First home goals and first home win for Craig Adams side.
Tuesday 24th August 2021
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED (1) 3 POTTON UNITED (1) 2
Cooks;
Seymour-Shove 35, 51, 53
Potton;
McArdle 16
Willis 90+4
Att; 46
Craig Adams had Lloyd Groves back from his Covid experience but he was only here as the assistant manager today as he finds his fitness again. One new name on the teamsheet was Ben Seymour-Shove, a talented forward player who has signed on from St Ives Town as he looks for match fitness after returning from injury. Jack Riley returned at the back and Tom Wakley up front as the gaffer continues to rotate his squad, meaning Will Bates, Josh Adams and Archie Elmore started the evening on the bench.
Dan Mortimer had the first shot of the game after breaking into Potton half and letting fly from 30-yards, but it had only travelled five when it hit the first defender, whilst Jamie Mastropierro left his mark on an opponent with a somewhat meaty challenge on the half-way line that forced referee Steve Swan to issue a stern warning but no more. Harry Darnell rose to meet a Paddy Cichosz throw with his head, but he was a fair way out and he neither found the power or direction as it looped wide of the near post. A fluent move involving Seymour-Shove, Wakley and Mortimer saw the latter’s cross from the left cut out just before Potton had their first real chance of the game as Loren Maxwell forced a good save out of Craig Foxall with his shot from the right of the box.
Potton were now starting to get themselves into the game and Rico Alexander had to defend well from a break by the visitors, but they broke the deadlock with 16 minutes on the clock. They worked a good move with some quick passing from a throw-in in front of the stand and when the ball was played across the edge of our box Aaron McArdle found himself with some space and hit a sweet first time shot they flew past Foxall to give Potton the lead. A little disappointing after a bright start, but we knew Potton would be dangerous going forward after banging in the goals in their a majority of their games played so far.
Seymour-Shove was a real handful for the visitor’s defence and his turn and shot on the edge of the box was blocked whilst down the other end a great strike by Ibrahim Camara inside the box to the right forced Foxall to dive to his right and hold the ball cleanly. Wakley was tripped just beyond the left corner of the Potton area and Seymour-Shove’s free-kick bounced just in front of Sam Irish, but the keeper had his body behind it and grasped the ball into his midriff.
A Cichosz throw-in was only half cleared by the Potton defence and Seymour-Shove hit an absolute rocket from 20-yards that Irish could only parry, but the keeper recovered quickly and made it a great double-save as Dylan Wilson volleyed the rebound from close range. Moments later Wilson used his pace to break through the centre with the just the keeper to beat, a situation that usually leads to a goal celebration, but this time Irish saved his shot. Wilson chased the loose ball to the left of the goal and now with the angle very acute, he rolled it back to Seymour-Shove some 8-yards out and he side-stepped past James Smith before hitting a superb low strike that beat the keeper at his near post to mark his Cooks debut with a goal. 35 minutes played and it was back to level pegging at 1-1.
Wilson picked up play in his own half and quickly made ground into enemy territory before trying an ambitious shot from a long way out that flew wide, before the lively front man then hit a fierce first time shot from the left corner of the box that fizzed just over the top with the keeper struggling to reach it.
Half-time Cooks 1 Potton 1
Cogenhoe were quickly on top as the second half got underway as Seymour-Shove attacked the box on the left and sent over a cross that was headed back across his own box by a defender and as Wilson tried to make something of the loose ball he slipped and fell inside the box. There was no appeal from the Cooks forward, in fact he was laughing, but the referee decided to penalise him for diving. Thankfully he didn’t book him though with even a Potton defender telling him ‘he just fell over’. Wilson played a pass through for Wakley to run on to, but the keeper was quickly out of his box to get their first and his clearance hit the hand of the striker at point blank range and a rather harsh hand-ball decision was made against the Cooks man. The frantic start to the second half continued and only a great last ditch interception from Smith stopped Wakley running clean through from Riley’s pass.
I think we had already had more entertainment in the first six minutes of the second period than we did in whole of the Leicester Road game here and this got even better on 51 minutes as we doubled our lead with a piece of on-the-spot magic from Seymour-Shove. He had chased a ball over the top to put pressure on Irish and although the keeper blocked his original effort, the ball looped up in the air and from 25-yards out and with his back to goal, Seymour-Shove was the coolest man on the field as he lifted the ball first time over his own head and it was a goal from the minute it left his boot and made its way into the unguarded net. Two minutes later and the Cooks were celebrating again as Seymour-Shove completed a debut hat-trick with another very good goal. Jordan Orosz made a great run down the right and pulled the ball back to Seymour-Shove a couple of yards inside the box and he swept a first-time shot past Irish. Three superb goals from the new man in blue and matching our performance today as well.
