County 4 AFC Telford United 2 ; Conference North
County gave their long suffering supporters a real treat
today ,with a cracking 4-2 victory against promotion favourites AFC Telford
United at Edgeley Park. The old stadium was buzzing as a result, and just the
correct type of dish to have laid before our distinguished Chinese visitors,
had they managed the visa`s in time!
The win was as well deserved as it was
unexpected.....built on a solid foundation of good football and sound defending
as Tunnicliffe and Charnock answered their critics . Phil Jevens got the nod for the M.O.M bit, and I will not
argue long over that as his contribution was all sleek control and intelligent
passing- just a goal was lacking ,but he will score loads more of those this
term, as will his partners Rhys Turner and Kristian Dennis, both of whom
notched one themselves- each an absolute blinder!
All that said you could have pointed to the whole team,
each of whom weighed in and complemented each other nicely, and nodded in their
direction but who cares really .....a win is a win.....is a win....and this was
a particularly welcome one and one that pushes us up the league and gives a
mighty boost to morale as well!
The news was mixed at 3 o’clock.......Phil Jevons and
Rhys Turner were both in the starting line up, but Ian Ormson wasn`t . This
gave young Ryan Jones his debut behind a defence that had not greatly sparkled
of late. I was however somewhat optimistic nevertheless, but this was tempered
slightly with the sight of Andy Owens on the Telford team sheet- always a threat
in games against County!
Floodlights on.................game on..........and the
early action saw County force a corner as Dennis harried Neil Byrne into some
safety first stuff. Ryan Young , the Telford keeper, punched this out, but not
all that convincingly, although Telford kept their cool and survived without
conceding anything more costly.
The visitors contrived to attack after this, and Duxbury
did very well indeed to contain Tony Gray as he threatened to latch onto a
dangerous ball from Sean Cooke. A throw followed along with an early glimpse of
just what Owens was about, and his throw bounced menacingly into the box before
being headed goal ward by Gray. Another wicked bounce, and the ball was on its
way into the top corner, until Jones tipped it over the bar at the very last
gasp! That was excellent stuff from the undemonstrative young keeper and just
what he required to calm any twitching nerves!
The corner was poor and County saw it away without
difficulty, unfortunately however County`s attempt to turn defence into
glorious attack, foundered at the feet of Jacobs who failed to test Young with
a distinctly under par shot.
A high bouncing ball then brought Charnock into the game,
stopping Owens from making capital after Tunnicliffe had failed to deal with
the situation. More good work followed from Charnock not long after and I was
pleased to see Owens once again the disappointed man!
Telford were doing a fair bit of attacking at this stage,
it must be said, and Owens again found the path to goal blocked this time by
Moses , but it took an excellent rescue act from Jacobs to keep County on level
terms after Charnock blotted his copy book by getting himself into a
considerable tangle.
How many times have we seen County in all out attack
mode.....leave the back door ajar ,and go behind? Too many times to count I
know, and it was so so lovely to see the tables turned as Jacobs promptly
threaded a ball of supreme excellence into Turner`s path deep in Telford
territory. He was off and in the keepers face in no time.....it was
missable..............but he didn`t ,instead he slotted the coolest of finishes
beyond anything Young could offer in response and it was 1-0 to County!
It might even have been 2-0 , just a minute later, had
Duxbury kept his header down on the end of a Jacob free kick, but he didn`t and
Young watched the ball soar off into the empty Railway End.
Back came Telford eventually , but County were back in
numbers so there appeared nowhere for the visitors to go, until Cooke opted for
the thespian option and launched himself to the ground. It was a reprehensible
action from the player, but a worse one followed from referee Jonathan Hunt who
wasted absolutely no time in pointing to the spot. It was no penalty.....County
knew it, but they then allowed themselves to get carried away ensuring that
Tunnicliffe went into the refs book, presumably for verbals.
Bugger................clearly County`s lead was about to be history, but
no.....when Clancy`s kick came in, Jones hurled himself to his left to push the
ball out to safety! Simply excellent stuff again from the young keeper!
It was starting now to get a bit comic cuts out there, as
a series of iffy decisions saw Telford diving propensity fed to excess by the
officials. On the end of one such, Mike Grogan headed just wide, but it was not
long before more infamy threatened to undo County good and proper ,and again it
was the vaudevillian talents of Cooke to the fore winning his side a ludicrous
free kick in a very scorable position. The kick was a yard beyond the box and
the County wall looked to have it covered, but Cooke made light of it, sending
his kick skidding off the top of one County head beyond Jones into the net.
