Saturday 30th December 2023
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
COGENHOE UNITED v WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe.
NN7 1ND
KO 2PM
The Cooks play their final game of 2023 on Saturday as Wellingborough Town pay us a visit with the game kicking-off at 2pm. The Doughboys are enjoying an excellent season so far and sit one point behind the current leaders Racing Club Warwick with the added advantage of having played a game fewer. Jake Stone’s team have lost just twice in the league up until now, a 0-2 defeat at Newport Pagnell in the second game of the season and more recently a 0-3 reverse at Coventry United with the Red and Greens being a bit of a bogey team for the Doughboys having also drawn 1-1 at the Dog & Duck despite the fact that are still twenty points behind them. We would usually have played this game on Boxing Day but with Newport Pagnell losing MK Irish and Desborough missing Rothwell Corinthians, our paths were split with both games being decided in stoppage time. The Cooks had led 2-1 at Newport when the clock had reached ninety-minutes, but of course we ended up losing 3-2, while The Doughboys looked like they were about to drop a couple of points at home to Desborough until player-coach Brett Solkhon stepped up with the only goal of the game two minutes into added time.
Our paths have already crossed this season with Wellingborough Town running out convincing 3-0 winners at the Dog & Duck as former Cooks player Tom Iaciofano added a second half double to Neo Richard-Noel’s first-half penalty. Adam North made number of good saves that night and impressed the home team that much that they came back to sign him and he was one of eight former Cogenhoe players to feature in their Boxing Day win.
The last meeting here between us was on Boxing Day last year with the Doughboys snatching a point in the last minute through a Charlie Green header to cancel out Will Bates screamer in the first minute of the second half. (Bates of course is also likely to be lining up against us tomorrow). Solkhon had been sent off midway through the second half for foul and abusive language towards the referee, but a moment of madness from Luke Andrews saw us reduced to ten men also and the visitors scored from the set piece.
Scott Carlin can call on Ben Gough, Dalton Leon and recent signing from our opponents Paddy Cichosz again, although Luke Bullement won’t return to Northampton until the new year, giving him a nineteen-strong squad to pick his sixteen from for the game.
Ben Gough is back in contention after missing Boxing Day’s game.
Dalton Leon also returns to the squad after missing the last couple of games.
Paddy Cichosz will be hoping to feature against his former club tomorrow and his recent return to Compton Park.
