Saturday 4th March 2023
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
LONG BUCKBY v COGENHOE UNITED
Station Rd,
Long Buckby.
NN6 7QA
KO 3-pm
The Cooks face another six-pointer on Saturday when they travel to bottom club Long Buckby and they are going to have put in a better performance than they did on Tuesday night if they are going return with all three points. The Bucks are not in good form, in fact they have now gone 19 games without a win, but they will take hope from their 2-0 defeat of the Cooks at Compton Park earlier in the season as first half goals from Joe Pursey and Harry Waple-Moors (sounds familiar) gave them the points. They also played the final 25 minutes with ten men after Pursey had picked up a second yellow card, both for fouling Pharrell Anderson. Former Cooks reserve team manager Craig Hayward was the Buckby boss back then, but they recently removed him from his position, although they still have a smattering of ex-Cooks in their squad in the shape of Manny Gbejuade, Matt Gearing, Munya Matiyenga and Gohkan Ulker.
Last match they were beaten 0-4 at home by runaway leaders Rugby Town, but prior to that they had pushed high-flying Newport Pagnell close at Willen Road as they led 2-1 before finally succumbing to a 3-2 defeat. A narrow defeat at Desborough and a point from a goalless draw at home to Coventry United showed they are no pushovers as they bounced back from an 8-0 defeat at Rugby. They have only won twice so far this season, the Cogenhoe success and another 2-0 away win, this time at Coventry United, meaning they have yet to win at home.
Last season’s trip to Station Road came when I was laid up in bed with Covid and the Cooks seemed to be cruising to a win when they went 3-1 up on 55 minutes, but the home side fought back to take a point in a 3-3 draw. Tyler Reeve opened the scoring for the home side after 9 minutes, but the Cooks turned things around through Alex Vaughan (14) and Chief Boateng (21) and Dylan Wilson extended the lead on 55 minutes, but goals from Adam Shaw after 62 and again in the final minute meant we had to settle for just one point on the day.
In truth the Cooks have been far from their best in their previous two games, the 1-1 draw followed by a penalty shoot-out defeat at Deeping and then the poor showing at Lutterworth Town on Tuesday night when we crashed 2-0 to Hanibal Salami’s double. It is still pretty tight at the bottom, although both Lutterworth and ourselves still have a six point gap over second bottom Rothwell Corinthians, but if they start to pick up points we could find ourselves in that relegation zone as we approach the run in, so games like this a very important for both teams. Four of the bottom five play each other tomorrow as Lutterworth go to Godmanchester, the other team currently in the equation, whilst Rothwell face the toughest looking challenge as they host February team of the month Wellingborough Town who have their eyes firmly on second place.
It looks like Scott Carlin will be without the injured Ben Gough and striker Jamie Hall tomorrow, but he has a strong squad to pick from with Weatherly, Kyle Ansell, Kodi Briggs and Josh Adams all available again after missing Tuesday nights’s game.
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE – RESERVE DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED RESERVES v BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS RESERVES
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe.
NN7 1ND
KO 2-pm
Ian Adcock’s team face a tough afternoon at home to Bugbrooke St Michaels who currently sit in second place, one point behind leaders Harborough Town. The game at The Sett earlier in the season proved to be a miserable Tuesday night for the Cooks as the Badgers ran in five goals without reply with one of them coming from now Cogenhoe player Bailey Weatherly who had opened the scoring. Freddie King, Alfie Doherty, Miles Eaton and Mac Coulson the others on target as the home side went nap.
Our visitors have won their last four games with the latest being a 7-0 thrashing of G.N.G Oadby Town in Leicester last Saturday with Matt Bazeley bagging a brace. The Cooks will have boosted by their 3-1 at Rothwell Corinthians last weekend as they ended their winless streak with goals from Connor Gibbins, Sam Harris and Weatherly giving us the points after we had fallen behind.
