| Rugby
Town 2-1 Cheshunt |
| BGB
Premier Division |
Saturday
4th November 2006
Attendance
| 264
|
Entertainment |
|
 |
 |
Top
scorer Jason Taylor nets his fourth penalty
of the season to give Rugby a first half lead
at Butlin Road |
Young
striker David Kolodynski's first ever senior goal
secured Town victory against 10-man Cheshunt at
Butlin Road last Saturday.
It
was another edge of the seat performance from
the Valley, who had let slip a first half lead
against the league's bottom club before Kolodynski
claimed the faintest of touches to a Danny Hall
free-kick with just 14 minutes of normal time
left on the clock.
An
unchanged line-up in the most part controlled
the first period, with David Stone again back
to his threatening best and causing problems for
a cumbersome Cheshunt defence.
Aaron
Stringfellow had Rugby's first chance of the game
on 6 minutes, but he could only loop his shot
over the bar after Stone had broken free on the
right wing. In a similar move shortly after, Stone's
cross was this time gathered at the near post
by the substantial figure of Cheshunt keeper Martin
Peat.
A
clever Willis Francis long free-kick released
Stone once more, and having pushed the ball wide
of Peat, Cheshunt captain Anthony Fenton just
beat the forward to it and cleared for a corner.
The
breakthrough came on 25 minutes after Matt Gearing
and Chris Tullin had combined well on the left.
The Tullin cross that followed found Stone in
the box and he was controversially adjudged to
have been fouled by Glen Parry - prompting referee
Steans to award a penalty, one of many baffling
decisions made by the Loughborough official throughout
the game.
Jason
Taylor stepped up to stroke home
his third spot-kick in four games, with Peat only
managing to get a hand to the ball before it hit
the net.
Town's
concentration levels dropped after the goal and
the visitors began to impose themselves on the
game in the lead-up to the interval. Bobby Highton
shot just wide, and then Lee Allen released the
lively Dewayne Clarke in the box, with Farhad
Afandiyev forced to save bravely at his feet to
protect a half-time lead.
The
second period opened with a gilt edged opportunity
for Cheshunt to equalise, but Trevor Paul's blasted
over from close range after the Town defence had
for once failed to deal with yet another high
ball into the box.
Rugby's
set plays were once more causing the opposition
problems and on 53 minutes Gearing's free-kick
drew a poor punch from Peat, with the ball falling
invitingly to Francis - but his effort from the
edge of the area was off-target.
This
was to be Francis's last contribution to the game,
as he was carried off on a stretcher shortly after
with a knee injury from a nasty tackle from Parry
- which saw the Cheshunt defender pick up a caution.
Stringfellow's
powerful half-volley was then blocked, and from
the resulting corner - another dangerous inswinging
Hall delivery - Tom Breward and Delroy Gordon
both only just failed to provide a finishing touch
on the line.
At
the other end, in a rare attacking moment, Highton’s
cross found Clarke, who pulled his angled volley
just wide.
The
game’s defining moments came in the 76th minute,
when Parry illegally halted another Stone break
down the right and earnt his second yellow card
of the game. The Hall free-kick that followed
his departure was met by the head - or more likely
the hair - of substitute David
Kolodynski and flew into the net
- prompting a late, joyous touchline jig for the
second game running from his manager Billy Jeffrey.
Rugby
played out the rest of the game with relative
ease, although Highton did have a shot in the
box blocked by Craig Herbert and Michael Dean's
sent a long-range free-kick wide.
In
fact, it was the home side that went closest to
adding to the goal tally late in the game. Breward
saw his shot well turned over by Peat, and Stone
should have done better when he was one-on-one
with the keeper, but saw the ball smothered when
he pushed the ball too far ahead of himself.
Report
by Jon Venner.
Links
>> Around
the League: Cheshunt
>>
Previous
Meetings: Rugby v Cheshunt
>> Official
Cheshunt FC Website
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