The Mikes 3-1 Daventry Town

Following the five-goal leakage of the Tuesday before, Cameron Gayle and J’Cee Abraham came in as full backs, Ty Knight (who’d shown his attacking talent from the rear) moving up to the wing. Jack Skinner was repositioned inside.

The visitors (for whom this was their first game of the season, since they now play in the Southern League) started like an express train, speedy right winger Jordan Orosz giving J’Cee Abraham a torrid first ten minutes. An Orosz cross in the opening minute led to striker Luke Emery going down under a challenge in the box; but the appealed-for penalty was waved away. Mountainous mid fielder Adam Confue was prompting his forwards imaginatively, and Boldmere were using all their energy to hold them at bay. The Mikes responded in spirited style, and with four minutes gone Kyle Byrne put an accurate cross from Ty Knight just over the bar. Two corners in quick succession saw the Purples’ defence stretched to its limits, a pile driver from Abraham nearly finding its way through their serried ranks. Knight was proving to be an effective winger, while Rico Taylor was holding on to the ball wherever he got it, and feeding it effectively forward. Rikardo Reid nearly scored with an overhead kick on 17 minutes, as chaos reigned in the visiting defence following a corner. Eight minutes later, Taylor Orosz (one of four giants in the visiting ranks) burst through from the left, and only the rapidly advancing legs of Fenney stopped him scoring. An enthralling game was unfolding, its quality marked by the fact that the first off side wasn’t given until 34 minutes had passed. A Knight effort three minutes later nearly brought a goal following a fine four man move, and with three minutes left to half time, the dam eventually broke. A mazy dribble the length of the pitch by Rico Taylor set up Owen Parry, who put in some neat footwork before scoring off the diving Justin Cerga’s body to give the Mikes an interval lead.

The match had been fiercely contested in all departments, and it came as no surprise that J’Cee Abraham, who’d needed treatment in the first period, was replaced in the interval by Harry Sweeney. Boldmere opened first, a Jack Skinner effort speeding across the visitors’ goal. More experience in the squad would have seen someone running in to the far post to push it home. The Mikes went two up twelve minutes into the second half, Parry doubling his tally after a build up which always looked capable of producing a goal. A fierce cross pitch wind had blown throughout proceedings, and nearly gave Daventry an equaliser: two sets of Boldmere feet failed to arrest the ball as it was blown across their penalty area, and Taylor Orosz was on hand, unmarked. Fortunately, the wind deceived him also, and he fired wide. Daventry were not long in pulling a goal back, however, Luke Emery collected a short turned sharply leaving two defenders in his wake. Fenney did well to block the strikers angled cross shot but Town’s Ross Harris forced the loose ball home from point blank range on 61 minutes. Kyle Byrne received the game’s first yellow card, for delaying play from a throw in. Once the game’s three-quarter mark had passed, the wind lessened, and our guests went up a gear as they tried to take control of the tie. Phil Cassidy came on for the somewhat battered Adam Creaney, while his counterpart Jack Skinner gave way to Brad Lindsey. With 73 minutes gone, the Mikes put clear water between the teams with a superb goal. Ty Knight chased a ball right to the goal line, and managed to cross it to the heavily marked Rikardo Reid: he got it back to Kyle Byrne - who smashed in an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box. Luke Emery was next in the book, following a nasty challenge on Brad Lindsey. The visitors were fighting hard to get back in the game, and five minutes later, Phil Cassidy followed Emery after showing his studs in an ill-advised tackle. With seven minutes of normal time to go, Kyle Byrne went off with sheer exhaustion; but not before he’d gone marginally wide after an impressive run up his touch line. Daventry, meanwhile, had used up their quota of substitutes, and nearly caused late problems when Harry Craven miskicked; but Fenney managed to scramble the ball round the post. Two moments of near comedy in the final minutes could have had the Mikes adding to their score. Rikardo Reid dispossessed his marker; dribbled unstoppably across the box; and then blazed wide when a little composure would have brought goal number four. Similarly, Simeon Tulloch, who hadn’t touched the ball since coming on for Kyle Byrne, was at the end of a smart three man move which opened the visitors up totally; but he fired over the bar. No matter; the Mikes had turned in a display which was warmly applauded as they left the park, after an entertaining joust which always held the attention. We’ll play far worse teams than Daventry before the season’s close: if we can turn in performances like this consistently, silverware of some kind could well come our way.

The Mikes: Lewis Fenney; Cameron Gayle; J’Cee Abraham (Harry Sweeney 45); Rico Taylor; Harry Craven; Joe Lyng; Ty Knight; Owen Parry; Rikardo Reid; Jack Skinner (Brad Lindsey 71); Kyle Byrne (Simeon Tulloch 83). Subs not used: Harry Buttery; Jack Burgess; Steve Simpson; Charlie Morris.
Daventry Town: Justin Cerga; Dan Childs; Dean Lukeman (Joe Henderson 90); Ross Harris; Kyle Barnett; Adam Confue; Jordan Orosz; Oliver Stanbridge (Sam Jackson 75); Luke Emery; Adam Creaney (Phil Cassidy 60); Taylor Orosz. Subs not used: Tommy McGowan; Kane Finney; Nat Liburd; Matt Finlay.