County`s lead had lasted just 10 minutes and they needed
to apply themselves again and quickly if the game was not to slip away from
them.
They certainly tried, but Dennis was a whisker away from
reaching Platt`s nicely weighted through ball, but so did Telford and Charnock
did well to track back and mop up as Duxbury tangled with the annoying Cooke.
Both teams were having a go – County one moment through
Jacobs and Telford via Gray, but neither found that elusive gilt edged finish
needed!
The next 10 minutes were pretty much all County as Dennis
went close with a decent attempt on 26 minutes. Three minutes after this it was
Jacobs and Jevons to the fore forcing a corner which saw Charnock`s header miss
out narrowly at the back post.
The 32nd minute saw the thespian tendency
overcome Telford once more, to be precise right back Wesley Baynes who went
down as if pole axed feigning a kick to the face, only to get to his feet
instantly upon the realisation that even the gullible Mr Hunt was not buying
that one! Perhaps it was the County pressure that was causing the theatricals-
something was unsettling them, and County had themselves a welcome free kick
midst it all when Simon Grand climbed all over someone in blue just outside the
box. The position was good ,but the kick wasn`t and it stayed 1-1.
Indeed it did, and County`s luck seemed to be well and
truly out as Howard`s cross cum shot whacked into a red hand en route across
the box. A penalty for sure....at least I felt it was, but Mr Hunt was
indicating a corner, which Telford laboured long and hard over clearing. They
didn`t manage it ,allowing Charnock two attempts to force it home at the back
post. The second one did the trick and County had their lead back thanks to
their captain!
Back came Telford in response and it was Owens` turn to
treat us to a dive , and the free kick from Cooke that followed threatened to
put the skids under the blues when Neil Byrne met it firmly with his head at
the back of the box. “ Goal” I was tempted to think , but it wasn`t as Jones
dived on the ball and made it his!
The visitors looked intent on getting back to parity as
half time neared, and County`s cause was not aided when a Duxbury foul put the
pressure back on his team. The free kick was a dangerous one and Tunnicliffe
did well to toe end the ball out for a corner with a clutch of red shirted
forwards hell bent on forcing it home, and better stopping Grogan`s header when
the kick came over. The ball still needed clearing, and it wasn`t and I was
relieved to see Gray`s shot just climb over the bar.
Was it the end of the County angst? No sir.........as
that man Cooke wheedled another cheep free kick from the referee, but justice
was done when he lifted a poor kick over the top.
Telford kept plugging away but Baynes` final ball was a
tad too strong for Gray, and Tunnicliffe was quick to locate Reservoir 1 , when
Sean Clancy followed a long...high....bouncer into the County last third.
Dennis and Jacobs had decent attempts dealt with fairly
comfortably by Young, but the chance of the half fell to Gray, deep in added
time. Tunnicliffe had just done excellent work to deny Owens with a great
block, when shortly after the ball was pinged in again from the right. Gray was
nailed on to score but, with the goal gaping, he snatched at it and sent his
shot wide of the target!
A County raid.......a
corner......and Telford ended the half struggling to cope, but the referee saw
an infringement and the visitors were saved, and able to go in at the break
just 1-2 down.
Jevons was to the fore on the resumption going close with
an early half volley, but then second best to Grogan on the end of a Jacobs
free kick.
Jones did have to make a save to keep a shot from Owens
out, on 50 minutes, but the bulk of the action was at the other end where Grand
was working overtime to keep the Telford ship afloat. Baynes weighed in with an
attempted decapitation of Dennis, which went unpunished by the referee, and
Young saved coolly from Dennis as County`s momentum started to build again.
Momentum on the up or not, County would be wise to keep
their cool and the back door firmly locked, but their reliance on the off side
trap was proving to be less than 100% , resulting in a series of corners- none
of them at all lethal, but nevertheless unnecessarily irksome to deal with!
That said, County continued to press on and a neat bit of
work involving Jevons and Dennis almost saw Howard on the score sheet- alas
thanks to Young he was not.
