Buidbase FA Vase
First Round
Wellingborough Town vs Haverhill Rovers
Saturday 31st October 2020
Dog & Duck, Wellingborough.
Report from Finbarr Carroll
Photos copyright Finbarr Carroll
The Doughboys hosted Haverhill Rovers at the Dog & Duck on what turned out to be a nice afternoon with the rain finally stopping and everyone getting to see the sun for the first time in days. The Rovers were defeated in their first game in the FA Vase last season, but did get all the way to the quarter finals of the competition in the 86/87 season. Wellingborough got as far as the 3rd round last season.
The Doughboys kicked-off with a strong wind blowing across the pitch from their left wing.
This is probably one of the shortest reports that I have written so far this season, with Wellingborough totally dominating the first half. I was also glad that most of the play during the first half was over on the main stand side where I was standing with the occasional bit of play on the left from Doughboys Liam Tuck getting up and down and putting a good shift in.
Montel Dore and Matty Long were linking up well on the right wing for the Doughboys causing the back four of Haverhill, Charlie Davies, Jocob Joseph, Ryan Geoghegan and Alfiie Carroll, a lot of anxious moments.
Haverhill did not venture too far or very often into the Wellingborough half of the pitch, on one occasion that they did, we saw three balls disappear out of the ground being defended by the Doughboys, nearly all in the same place, in fairness to the players clearing their defence, the wind didn’t help. Another match ball was found after a pause in the action and the game resumed.
A chance from Dylan Wilson for Wellingborough was defended by Geoghegan. A shot from Doughboys midfielder Sean McBride was defended well by Rovers player Ben Bradley.
A couple of chances did fall to Wellingborough’s Harry Chipchase the first chance being a shot on goal from the edge of the Haverhill penalty area that had the sting taken off it by a toe of a Rovers defender with the ball ending up with Haverhil keeper Charliee Bell and the second chance from Chipchase saw his header, from a Doughboys free-kick, just go wide of the goal.
A throw-in from Wellingborough saw the ball end up with centre-forward Dylan Wilson, but his effort from distance went wide. Wellingborough were piling up the corner-kicks one after another but were unable to convert them.
A decent effort on goal from Doughboys captain Lloyd Buckby from a good distance out on the left wing saw the ball hit across the face of the goal and ended up hitting the Haverhill goal-post with such a clatter it’s probably still reverberating as I write this.
Just before half-time, Wellingborough’s Matty Long was in with a chance with just one defender to beat, but after ‘a coming together’, referee Sam Lee awarded a free-kick to Haverhill much to the annoyance of Long and the Doughboys supporters at the side of the pitch. Half-time score. 0-0
The second half got underway and continued in much the same vein as the first half with the Doughboys dominant. Chances came with a shot from Matty Long just going wide, an effort from Montel Dore with his left boot going just wide and an effort from distance by Lloyd Buckby going just over the crossbar.
In the 58th minute, Haverhill’s Johnny Butler was deemed to have fouled Dougboys forward Montel Dore and referee Sam Lee pointed to the penalty spot. The penalty was converted by Dylan Wilson, with Wilson chipping the ball into the net with Charlie Bell already diving to his right. 1-0
Haverhill had Johnny Butler booked after a foul on Doughboys Matty Long. The free-kick when taken, ended up with Rovers keeper Bell.
Having gone goal down, Haverhill were trying to get forward with some fine running from Charlie Davies down their left wing but was coming up against a brick wall with the Wellingborough defence holding firm.
We saw the first subs made in the 72nd minute when Wellingborough replaced Montel Dore with Tony Logongo and Haverhill took off Charlie Davies for Dan Olive.
Not long after the substitutions were made, Doughboys Lloyd Buckby won the ball and played a superb ball to team-mate Matty Long who came in from the right and fired superbly into the net with such power, Haverhill keeper Bell was never going to get to. 2-0.
Having doubled their lead, Wellingborough replaced Harry Chipchase with Lewis Leslie, at the same time, Haverhill introduced Tom Stoker for Jacob Joseeph.
Being 2 goals down, Haverhill were now on the offensive with a chance falling to Ryan Geoghegan who hit the ball from outside the area on his right, with the ball probably intended as a cross, but a gust of wind blew the ball in the direction of the Doughboys goal and caught goalie Josh McAdoo out, with him thinking it was heading wide of his goal, McAdoo adjusted well and at the same time as he was falling backwards managed to get a finger-tip to the ball to put over for a Rovers corner-kick. Nothing came of the corner with Wellingborough defending it.
We then saw the last substitutes made when the Doughboys replaced Dylan Wilson with Aaron Cormack and Haverhill took off Callum Anderson for Joe Osborn.
Haverhill did force a couple of corner-kicks, but Wellingborough defended well.
Matty Long for the doughboys still had time for another couple of efforts with one of his shots hitting the side netting of the Haverhill goal. Final score 2-0.
Wellingborough are in the hat for the next round having won this game with some ease. When that next round is played, we can’t predict with the situation we are in.
Teams
Wellingborough Town
Josh McAdoo
Jack O’Connor
Liam Tuck
Sean McBride
Alex Lowery
Dan Stevenson
Harry Chipchase
Lloyd Buckby (c)
Dylan Wilson
Matty Long
Montel Dore
Substitutes
Kyle Ansell
Bayley Leslie
Lewis Leslie
Tony Logongo
Aaron Cormack
Haverhill Rovers
Charlie Bell
Jacob Joseph
Charlie Davies
Adrian O’Hara
Ryan Geoghegan
Alfie Carroll
Marc Abbott
Jonny Butler
Rory Webb
Ben Bradley (c)
Callum Anderson
Substitutes
Tom Stoker
Joe Osborn
Harry Brown
Rhys Shulver
Dave Walton
Referee; Sam Lee
Assistants. Steve Hoare, Darrell Horner.
