Saturday 20th November 2021
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH
GODMANCHESTER ROVERS v COGENHOE UNITED
The David Wilson Homes Ground,
Bearscroft Lane,
Godmanchester.
PE29 2LQ
KO 3PM
The Cooks make their first trip to Bearscroft Lane, at least for a competitive first team game anyway, to face Godmanchester Rovers. Our paths have crossed before though as we met in the F.A Cup Extra-Preliminary Round back in August 2017 when the Compton Park faithful were treated to a 3-0 home win. We got off to a great start that day when Luis Vieira netted a debut goal after just 44 seconds and new skipper Ryan Dove added a second on 11. We had to wait until the 90th minute to seal the deal through Matt Long with the only downside being the sending off of Dove in stoppage time when he picked up a second yellow. No Cooks players remain from that game, but both Simon Unwin and Ross Munro started that day and are still regulars in the Goddy team this season.
Rovers were moved across from the Eastern League in the summer after several years in that league, but were nearly a UCL club a few years back had they not won their appeal to the F.A. I first saw them at the recreation ground in the village when they were in the Cambridgeshire League, but the new ground, albeit a fair way from the houses, gave them scope to progress which they duly did. I haven’t been there for a few years now, but on my six visits they have been improving the facilities at Bearscroft Lane taking it from a railed pitch, portacabins and a small covered area to a step-five ground since they have been there.
After losing the points from the Potton game we are now just one place above our hosts and one single point with both clubs having played 18 games and winning seven of them, so the bookies may well have this one down as a draw on the fix odds. On Saturday they went down to a late winner at high-flying Lutterworth despite taking an early lead through Daniel Baulk, but prior to that they had won three times in five outings with two of them coming on the road at Coventry Sphinx and Desborough.
The Cooks ended their losing run last Saturday with a 2-2 draw at home to Coventry United with Ryan Archer and an own goal counting for the Cooks, so Darren Long will see this game as the chance to pick up a win for the first time in six games, whilst Goddy will have similar ideas as they look at our recent form on the pitch.
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE-RESERVE DIVISION
COGENHOE UNITED Reserves v NEWPORT PAGNELL TOWN Reserves
Compton Park,
Brafield Rd,
Cogenhoe,
NN7 1DB
KO 3PM
The Reserves host Newport Pagnell on Saturday with the visitors sitting in fifth spot with 10 wins from 15 games so far, so we are expecting a tough game as we struggle to find any consistency. Last weekend the Swans hammered our midweek opponents Rothwell Corinthians 7-0 at Willen Road with first team player Jake Watkinson bagging four goals for himself, whilst Kyren Odell, Daniel Bolzon and Bobby Knight all chipped in with one apiece. Corinthians got the better of us on Tuesday night despite the Cooks taking a two-goal lead inside the first eleven minutes thanks to efforts from Ivandro Monteiro and Ben Short, but a hat-trick from Zac Allen saw the visitors come back to win 3-2 and leapfrog us up the table. Shock news from the visitor’s camp though this week as long serving Reserve team manager Darren Clarke resigned from his role, although no further details have been released at this point.
