The Cooks fell foul of an strong, experienced Daventry team today as the visitors romped to a big win at Compton Park.
Saturday 30th September 2023
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED (0) 1 DAVENTRY TOWN (2) 5
Cooks;
Farmer 53
Town;
Lobjoit 15, 90 (pen)
Furlong 34
Shariff 54
Bell 59
Att; 55
The Cooks welcomed Daventry Town to Compton Park on a grey afternoon with more than just a hint of Autumn in the air. Andy Batty took the reins as Biff is off sunning himself on the continent and he was again without skipper Harley Mallard and Earl Atat and they were joined on the absentees list by Charlie Pearson today. Jack Connor dropped down to the bench, but in came two new signings in the shape of ex-Walsall U18 centre-back Noel Angafor and attacking player Luke Bullement who recently played against us in a friendly for AFC Rushden & Diamonds U23. Daventry boss Daren Young made a couple of changes to his line up from the win at Nirvana on Tuesday night with Pradeep Singh Bahrey and Connor Furlong replacing Joe Sutton (who dropped to the bench) and Jamie Fulton. Up front they had what must be the best strike partnership currently in the UCL in Leon Lobjoit and Nabil Shariff, two players who would walk into any team in this league.
The Cooks won an early corner that came to nothing, but Adam North was forced into the first save of the game as he denied Shariff who cut inside from the left to shoot and when the rebound fell to Lobjoit, he turned and beat the keeper with his shot, only to see the ball come back into play off the crossbar. Cal Farmer dinked a nice ball over the head of Alvin Magagada to send Josh Jones down the left flank and he worked his way to the dead ball line before drilling the ball across the box, but nobody had got into position in the middle to make it count. The visitors took the lead on quarter of an hour when a 30-yard strike from Oran Jackson bounced just in front of North, the keeper couldn’t hold on to it and that man Leon Lobjoit pounced from close range to fire the ball high into the net.
Jones played the ball up to Dylan Wilson just inside the box, but he couldn’t get away from the powerful figure of Tarik Dallas, then Farmer played a free-kick in towards the far post where Ben Dimond challenged and Dalton Leon lifted it back across the box where Wilson rose to head it at goal, but couldn’t get enough power behind it to trouble Kacper Kurylowicz in the Daventry goal. The game was fairly even at this point with the Cooks getting into the Daventry half regularly and Wilson had a shot blocked from outside the box and Damien Osoimoejiokhian won a corner from the rebound. Sonny Knights got the better of Jackson down the right to send in a cross that drifted just behind Jones’ jump in the centre, then we went down the village end with John Dean lifting a ball over from the left that North got a hand too, but assistant referee Gary Halliday ruled the ball had already gone out for a goal-kick.
Shariff headed a Dean cross straight at North, then Ryan Bell had a shot blocked after the Cooks struggled with a corner, but North was picking the ball out of his net again on 34 minutes as Daventry doubled their lead. Lobjoit had made a nuisance of himself in the box and when the ball broke to Connor Furlong on the right, he lashed it first time into the far top corner giving the Cooks keeper no chance at all of reaching it. Farmer played a good ball up to Jones who turned inside Magagada on the edge of the box, but he got the ball stuck between his feet and the Daventry defender got his foot in, then North jumped to palm away a corner only to be caught by a Daventry player and knocked to the ground. Farmer again found Jones on the left with a good ball, but Magagada was on hand to make sure the Cooks only won a throw-in this time. Osoimoejiokhian worked deep into the box from the left to the edge of the 6-yard box, but maybe tried to take on one too many, although he did still win a corner.
Half-time; Cooks 0 Daventry 2
Batts replaced Angafor with Alex Parkes at the break, moving Dalton Leon back into the central defensive role he occupied at Rugby. Dean fired wide from 20-yards out, but it was the Cooks who struck next through Farmer on 53 minutes. Jones got into the box and Jackson blocked his shot and when he tried again the ball looped away off a defender and Farmer met it on the volley on the edge of the box, sending it screaming just inside the post to the keeper’s right for his first goal at senior level. This could have been the platform the Cooks needed to get back into this game, but the visitors went straight down the other end and added a third. Magagada did well inside the box on the right and picked out the unmarked Shariff at the far post and the experienced striker found the back of the net with a simple header.
