Bugbrooke kept up their 100% start with a 4-0 Compton Park win.
Tuesday 29th September 2021
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-RESERVE DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED Reserves (0) 0 BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS Reserves (1) 4
Badgers;
Oakes 13
Glennon 76
Leon 88
Binder 90+1
Att; 48
First team manager Darren Long stepped in to run the managerless Reserves tonight with Gary Fletcher and Steve Ganley alongside him as they faced the difficult task of lifting the lads after their 10-1 defeat on Saturday, a task made even tougher by the fact that our opponents were top of the table Bugbrooke who had won all eight of their games this season!
Steady rain turned torrential in the half hour before kick-off and this didn’t relent at all until the half-time break, but both sets of players put on a good show for the 48 hardy souls trying to keep dry at the back of the stand. Nathan Adamson had to come out quickly to get to the ball before Bailey Weatherly could reach it from a nod on, then the first shot on target came from Shad Reza as he tried his luck from 30-yards, but the ball died a little in the wind and was at a comfortable height for Luke Reeve to save. James McGrath ran in to meet a Reza corner from the right but directed it just wide of the near post, but the opening goal came on 13 minutes down the village end. Tom Binder found some space inside the box on the left and struck a firm low shot across Adamson. The keeper dived and made a very good save, but Trent Oakes followed up to fire home the rebound from close range.
A nice one-two with Ben Mason saw Reza hit his shot well from the edge of the box only for a defender to make the block, then McCarthy middled one from the edge of the box to the right that Reeve did well to hold on to the wet ball. Weatherly fired just over after a great run saw him cut inside a shoot from just outside the box, then a very well struck free-kick from veteran Andy Hall forced a very good save from Adamson who tipped the ball over the bar with his fingertips. Oakes fired one just over and then Weatherly cut in from the left again and got past three defenders before shooting low from close range, but Adamson saved with his feet and we headed in for the break trailing 1-0.
With the U18s game on Thursday in mind, Long made all three subs at the break with Reza, McGrath and McCarthy all coming off with Ollie Sljivic, Ben Hassan-Hussein and Emanuel Asante getting 45 minutes. The rain had stopped as the second half got underway. Adamson was quickly in the action again with another good save to deny Weatherly from the right side of the box and then Oakes struck a free-kick well but it clipped the top of the wall and looped over the bar. Weatherly was shown the yellow card for a late challenge on the tenacious Asante, perhaps a little bit of frustration from the talented Badger who was finding the attentions of the new right-back a far tougher challenge since the break.
Bugbrooke were happy again on 76 minutes though as one of their subs Will Glennon rose to power a towering header past Adamson from close range from a set-piece giving the keeper no chance at all. George Boniface shot wide from 20-yards then Binder fired over from well outside the box. Andis Vigants, back in a more familiar role in the second half, broke strongly down the right and went for goal early, but his shot went the wrong side of the near post from outside the box. A mix up at the back for the Cooks let in Binder inside the box on the right, but Adamson reacted quickly to make a brave save.
The keeper could do nothing on 88 minutes though as we didn’t clear our lines properly and the ball came to Dalton Leon 30-yards out and he hit the perfect dipping first-time shot that dropped just under the bar. Great finish from the Badgers substitute. With the clock having already ticked past 90 minutes, Binder was fed inside the box on the right and he went around the keeper before firing home low from a tight angle to put the icing on the cake for the leaders who made it nine out of nine.
Fully deserved win for the league leaders who played some great football in awful conditions tonight. The Cooks lads contained them for long periods and can hold their heads up high with the late goal flurry making the scoreline look perhaps worse than it was after their efforts tonight. Having said that Nathan Adamson was superb and had it not been for him it could have been even worse for the boys.
Cooks; 1. Nathan Adamson 2. Andis Vigants 3. Caleb Jones 4. Paddy Cichosz © 5. James McGrath 6. Nathaniel Adams 7. Ivandro Monteiro 8. Jeff Obeng 9. Ben Mason 10. JJ McCarthy 11. Shad Reza. Subs; 12. Ollie Sljivic *(ht -5) 14. Ben Hassan-Hussein *(ht-10) 17. Manny Asante *(ht-11).
Badgers; 1. Luke Reeve 2. Ryan Nash © 3. Tom Simmons 4. Kieran Spencer 5. Curtis Avery 6. Tom Walton 7. Bailey Weatherly 8. Trent Oakes 9. Ryan Pamplin 10. Andy Hall 11. Tom Binder. Subs 12. Jacob Peaks 13. George Boniface 14. Ronni Gibbons 15. Dalton Leon 16. Will Glennon.
Referee; Gary Gurney.
Next game at Compton Park is the U18s on Thursday night when they host Biggleswade Town with a 7-45pm kick-off.
