| Rugby
Town 0-2 Mangotsfield United |
| BGB
Premier Division |
Saturday,
26th August 2006
Attendance
| 245
|
Entertainment |
|
Photo
Gallery
| Willis Francis on the ball
A
stuttering Town drew a blank at Butlin Road last
Saturday, going down to a goal in each half against
unbeaten Mangotsfield.
The
visitors had taken a deserved lead in the first
half, and then defended their lead competently
in the second, with Rugby lacking the necessary
incision in attack, before their victory was secured
in bizarre fashion late in the game when Mangos
keeper Steve Book scored directly with a long
clearance from deep within his own half.
With
Billy Jeffrey absent due to a family funeral in
Scotland, assistant manager Kenny Mist took charge
of an unchanged side - which wore black armbands
as a mark of respect for their boss's nephew.
Town
created little in the game's opening exchanges,
with only a weak Matt Gearing free-kick from distance
and a wayward Danny Hall volley to show for their
attacking play.
Their
opponents however grew in confidence as the half
progressed, and went close on a number of occasions
- including Martin Paul's shot which curled just
wide and Gary Horgan's effort from the edge of
the box on 27 minutes, which Farhad Afandiyev
could only parry, before he desperately scrambled
the ball away to safety.
The
Mangos breakthrough came on 36 minutes when Jack
Allward's free kick was met with a low header
from the unmarked Gary Warren to give his sharper
and stronger side the half-time lead.
United
seemed content to sit back and let the Valley
dictate the play for most of the second, but aside
from a harmless free-kick from Aaron Stringfellow,
it took another thirty minutes for Rugby to create
their first meaningful threat on Book's goal.
This
came when a perfectly delivered free-kick from
Willis Francis found Delroy Gordon in space at
the far post, but the defender was unable to manipulate
his body to the right angle to apply a header
at goal, and the chance went begging.
Shortly
after a defensive error from Neil Arndale saw
the ball fall to David Stone, whose shot from
close range was well-saved by Book at his near
post.
Town
then threw extra bodies into their attack for
the closing minutes of a game - which was extended
due to a number of lengthy delays for injuries
to Mangotsfield players. As a result of this,
Gordon's flick-on header released Jason Taylor
in a dangerous position on the edge of the box,
but his volley flew over the bar.
The
Bristol based club put the game beyond Town with
probably one of the freakiest goals ever seen
at the ground, when the ex-Bristol Rovers and
Swindon keeper Book launched a hopeful free-kick
up the pitch, which by-passed both sets of players
before bouncing over the head of a perplexed Afandiyev
and into the net - much to the surprise of Book
and all other onlookers.
Report
by Jon Venner.
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