Pitching In Northern Premier League Midland Division
RC WARWICK 2 ST NEOTS TOWN 0
Two goals in the final ten minutes of this match gave Racing Club Warwick a late victory and lifted the host side up to a fifth-place finish in the league table to earn them a play-off place. This was because elsewhere AFC Rushden and Diamonds held Coleshill Town to a 2-2 draw demoting theBirmingham side to sixth in the table just a point shy of their play-off hopes. Meantime St Neots finished 20th in the table and will be relegated back to Step Five (on goal difference) after just one season at the higher level with 19th placed Bourne hoping to get a reprieve when next seasons’ composition is announced by the Football Association. So, it was disappointment for Cameron Mawer’s side after just one season back at Step Four – a season in which they fell away in the second half after reaching the top half early on. The one consolation is that wherever they are placed next season it will mean less travelling to their away fixtures. The visitors had to make a late team change when the returning Eniola Agemoh-Davies broke down in the warm-up letting in James Stainsby for only his eighth start this season in attack.
There was much at stake with the host side knowing that a win could earn them a play-off place if Coleshill failed to win at Rushden. However, with both back lines tight and well organised there was little to separate the sides in the first half. Warwick enjoyed the bulk of the possession but made little progress after the lively Harvey Williams had tested the home keeper. James Hancocks fired over the bar, Aaron Opoku was also off-target and then a searing shot from Connor Taylor was deflected wide by a defender. The visitors replied with Rhys Thorpe firing over the bar from a Robbie Parker corner and St Neots best chance was lost when Thorpe went clear but shot disappointingly wide. The nearest to a first half goal was when a Hancock’s effort clipped the visitors’ crossbar.
The start of the second half followed a similar pattern with the home side unable to convert their better possession into goals. For the visitors James Stainsby set up Thorpe but the chance went begging and then visiting keeper James Goff saved well from a James Harding header. Williams tried hard to motivate the visiting attack but lacked support and St Neots better openings never seriously threatened the home goal. Needing to find a breakthrough the home side introduced substitutes, and this was to prove significant. St Neots did carve out one opening when a lengthy throw by Lewis Burgess found the head of defender Harvey Henderson. but his effort was just too high. Just when a stalemate threatened the home side moved up a gear ten minutes from time when their substitutes combined to break the deadlock. Cameron Ebbutt sent a searching corner to the far post and Archie Hamp bundled the ball into the net for that vital opening goal. St Neots tried to respond but found the home defence tight and well organised and the icing on the cake came right on time when the hard-working James Harding robbed a defender to advance on goal and seal the victory and kick start the Warwick celebrations as the Coleshill result came through.
Today’s Saints Supporters’ Man of the Match, in association with The Greystones Public House, Sawtry – JAMES GOFF
St Neots: Goff, Willis. Burgess, Ankrah, Henderson, Parker, Bugyei-Kyie, Stainsby, Thorpe, Muyembe, Williams
Subs: Richard-Noel (for Thorpe 73 mins), Charles (for Bugyei-Kyei 86 mins), Agemoh-Davies, Sears, and Mawer
Cards: Muyembe (Y – 77 mins)
Goals: None
RC Warwick: Allsopp, Moore, Hayward, Blackmore, Barnett, Tetlow, Taylor, Hancocks, Harding, Opoku, Coyle
Subs: Andrews (for Blackmore 62 mins), Ebbutt (for Coyle 68 mins), Hamp (for Allsopp 68 mins), Chia (for Taylor 90+2 mins), and Edwards.
Cards: Opoku (Y – 10 mins)
Goals: Hamp (80 mins), Harding (90 mins)
Attendance: 458
Referee: Benjamin Gudger (Birmingham)
(John Walker)