by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)
After a fairly strong first half showing, poor defending saw Wellingborough score twice and leave Sports to return home pointless again.
Starting line-up: 1-Jack McDowell 2-Ali Mohiuddin 3-Louis Bonser 4-Danny Benson 5-Ashton Offler 6-George Wilkinson 7-Will Atkinson 8-Harry Wood 9-Stuart Beavon 10-Andy Dales 11-Paddy Webb. Subs: Stephen Fikula, Archie White, Johnson Gyamfi, Thomas Wood, Thabang Dube.
It couldn’t have started better for Mickleover, when only three minutes in Beavon, Webb and Dales found themselves in acres of space. Dales hit the first shot which came back off keeper Dean Snedker, before Webb hit it home 1-0. But four minutes later it was Sports keeper McDowell called into action, diving to his right to keep a Taylor Franklin shot out.
Beavon and Dales got another break after nine minutes too, with Beavon’s final shot from the left hitting the side netting. Mickleover were well on top possession wise and looked close to getting a second on a few occasions, but after Mohiuddin and Webb had combined to win a corner, Wellingborough got a break and Franklin managed to get around the back of Wilkinson on the right. As he shot McDowell had his near post covered, there was no one on the far post however, and it was 1-1 with 20 minutes gone.
Mickleover continued to dominate the play and after a 25th minute corner came to nought, Mohiuddin struck a lovely ball in from the right, which Bonser met with a first-time strike, just over the bar. Sports were back ahead though 35 minutes in, when Bonser and Dales worked a move on the left. As the ball came over Dales headed low past Snedker and it was 2-1.
Our lead didn’t last long as just three minutes later Will Jones fired home in a crowded box after a corner on the Mickleover right, reacting way quicker than a static Sports defence, 2-2. Dales found Bonser who had another shot blocked after 21 minutes and with a minute left on the clock in the first half, a Mohiuddin cross was beautifully met by Beavon’s head, forcing a spectacular save from Snedker.
Two defensive errors made it 2-2 at half time in a game that could have seen Mickleover 3-0 up on possession, but at this point hopes were still high. Right from the start of the second half Mickleover were on the back foot. But the defence was holding until McDowell was tested to his left after 57 minutes. Gyamfi came on for Beavon just before the hour mark, but only a couple of minutes later, another corner found the Mickleover defence lacking, with Danny Draper making it 2-3 again virtually unchallenged. It was all Wellingborough at this stage, with Sports barely breaking into their hosts half and allowing them to attack at will. All the promise from the first half had gone and Mickleover looked vulnerable to every attack. 66 minutes and Jones scored his second with a super strike having outpaced the defence with a run through the middle, 2-4.
Dube then came on for White, but it was McDowell in action again, saving another Jones effort with his feet, to deny the home striker a hattrick. White then replaced Offler, but Dube was brought down on the edge of the box. Dales stepped up for the free kick, but it was well over the bar. Dube had an 82nd minute shot saved, probably Sports only shot of the second half. Four minutes later Webb got his head to a Dales cross, which failed to test Snedker. With a minute left Bonser lost possession, but McDowell saved the following shot. Sports keeper saved again a minute later as more lethargic defending let the ball run to the home strikers.
So with the first half promise totally outweighed by some dreadful second half defending, it proved to be a comfortable win for Wellingborough.
