Saturday 15th April 2023
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED v MILTON KEYNES IRISH
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe.
NN7 1ND
KO 3PM
The Cooks play their penultimate league game of the season on Saturday when they entertain Terry Shrieves’ Milton Keynes Irish in what will be a another tough challenge for Biff’s boys, but with the Cooks on a three match winning run, they will be confident of getting something out of this game. MK Irish are also in good form though, having won 3-0 at Newport Pagnell on Monday afternoon with a double from Tyriq Ward and one from Ryan Smith. This followed on from a 2-2 draw at third place Wellingborough Town on the Saturday with Smith and Andre Olukanmi getting their goals. They are now unbeaten in seven and sitting in fifth spot with that run including a 0-0 draw at home to top of the table and title favourites Coventry Sphinx. We have met a couple of times in pre-season games over the last few years, but Irish were transferred across from the Spartan South Midlands League in the summer and this will be their first visit here in a competitive game since the formation of the club under its current guise. There isn’t too much connection between our two squads, but Bruce Tsinosis is a former Irish player, while Shaheim Ward featured in a couple of friendlies for the Cooks when Craig Adams was in the hot-seat.
This game has a lot to live up to if it is to match the one in Fenny earlier this season as the crowd were treated to nine goals, seven of them before the break. The scoring went as follows on a wet night in MK;
- 11 mins Luke McDonald
- 24 mins Powfil Raposo
- 26 mins Ryan Smith
- 28 mins Jessi Obeng
- 38 mins Josh Jones
- 42 mins Andre Olukanmi
- 44 mins Matthew Cooks
- 75 mins Obeng
- 86 mins Smith (pen)
The Irish have really enjoyed their first season in the U.C.L and have only been beaten six times so far in the league with Ryan Smith leading their goalscoring charts with 15, two ahead of Tyriq Ward.
The Cooks enjoyed a good Easter with Pharrell Anderson’s early goal giving us a 1-0 win at Bugbrooke on Saturday, followed by a 1-1 draw at third placed Wellingborough Town on Monday afternoon, Ethan Lack netting our goal. Tomorrow’s game will be the last chance for the boys to impress Biff enough to ensure a starting place at Sixfields on Tuesday night when we play Peterborough Sports in the Northants F.A Hillier Senior Cup Final.
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – RESERVE DIVISION
KEMPSTON ROVERS RESERVES v COGENHOE UNITED RESERVES
Hillgrounds,
Hillgrounds Rd,
Kempston.
MK42 8SZ
KO 3PM
Ian Adcock takes his Reserve team to face 9th place Kempston Rovers who sit two places and six points ahead of the Cooks. Rovers made a good start to the season, but they really tailed offed badly over the last few months and are currently seven games without a win. They had been second in the table when they visited Compton Park earlier in the season, but they came up against a rampart Cogenhoe team who banged home six goals whilst conceding just the one. Samuel Daminabo managed a consolation goal for the Walnutboys, but a Connor Gibbins hat-trick, backed up by two from Konnor Dixon and a single from skipper Lee Felgate gave the Cooks a convincing 6-1 victory.
The Cooks were back in action on Tuesday night with a trip to O.N Chenecks and despite a goal from Gibbins, it was the Northampton team who enjoyed the foul weather the most as they ran out 4-1 winners. It was a very different outcome to that on Saturday when the Cooks made hay in the sunshine as they rolled aside G.N.G 4-0 at Compton Park. Sam Giddens netted twice, making in six in three for the youngster, while Dan Talbot and Mirzan Noka both scored their first goals for the club. Rovers also had a home game, but let in four by half-time as Newport Pagnell ran out 4-2 winners. Daminabo and Riley Clifford the marksmen for the Walnutboys.
Good luck to both our teams tomorrow afternoon and to the Vets who are at home in the MK Vets Cup on Sunday morning as they tackle O.N Chenecks in the Quarter-Final.