Emmanuel Folorunso was subbed off before the restart with Jamie Sylvester taking his place on the field. Wilson was shown the yellow card for a somewhat silly foul just inside his own half, bringing down his man from behind even though there was still a field of blue to get past just in front of him, then a bad-foul from Camira on Orosz saw the Potton skipper join him on a caution as Mick Nash was forced to come on to the pitch to treat him as he deputised for the injured physio Ian Blair.
Mortimer was very unlucky to be booked on 68 mniutes for time-wasting as he waited for the referee’s whistle before taking a free-kick just inside his own half. He had been warned over talking his time with a throw-in a couple of minutes earlier, but I don’t think the yellow was merited for the second ‘offence’. A couple of subs followed as Will Bates replaced Cichosz and then Potton brought on Iuean Lewis for Smith with 19 minutes left to play.
McArdle found himself in a very good position as he broke through the centre, but he hit his low shot straight at Foxall. Wilson made a good run past a couple of Potton players, but perhaps delayed his pass just a little too long and Wakley was caught offside, whilst Foxall held on to a good low ball played into the box by Maxwell.
A couple more subs on the 78 minute mark as Ieuan Lewis was forced off with an injury just seven minutes after coming on as he was replaced by Phil Byrne and Adams swapped the yellow-carded Mortimer for his namesake on the left. Chisom Amadi lifted a shot well over from just outside the area and then Luke Pyman saw a shot from a good position take a deflection wide for a corner as Potton stepped things up a notch.
Dylan Wilson was adjudged to have deliberately handled the ball around the half-way line with nine minutes left to the ninety and the referee issued his second yellow card of the night followed by the red meaning we had to play the final minutes of the game with ten men for the second match running and ensuring a nervous finale for the Cooks.
Hero of the night Seymour-Shove was the man sacrificed as we re-balanced to play a man short with young midfield player Faris Rahman the man to come on. Potton were trying to break us down, but we defended solidly to frustrate their efforts as the game ticked into stoppage time. A further long stoppage then occurred when Harry Darnell made a great and brave challenge for which he came off worse and appeared to bang his head on the ground as he landed and laid motionless on the floor. Thankfully he was able to get back to his feet with a little assistance and was helped off the field somewhat dazed. A new rule that I didn’t even know about came into play now as we were allowed to bring on a ‘concussion substitute’ even though we had already used three subs so Archie Culley came on for the remaining minutes of stoppage time.
Four minutes in and Potton gave themselves a life-line as a free-kick from the right was delivered to the back post where Sam Willis rose unmarked to head past Foxall from close range. After that we held solid and didn’t allow the visitor’s to create any more chances despite their man advantage and a big cheer went round the ground as the referee blew the final whistle on the Cooks first home win of the season.
Man of the match tonight has to be Ben Seymour-Shove who was excellent from the word go and took no time at all in settling into his new surroundings. The game was a cracker too with four very good goals and lots of chances at both ends, plus we not only scored our first goal of the season at the fourth attempt, but just like buses, three came along at once. Once more we worked our socks off and worked as a team, so hopefully the lads will have enjoyed this and be ready for our local derby on Saturday.
Cooks; 1. Craig Foxall 2. Jordan Orosz 3. Dan Mortimer (sub 15. Josh Adams 78) 4. Paddy Cichosz (sub 12. Will Bates 70) 5. Jack Riley 6. Rico Alexander 7. Tom Wakley 8. Jamie Mastropierro © 9. Dylan Wilson 10. Ben Seymour-Shove (sub 16. Faris Rahman 84) 11. Harry Darnell (sub 14. Archie Culley). Sub not used; 17. Archie Elmore.
Red card; Wilson (81) 2nd yellow hand-ball.
Yellow cards; Wilson (60) foul. Mortimer (68) time-wasting.
Potton; 1. Sam Irish 2. Cole Butler 3. Emmanuel Folorunso (sub 15. Jamie Sylvester 53) 4. Luke Pyman 5. James Smith (sub 16. Ieuan Lewis 71-sub 14. Phil Payne 78)) 6. Callum Wilson 7. Chisom Amadi 8. Sam Willis 9. Aaron McArdle 10. Loren Maxwell 11. Ibrahim Camara.
Yellow card; Camara (66) foul.
Referee; Steve Swan
Assts; Steve Hoare & Daniel Bain