Bullement’s debut came to an end on 56 minutes as Jamie Hall came on down the middle and Wilson was pushed out to the wide ride position. Osoimoejiokhian played the ball inside to Jones whose low shot was deflected wide, but we were soon back down the other end of the field with Lobjoit sending Furlong into the box on the right, but Osoimoejiokhian tracked him and stopped him getting the ball back across the box. With 59 minutes on the clock, Dean dinked a high ball into the area and Bell nipped in front of North to get his head to it first and extend the visitor’s lead with their fourth goal of the afternoon.
Lobjoit turned on the edge of the box and when the ball fell to Shariff, he forced North into a save with his shot, while things got even worse for the Cooks as Jones went down inside the box holding that troublesome thigh again and Piers Bodily soon signalled that this would be the end of his game. Worryingly it is likely to sideline him for a while this time as he has had a real impact on the team since returning from injury. Wilson got away from Dallas to make space for a shot just outside the box and it was good effort that went just over the top, while a spate of subs followed with Stan Channell now ready to replace the stricken Jones and Jack Connor coming on for Wilson, while Daventry made their first change when Archie May-Corcoran replaced Dean in midfield.
A great knock from Magagada was brought down by Lobjoit, but Dimond was alert to the situation and nicked the ball off the striker, while May-Corcoran got away with a stiff lecture from Simon Dutton following a foul on Knights that flattened the Cooks midfielder. Channell played a ball over the top for Connor to take towards goal and he was upended on the edge of the box with the foul being given just outside the box. Farmer hit the free-kick straight at the seven man wall allowing Daventry to break quickly through Furlong, but he couldn’t beat North with his low shot. Farmer’s left to right ball picked out Channell’s run into the box and he brought the ball under control well, but Singh Bahrey stood his ground well to stop the Cooks sub taking advantage.
Young made a triple swap on 81 minutes with Bell, Furlong and Shariff all coming off to give the much-travelled Robbie Goodman, former Desborough youngster Kye Little and former Cooks attacking player Ashraf Masumbuko a run out. Lobjoit forced a good save out of North and Masumbuko went for goal from the loose ball, but only found the waiting arms of the Cooks keeper. Late drama saw Daventry win a penalty on 88 minutes, but it would be 90 before Lobjoit was able to stroke home his second goal of the game. Leon wasn’t pleased with the decision (it looked a penalty from where we stood, even Jon didn’t argue) and he was sent to the sin-bin, while Batty was also shown the yellow card as he continued to remonstrate with the officials. Lobjoit had longer still to wait as Daventry took off the limping Magagada to be replaced by Joe Sutton, but the prolific striker waited for the keeper to move before placing it inside the opposite post. This was the 16th of the season for Lobjoit from just 12 games as he looks to match the 60 he hit for Leighton Town last season. Lobjoit found himself clear through minutes later but didn’t get under his attempted lob and North caught it comfortably, while the final shot of the game came from Knights whose 30-yard effort sailed over the top, but this was definitely Daventry’s day.
Well beaten by an experienced and physically bigger team today with plenty of lessons to learned for the young Cooks squad. The Lobjoit and Shariff duo now have 25 between them this season and if the team continues to create these sorts of chances, there will be many more teams falling foul of them before the end of the season. Cal Farmer gets my man of the match today, superb goal and plenty of good balls played forward too. Frustrating afternoon for Dylan Wilson who received little in the areas he wanted the ball and a tough afternoon all round for the boys at the back,
The boys have a midweek off now to lick their wounds and prepare themselves for another tough game next Saturday when they head out into the Fens to play March Town United at Robingoodfellows Lane.
Cooks; 1. Adam North © 2. Kieron Mobbs 3, Damien Osoimoejiokhian 4. Sonny Knights 5. Ben Dimond 6. Noel Angafor (sub 12. Alex Parked ht) 7. Josh Jones (sub 14. Stan Channell 65) 8. Callum Farmer 9. Luke Bullement (sub 16. Jamie Hall 56) 10. Dalton Leon 11. Dylan Wilson (sub 15. Jack Connor 66).
Daventry; 1. Kacper Kurylowicz 17. Alvin Magagada (sub 2. Joe Sutton 88) 3. Pradeep Singh Bahrey 4. Oran Jackson 5. Ryan Bell (sub 16. Robbie Goodman 81) 6. Tarik Dallas 7. John Dean (sub 14. Archie May-Corcoran 65) 8. Max Proudlock 9. Nabil Shariff (sub 12. Ashraf Masumbuko 81) 10. Leon Lobjoit 11. Connor Furlong (sub 15. Kye Little 81)
Referee; Simon Dutton
Assts; Gary Capps & Gary Halliday
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