Chenecks net three in 18 minute first half spell to seal the points.
Tuesday 17th August 2021
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-RESERVE DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED Reserves (0) 0 O.N CHENECKS Reserves (3) 3
Chens;
Kirkham 16
Fielding 23
Shakespeare 34
Att; 35
Cogenhoe United Reserves played their first home game of the new season with a local derby against O.N Chenecks with the visitors featuring nine former Cooks players in their match squad of fifteen. In fact with our side made up of predominantly teenagers, Lee Haines side was just the opposite with a very experienced look about them. Stephen Ganley was again joined by Darren Long and Chris Hewett in the dugout with the U18s pair working alongside him as he gets to know his new squad.
Cooks started well and broke quickly from a Chenecks corner and Will Russell found himself in space on the right so he took the ball to the corner of the box and unleashed a vicious shot that beat Callum Patching in the visitor’s goal and smacked against the crossbar. Jonny Shakespeare struck a powerful shot from a similar position but on the left that flew wide of the far post before the former Cooks striker went close following a corner a few minutes later as his shot went just wide.
Chenecks were now very much in the ascendency after the end-to-end start to the game and Benn Kirkham fired over from the edge of the box and a minute later he opened the scoring from close range when he steered a low ball played in from the left, wrong footing Will Sapwell in the Cooks goal. 0-1 with 16 minutes played. Chenecks kept the pressure on and they doubled their lead on 23 minutes when John Fielding played the ball into the box first time from the right and it sailed over Sapwell’s head and dropped into the net. Whether it was a cross or a lob only he will know.
The Cooks had it all to do know and Luca Iaciofano tried to make something happen after receiving the ball in the centre from Elijah Noel and making a few yards he fired in a shot that was wide of the target. Chenecks stepped things up again and Kirkham missed a good chance inside the Cooks box following a corner, whilst down the other Russell worked hard on the edge of the box to create an opening, but a defender got a touch to his shot and it took enough pace off the ball for it to arrive safely with Patching.
On 34 minutes things got even worse for the Cooks when Shakespeare picked up play a good 30 yards out and let fly with a shot that went over Sapwell’s stretched arm and just under the bar to mark a happy return to Compton Park for the striker.
Russell cut across the pitch just outside the box and with the calls of ‘he’s only got a left foot’, he checked back across his man and struck a powerful shot with his right that hit a defender and went the wrong side of the post for a corner. The set-piece found its way to Russell on the corner of the box beyond the far post and he met it full on the volley but his effort was blocked just in front of him by Joe Shanley, then Ben Jackson defended really well in his own area as Jessi Obeng tried to play Russell through. The Cooks finished the half well, but the first 45 minutes definitely belonged to Chenecks who now sat on a 3-0 advantage.
Two changes at the break for Cogenhoe as Ben Alibone and Manny Asante came on and they were shortly to be joined by Matt Fletcher on the field. Noel won an early corner with some good play and JJ McCarthy rose to win a header in the centre, but his effort was too close to Patching to be of concern to the former Cooks keeper. The Cooks were having a lot more of the play since the restart but the experience of the visitors meant they were more than capable of just closing us down and the game out for most of our threats on their clean-sheet, although we did create a few opportunities as the game progressed.
A lovely ball from Asante sent Fletcher running into the box and with Ben Jackson giving chase, he held strong managed to steer his shot past the keeper, but unfortunately it was also the wrong side of the far post as well. Chenecks sub Tino Lodge did well on the left and sent a great low ball across the face of goal that wasn’t really attacked as the rain hardened in the swirling wind around Compton Park. Youngsters Andis Vigants and Charlie McAuley were given run outs for the Cooks, but with the game pretty much over they had little chance on making an impact as the last fifteen minutes ticked by. Russell forced a save out of Patching from a 25-yard free-kick and Alibone made a run before playing the ball into box but this really wasn’t going to be our night. Former first team star Brandon Williams struck a free-kick into the Cooks wall then sliced the rebound well wide and Asante did well in the box at the other end to win a corner. We put that into the box, along with one or two other late crosses but they all came to nothing before referee Steve Law blew the final whistle.
From a club point of view it was good to see Will Russell getting some match fitness after returning from injury and hopefully he will be able to re-join the first team squad soon, while it’s also good to see these youngsters making their first steps into senior football. Today Chenecks made their experience and physicality count and they deserved the three points but we showed good character to come back into things after the break which is very encouraging. As a young team we will come up against a variety of teams in the reserve division. Teams like Chenecks, Desborough, Newport Pagnell and perhaps MK Irish will be full of experienced players and this will be a learning curve for our boys, whilst a lot of our opponents will play youngsters and allow us to play our natural footballing game.
No game for the Reserves on Saturday due to the F.A Cup taking preference on the ground, but they return to action next Wednesday with a trip to Milton Keynes Irish for a 7-45pm kick-off in Bletchley.
Cooks; 1. Will Sapwell 2. Archie Shaw 3. Elijah Noel 4. Jake Walpole © 5. Sam Liddington 6. Nathan Jones 7. Jessi Obeng 8. Ben Hassan-Hussein 9. JJ McCarthy 10. Luca Iaciofano 11. Will Russell. Subs all used; 12. Ben Alibone 14. Charlie McAuley 15. Manny Asante 16. Andis Vigants 17. Matt Fletcher.
Chenecks; 1. Callum Patching 2. John Fielding 3. Joe Shanley 4. Sam Duggan 5. Ben Jackson 6. Chris Doran 7. Harry Southgate 8. Reece Sweeney 9. Benn Kirkham 10. Brandon Williams 11. Jonny Shakespeare. Subs; 12. Jordan Sweeney * 14. Jamie Inwood 15. Rhys Sweeney * 17. Tino Lodge *
Referee; Steven Law.
There will be a chance to see the youngsters who weren’t involved tonight on Thursday evening when the U18s play host to Wellingborough Town U18 in a pre-season friendly.
