Tuesday 15th March 2023
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – RESERVE DIVISION
MILTON KEYNES IRISH RESERVES (1) 1 COGENHOE UNITED RESERVES (0) 1
Irish;
Finn Rolfe 45
Cooks;
Lee Felgate 83
The Reserves travelled to 4th-placed MK Irish on Tuesday night, who were in devastating form at home, having scored 22 goals in their last 4 games at Fenny Stratford!
With a couple of late dropouts due to work, we lined up with only 12 players, plus the gaffa if things reached desperate measures once again!
We started well, very well in fact, playing some neat football, defending well against the Irish pacey forward line and controlling the game to a certain degree, without actually creating too many clear cut chances.
A sucker punch happened in the final minute of the half though, as it has done on many occasions this season, when an up and under cross from the Irish left was allowed to drop and was met very well by the onrushing right winger, who took his chance with aplomb.
HT: Irish Res 1-0 Cooks Res
A forced change at HT was made, with a head injury to Leon Dalton sustained, and so taking no risks Charlie Ferguson entered the field as a straight replacement.
A fairly even opening 10 mins to the half took place, before Irish took full control of the game, piling pressure on our defence on what seemed a constant basis for 15 mins. That said, we defended well, stood firm and when Ciaran Wells was called into action, he closed down the angles very well to force a couple of one on ones wide to avert any danger.
With 20 mins left another enforced substitution was needed and so on came the gaffa again for the second game running!
We sat deep and tried to hit on the counter, as per the Bugbrooke game, but the difference this time was we had an outlet upfront and not the gaffa!
Just past the 80 mins mark, Keiron Mobbs was sent down the right and he jinked inside two players before being brought down by an Irish Sandwich. Dan Webb took the resultant in-swinging free kick and there was Captain Felgate to meet it with a trademark headed goal!
We saw the remaining few minutes out with structured and disciplined defending and earned a deserved point under tough circumstances once more – the spirit is growing once again!
FT: MK Irish Res 1-1 Cogenhoe United Res
Report supplied by the ‘Gaffa’ Ian Adcock.
Cooks; 1. Wells 2. Talbot 3. Mitchell 4. Harris 5. Purse 6. Felgate © 7. Mobbs 8. McIlwraith (sub 15. Adcock 60) 17. Gibbins 10. Leon (sub 14. Charlie Ferguson ht) 11. Webb. Sub not used; 16. Pratt-McDonald.
Skipper Lee Felgate headed the late equaliser on Tuesday night.
