Coach Rangers 3 Rose & Crown 0

Monday 2nd July 2012
Coach Rangers 3 Rose & Crown 0
Summer League Cup Second Round
At: Mayfield Playing Field
Kick-off: 7-30 pm
No admission or programme
Weather: Showers, sometimes heavy
Attendance: 20 (headcount)
Duration (45): first-half: 46:03; second-half: 44:08

Holders Coach Rangers continued their bid to win the League Cup for fifth successive season with a 3-0 victory over a well-organised Rose & Crown side. Callum Woolley continued his fine form in front of goal by bagging a hat-trick.

A few weeks ago, James Archer asked me if I’d report a Rose & Crown game for the blog. Last Monday, I ran out of time and couldn’t make kick-off so missed their win over Red Lion. Tonight it was second time lucky, though without James (aka Jimmy) Carter’s update on Facebook about the change of ground, I may well have turned up at a soggy and no doubt deserted Ashbourne Rec - then headed to meet up with Chris and Laurence at Red Lion.

I’d visited tonight’s venue, Mayfield Playing Field, on one previous occasion back in August 2009 – Rose & Crown were the visitors that evening as well but they went down 4-2 to Mayfield.

Looking at the league table (I know this was a cup game), Rose & Crown (28 points from 11 games) went into this tie in second position, three points behind leaders Bradley with a game in hand. Hot on their heels were third-placed Coach Rangers (24 points from 9 games). Rose & Crown inflicted Coach’s only league defeat of the season, winning 1-0 at the Rec back in April.

The ‘man in the middle’ tonight, Jim Conway, needed no introduction and coincidently refereed that Mayfield v Rose & Crown game I mentioned.

Rose & Crown (in yellow shirts, navy blue short and socks) got the game underway attacking the village end, right to left in relation to my vantage point near the car park.

Coach created plenty of early chances including a header from Carl Allen and a shot from Kev Millward blocked by a defender amid appeals for handball. Rose & Crown goalkeeper James Archer produced a decent save to keep out Sam Howard’s header.

With Coach were applying most of the pressure, Rob Prince got forward for the visitors and stand-in goalkeeper Simon Wint needed to dive to his right to keep out a resulting low shot.

James Carter had a goal disallowed for offside around the quarter hour mark.

With the scores still level, Rose & Crown felt they were “getting into it” and the tricky Harrison Avery fired across the face of the Coach goal.

The deadlock was broken in the 22nd minute by Callum Woolley who scored no fewer than 11 goals in Coach 27-1 First Round win over The Bridge. Woolley intercepted a weak backpass from Steve Wright, drew Archer and fired an angled shot which covering defender Jim Hall could only help into the net.

The goal coincided with the rain stopping (at last) and it did remain dry for the remainder of the first half.

Archer produced another decent save to keep out a well-struck shot from Kev Millward (photo right) as the visitors were urged to “dig in”. At the other end, the dangerous Harrison Avery again drove across the face of the Coach goal.

Up to now I’d got a list of Rose & Crown numbers but no names other than ‘7 = Harrison, 14 = Ozzy and 13 = John’. So I was thankful to Mark Walker for providing the names to go with the numbers.

In the minutes before the interval, Millward drove inches wide and Howard’s lob landed just over the bar.

Elsewhere, Laurence and Chris were watching Red Lion host Wheel and I received a text saying it was 1-0 to Red Lion at half-time.

The Rose & Crown half-time teamtalk was a positive one and, quite rightly at just 1-0 down, felt they could still get something out of the game. Harrison Avery was certainly a lively presence in attack and posing a threat. The visitors made a bright start to the second half and Alex Wright’s quickly-taken free-kick almost caught out Wint.

At this point, I felt that whichever side scored the next goal then that side would go on and win the game – Coach would either have a decisive two-goal lead or Rose & Crown would be back level with their tails up.

The next goal came in the 56th minute and it was Coach's second. Again Woolley was on target with a well-struck shot which flew in via the hands of Archer.

While pleased with the goal, manager John Scott felt the game was “far from won [so] plenty of hard work”.

Well-positioned Archer again thwarted Coach by saving Millward’s low free-kick and, on the hour, kept out a header from Craig Richardson.

Coach added a decisive third goal with 15 minutes remaining to confirm their place in the semi finals. Paul Godfery played the ball forward from the left and Woolley sent a first-time header past Archer.

Over at Longford, Red Lion defeated Wheel 3-0 to record their first league win of the season. Read Laurence's report called 'A little tucked away corner in Derbyshire' on his excellent blog.

League Cup Second Round Results: Doveridge 9 Weston 1; Biggin 4 Brassington 0; Coach Rangers 3 Rose & Crown 0; Bradley 9 FC Hulland 1

Semi-Final Draw: Doveridge v Coach Rangers and Biggin v Bradley

Coach Rangers (pink/black/black): 1. Simon Wint, 15. Craig Richardson, 5. Dave Shipley, 6. Paul Godfrey, 8. Dan Frith, 7. Kev Millward, 9. Ian Godfrey, 16. Jimmy Carter (capt), 3. Carl Allen, 2. Callum Woolley, 11. Sam Howard. Subs: 10. Matt Hackett (for Allen, 66), 14. Ross Armstrong (for Carter, 70), 4. Thomas Donnelly (for Woolley, 75).

Rose & Crown (yellow / navy blue / navy blue): 1. James Archer, 5. Steve Wright, 4. Jim Hall, 15. Alex Wright, 13. John Anders, 2. Rob Prince, 10. Alex McCall, 8. Dan Avery, 6. Gav Astbury (capt), 14. Matt Osborn, 7. Harrison Avery. Subs: 12. Paul Forrester (for Wright, ht), 11. Richard Harrison (for John Anders, 66), x. Lewis Snape (not used).

Referee: Jim Conway.

Goals:
1-0 Callum Woolley (22)
2-0 Callum Woolley (56)
3-0 Callum Woolley (75)

Cards: none