Uhlsport United Counties League

Premier Division

Cogenhoe United vs Perterborough Northern Star

Saturday 3rd October 2020

Compton Park, Cogenhoe

Report and photos from Finbarr Carroll.

The Cooks hosted Peterborough Northern Star on a wet miserable day at Compton Park with Star turning up with just the bare bones of a football club to play a game of football with no back-room staff in attendance at all, leaving manager Dwayne Rankin having to cope with all of the pre-match formalities on his own. It was at 3pm that Rankin was still in the changing room writing his team sheet out.

PNS kicked-off this game and inside 6 seconds the Cooks were being awarded a free-kick for a foul, that instantly makes anyone watching think, this might be a dirty game. It wasn’t.

The first chance of the game fell to Star when a corner taken by Tim Nkala high into the area saw Cooks keeper Bradley Ashley jump highest and punched the ball clear of danger.

Cogenhoe were awarded a corner themselves but when it was taken was well defended by Star player Ethan Ellison. A break up-field when a through ball to Jamie Graham saw the forward in with a chance, but Cooks Francis Boateng was on-hand to make a super last ditch tackle to steal the ball from Graham before he could get his shot in.

Some fine play by Cooks forward Nat Ansu winning a ball he had no right to win and then putting in a cross field ball which was picked up by Jordan Oroosz who shot at goal from close range which was well saved by Star keeper Sarunas Snitkas but the ball ran lose with a Cooks player in Carter Price the quickest to react firing the ball into the net to put his up one-nil.

Shortly after going behind, Star defender Stuart Eason put a tackle in on Cooks wing-back Will Bates of which referee Mark Simmons deemed to be serious foul play resulting in Eason seeing red and going off for a very early bath (except he couldn’t have a bath or even a shower of course).

It was all one way traffic towards the PNS box for a while with a free-kick from Aynsley McDonald just going over the bar, then a shot from distance by Jordon Orosz saved by Star keeper Snitkas soon followed by a shot from Adam Speight on the edge of the PNS penalty area again saved by Snitkas.

A break from PNS saw a good run on the left wing from Tim Nkala but he was unable to get a cross in and the Cooks cleared the ball up-field.

I was not keeping a tally, but Cogenhoe then had one corner-kick after another, none of which they were able to turn into a second goal. 

Star player Tim Nikala was again on one of his speedy runs on the left and after just getting into the Cooks penalty area and keeper Brad Lashley out to narrow the angle, Nkala had a shot that was only just wide of the far upright.

The next clear chance of the game fell to Cooks centre forward Nat Ansu but with a gaping hole in front of him to head the ball into, he put his header wide.

It was chance after chance for the Cooks for a while with PNS defender Taylor Steward on one of the Cooks chances, clearing the ball off the PNS goal-line to keep the score just at one nil at the break.

The second half kicked-off at 16.07 and I had to ring my missus to let her know I was going to be late home for my dinner.

The second half started in much the same way as the first had finished, with constant pressure from Cogenhoe with chances falling to Archie Culley seeing his shot from distance going over, Jordan Orosz having a shot blocked by PNS defender Toby Marumhoko, followed by 3 more corner-kicks with the one of note being Nat Ansu on the end of one corner with a header that saw Star keeper Snitkas make another fine save.

After knocking on the door for most of the game, Cooks finally got their second goal when a ball into the PNS area was met by Jordan Orosz who nodded the ball down to team-mate Adam Speight who, standing all alone, had all day to pick the spot he was going to fire the ball into, it didn’t take a second for him to make his mind up and he plonked the ball into the net for his teams second of the game. 2-0

A fine run from Cooks Will Bates on the right saw him have his ankles tapped a few times by Star defender Taylor Steward before Bates was finally given a free-kick resulting in a yellow card for Steward. The free-kick when taken, was hit into the PNS box with Ansu on-hand to jump highest to steer the ball home with his head. 3-0.

PNS to their credit did not lie down and again some good play on the left by Tim Nkala forced a corner-kick for his side, Cooks were able to defend the kick however. A ball up-field to PNS forward Jamie Graham saw him try to control the ball with 2 defenders and a goalkeeper behind him, but he totally missed the bounce and the ball came off the heel of his boot, sending the ball in a totally different direction the Cooks defence was expecting, to tamely bobble past the Cooks far post, I’m sure had it have gone in, Jamie Graham would have said he meant it.

The first substitutes of the game were then made with PNS replacing Taylor Steward and Jamie Graham with Ethan Ellison and Reece Driscoll and the Cooks bringing on Ceepy Logongo for Archie Culley.

Cooks then went further ahead when a pass from Michael Cirelli set up Ceepy Logongo to score a fine goal after he had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes 4-0

Cogenhoe then replaced Francis Boateng with Jake Gillingwater entering the game with Aynsley McDonald handing over the captains armband to Gillinwater.

A fine ball from Cooks Cirelli into Logongo in the PNS box saw a shot from Logongo rebound of the keeper with Nat Ansu on-hand to head the ball into the net for his second and his sides fifth of the game.

The last sub from PNS was then introduced with Corey Gray being replaced by Ben Arnold.

PNS were still trying to get forward and reduce the arrears with some fine play from Zack Balde, but the cooks determined to keep a clean sheet and defended well.

Cogenhoe then made the last substitution they had left on the bench when Carter Price was replaced by Jeffrey Obeng.

With time running out, a mix up in the PNS box saw Ansu latch onto a lose ball who passed to Adam Speight who fired home for the sixth of the afternoon.

PNS keeper was called upon a few more times before the final whistle and pulled off some brilliant saves to stop the Cooks going further ahead.

With one sending off in the first 23 minutes of the game, PNS were in for a torrid time, but they never gave up and having my vantage point of standing between the dug-outs, I could hear PNS manager Dwayne Rankin constantly encouraging his team. Not the best day Rankin has ever had at the office, having had to run around before the game like a headless chicken and having his side beaten six nil. It was maybe just as well that the Cooks did not commit any fouls on the PNS players to cause Rankin to have to run on the pitch as the physio as well.

Teams

Cogenhoe United

Bradley Lashley

Will Bates

Aynsley McDonald

Archie Culley

Rico Alexander

Francis Boateng

Jordan Orosz

Carter Price

Nat Ansu

Michel Cirelli

Adam Speight

Substitutes

Ceepy Logongo

Jake Gillingwater

Jeffrey Obeng

Joe Rich

Peterborough Norhern Star

Saranus Snitkas

Ennis Fyffe

Taylor Steward

Liam Merrick

Stuart Eason

Toby Marumhoko

Zack Balde

Tim Nkala

Jamie Graham

Corey Gray

Chris Brown

Substitutes

Ethan Ellison

Referee; Mark Simmons
Assts; Keith Lawrence & Phoebe Horner.