoe had three points to add to their tally.
Not a game that will live in the memory on a horrible night for football at Compton Park. We have played much better and lost this season, so we will be happy with the three points from the game. A clean sheet too is a big thing for us too as it has been a while, so plenty to smile about in the bigger picture. Paul’s man-of-the-match goes to Ethan Lack who showed plenty of promise that he has a good career in front of him despite his release from the Cobblers at a young age.
Cooks; 1. Ash Bodycote 2. Bruce Tsinosis (sub 12. Josh Adams 78) 3. Kodi Briggs 4. Alex Parkes 5. Luca Purse © 6. Perry Ronayne 7. Louie Barrett (sub 20. Jamie Hall 70) 8. Ethan Lack 9. Tommy Curry (sub 17. Keiron Mobbs 89) 10. Dalton Leon (sub 15. Josh Jones 78) 11. Jessi Obeng. Sub not used; 16. Harry Waple-Moors.
Yellow cards; Briggs (38) Foul. Tsinosis (70) Foul.
Easington; 1. Adam Doyle 2. Luke Swann 3. Tommy Kinch 4. Jake Humphreys 5. Josh Rose 6. Joe Eyre © 7. Sam Sherpa-Moore (sub 12. Ollie Rose 75) 8. Jack Fountian 9. Elliot Barton 10. Callum Convey 11. Leam Howards. Subs not used; 14. Lemar Carlin 15. Jack Herbert 17. Ben Milner 1. Bobby Whitton (GK)
Yellow Cards; Convey (20) Foul. Kinch (45) Foul. Barton (72) Dangerous play.
Referee; Chris Walton
Assts; Gary Capps & Tomasz Sawicki.