It went on with Platt breaking up a Telford raid in
impressive style before sending the quicksilver Turner dashing clear. It looked
ram/ jam with possibilities as Turner darted past his man , but Mr Hunt had
seen something( don`t ask me what.............) and the raid was dished as
Telford had a life giving free kick.
Howard kept the momentum going with a lung bursting run
that took him clear. Unfortunately he drifted to the left whilst en route, and
when his shot came, it drifted wide of the goal, much to his and our
disappointment.
A further series of ludicrous refereeing decisions
followed, which I refuse to bore you with, and then Mr Hunt got one right
awarding County a free kick after Benjamin had made a meal of going to ground
over towards the Pop Side. What followed was simply excellent as the free kick
soared across the box to where Tunnicliffe rose majestically to meet it, planting the firmest of headers way beyond
Young into the net. Wow.................it was 3-1, and County were well worth
it, if only our Chinese friends had been here to witness it!
For a time it appeared that Telford might totally disintegrate
as County swept forward through Howard who was thwarted by both Grant and Byrne
in rapid succession.
Turner then entered the fray, tackling back with energy
and then carrying the ball out of defence in good style to put the pressure
back on the visitors who were relying more and more on the likes of Byrne to
keep them even notionally in the game.
Jones meanwhile, although not extensively busy now, was
looking confident and not at all out of place!
Duxbury looked the business too, and he was unlucky to
see his beautifully weighted through ball not get the reward it deserved when
Dennis carried it on to the by-line. Dennis`s ball inside was well good enough,
but then so was Young and he just kept it from the advancing Jevons in the
tightest of situations.
It was an uncomfortable time for Telford and it was good
to see the midfield of Moses, Platt and Howard doing so well, Moses excelling
on 72 minutes to stop Owens in full flight.
Howard was unlucky to be ruled offside not long after,
but then Telford began to build a response again , and Tunnicliffe did really
well to hook clear as Gray pinged a
tasty morsel in from the left. and again
as pressure mounted again from the visitors.
It needed someone either to put foot on ball for County
or produce a moment or two of magic, but when Turner did just that and Grogan`s
attempted early exchange of shirts went unpunished by this most laughable of
officials, it appeared that fortune was declining to shine on the blues at this
late juncture, especially when a tantalising run from Jacobs saw his final ball
narrowly elude Turner.
Then .......Grogan repeated the methodology on Turner
prompting Mr Hunt to grant County a free kick. When Byrne headed this out, it
appeared to be chance gone, but I had reckoned without Jacobs who latched onto
the loose ball before threading another mesmerizingly wondrous ball over the
Telford back line for Dennis to run onto. Chance.....decidedly yes, but I have
seen `em missed , but not this one as Dennis buried a beaut of a shot into the
back of the net to make it 4-1.
Fantastic, but
there was barely time to congratulate ourselves and resume our seats when
Telford pulled one back. It was a scruffy affair at best as, with County
struggling to deal with a corner, the ball pin wheeled about in front of goal
before taking a deflection off Moses into the net.
The eternal pessimist in me, visualised it subsiding into
4-4 or worse from this, and Telford did their best to make it so I must say,
but despite the pressure....the corners, another goal just would not come their
way. To be fair they hardly deserved that happy fate anyhow and the County
rearguard action in the face of much late pressure was by no means
uncoordinated- in fact quite the opposite!
AL rang the changes late on.......Gosset for
Moses..........Moke for Turner, as the corners kept a coming from Telford but
with the same ineffectual results.
Into added time we went with County at last raising the
siege and only a desperate outstretched leg prevented another top notch final
ball from Jacobs setting Dennis up with a tap in.
Into the games dying embers we went with Telford having
one last go at windmill tilting, and a corner again put the County defence
under the microscope, but Jones managed to get something on it at the back
post.....enough to see the danger off .
That was about it, and a fine game was over and all the
points were County`s- just reward for what was an excellent display.
More of the same at Oxford.................can we hope
for this? Why not......the Flyer takes off at 09.30, be on it!
County line up;
Jones, Jacobs, Tunnicliffe, Charnock, Duxbury, Moses(
Gosset 83),Platt, Howard, Jevons, Turner( Moke 87), Dennis.
Subs not used:
Fagbola, O`Halloran, Lofthouse.
AFC Telford line up;
Young, Baynes, Lever, Byrne, Grand, Grogan, Cooke, Benjamin,
Owens, Gray, Clancy.
Attendance;
2710
Comments
Post a Comment